J_D, I didn't mean to imply you never made the children reply in complete sentences. The example you gave of copying a sentence, then underlining a noun or verb is a perfect example of something to drive a child to frustration; just writing down the word intended to be identified is a good solution.
I have a pet peeve about the average adult not being able to communicate in clear, concise sentences in writing. I'm a computer programmer/analyst, and sometimes when I'm trying to define what is being requested I wonder if we're even speaking the same language. And reading a sentence constructed with extremely poor grammar is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard, to me. What good is knowledge if we are not able to communicate it to others?
Why do you think so many high ability kids do not have high achievement scores on the ISTEP? What level of information does the average classroom curriculum present?
