A Little Bit of Homework!

This post is a required assignment of my M500 Seminar at IU South Bend. We are currently discussing lesson planning, and trying to develop our own understanding of how students learn best, and how to plan accordingly. Enjoy!
Exercise 6.1- Meaningful Direct Experiences
The purpose of this exercise is for you to reflect on your past direct learning experiences. Recall a lesson from your middle or secondary schooling when you learned by doing something.
I recall my eighth grade English class taught by Mrs. Kleist. The lesson was diagramming sentences, and it was probably more of a unit length, as we studied this over the course of a few days to a week. This was very much a hands-on/minds-on learning experience and it also led to other great projects.
1. Why do you remember this particular direct experience?
I remember this experience so vividly because, while I hated diagramming sentences, I really enjoyed this lesson and how it was presented.
2. What did you experience?
The lesson began with some lecturing. The process and intricacies of diagramming naturally had to be explained first before we could attempt to diagram ourselves. We were then placed into small groups of 4-5 students where we worked together to
diagram sentences of ever greater complexity. In the end, we all came together
as a class and diagrammed a ridiculously long and complicated sentence. I
remember this sentence diagram stretching across the entire length and height
of the chalkboard, which spanned an entire wall!
3. How could the experience have been better?
Again, I shockingly have fond memories of this diagramming lesson, so it is hard for me to recall ways for it to have been improved. Later in the school year, our class went on to read, rehearse, and perform a Shakespeare comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. I am convinced that our group work in class contributed greatly to our success with the production.
4. Which learning modalities were embedded in the direct experience? Explain how the various sensory preferences were addressed?
The lesson, or unit, started out with some lecture and explanation by Mrs. Kleist that was heavily auditory. As we moved into groups, the other learning modalities were all used. Visual in the visualizing first in our mind and then on paper, as to how to diagram a sentence. Tactile learning was done by writing out our work first on paper, then on the chalkboard. Kinesthetic learning was accomplished in our close group work, the physical act of writing on the chalkboard, and the high-fives and hugs that were shared upon completion of our final, huge sentence diagram!