What's missing is your proof that it can be done. It's one thing to say
that we expected all students to know something about grammar for years and
years. It's another thing to offer evidence that expectations were met.

Until then, I stand with the statement cited by Constance Weaver from the
1950 Encyclopedia of Educational Research:

"Grammar is difficult if not impossible to teach to the point of practical
application." (Grammar for Teachers, p. 88)

Bill

>I've read this over a couple of times and I guess I am missing something.
>
>Why CAN'T most students learn basic grammatical terms?  If you start
>them young and keep building, in a consistent way, from, say, grade
>two up, it seems to me that, by the time they are high school
>seniors, they will be able to identify sentences, phrases, and
>clauses.
>
>It's scarcely rocket science.  I'd also like to point out that all
>kids are regularly expected to be able to do much more difficult
>things than pick out a pronoun.  I'd submit long division as one
>example.
>
>And I must say we did expect all students to know something about
>grammar, for years and years, until the sixties and seventies and
>"language arts should be creative and fun every minute." Has
>something changed in students that now they can't learn grammatical
>rules now, when they did up to the mid-sixties?
>
>What am I missing?
>
>Kathleen Ward
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>>But is that really possible? Could the majority of a student body, through
>>the course of elementary, junior high, and high school, really learn and
>>retain enough grammar to be able to read and understand the rules as given
>>in a college handbook?
>>
>>I will restate my opinion (which I have given before in other venues) that
>>they cannot. Perhaps a few students can, but not the majority. And thus we
>>must find another way to get the rules across. (I will allow for the
>>possibility that a simplified grammar such as Ed's might do the trick, but
>>even that remains to be seen.)
>>
>>What do you think?
>>
>>Bill
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>William J. McCleary
>>3247 Bronson Hill Road
>>Livonia, NY 14487
>>716-346-6859


William J. McCleary
3247 Bronson Hill Road
Livonia, NY 14487
716-346-6859