Teachers...what is the point of this?

[JoiseyMom]

DD13 is in 8th grade. Last year that had this AR stuff and they had to read from this list and take tests.

This year there is no AR, instead she got a list of Authors, and has to pick 3 of them and read 3 of their books.

This bugs the carp outta me!! DD loves loves to read. She read about 15 novels this summer. Only 1 of them was on her summer reading list (there was only 5 to choose from).

Now, this is to make sure the kids read...why the heck do they have to read what the school wants them too?? This is recreational reading!! Why can't she read what she wants?? What is the purpose of this??

Plus she has until the 10th to decide what 9 books she is going to read! ***?? Why does she have to make that decsion now...what if she changes her mind?

It is one thing when they have assigned reading and everyone reads the same books and they rip em to shreds..but recreational reading should be that!

Seems to me forcing kids to read recreational books that they don't want to read is going to turn them off to reading.

 

[diznygirl]

I look at it as trying a new food. With recreational reading most kids will gravitate towards the same things they like. It's a good opportunity to try something new - like Green Eggs and Ham!

Don't get me wrong - I HATED reading some of that awful garbage in high school - but at least I can say I tried it and hated it.

 

[XYSRUS]

ITA! Summer reading is the pits. You want them to read , let them read what they want. My kids are great readers and enjoy it, but hate the "forced" reading" over the summer plus the tests that go with it. I just roll my eyes every year-like the school is in charge of your summer-blech! FYI-All my kids are "gifted"-whatever that means, too. Don't get me started....Rant over...

 

[luvmy3]

Assigning reading and forcing students to read from a list of authors IS NOT recreational reading, IMO. I encourage my children to read books that are above their reading level, ones that challenge them. If they want to read the 10th book in a series that they have read the 9 before I'm not going to stop them, I believe in fostering a love of (recreational) reading, not forcing them or assigning them specific things to read. I think having guidelines is fine but don't tell the kids what they HAVE to read for their own pleasure.

 

[golfgal]

I agree, this is not to promote a love of reading like recreational reading does, it is to expand their horizons and learn from reading different works from different authors. DS14 is finishing his "summer" reading as I type-school starts tomorrow . There are many books I read in school that I would have never read otherwise. Some I liked, some I didn't but I learned something in every one of them.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm curious as to what the choices are on this list.

I did not do this in 8th grade, or high school for that matter.

As long as she isn't being quizzed on the material, I guess it isn't so bad. But I had enough trouble reading the assigned/quizzed/discusssed and torn to bits literature---that if I was quized on 9 other novels in a 9 month school year, I may have flunked English. Ughhh!

I get why it is necessary, but I did find the pop quizzes to be extreme overkill. I don't think they helped me to read more critically at all and I found them to be too specific. I did poorly on more than my fair share of pop quizzes. I found the discussion groups very beneficial--but could not stand pop quizzes and thus avoided reading in my spare time. I have reading paranoia.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I agree, this is not to promote a love of reading like recreational reading does, it is to expand their horizons and learn from reading different works from different authors.

It sounds like these are for the school year since she has to submit the choices ahead of time. Not sure what the assignment itself says, but OP also said it is for recreational reading.

I just hope one of the authors is not Hawthorne.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I so agree with all of you! SOme of the authors I know and they write little kids books. One author was Tolkein, now she can read the Hobbit and would probably love it..but the other 3 books...my husband thinks is too much.

I am now googling the authors, we need a third one. One of the authors wrote Aretemis Fowl, she loved and read those books and will do that, if the teacher allows. ANother authoer is Jane Yolen, who my husband has read and so have I, and we have 3 of her books in the house. DD says they look good.

DD is really into horror and vampires right now. She also loves Dickens and Shakespare (neither of which are on her list).

One author I googled is a homophobe . He writes scifi and DH has read some of his stuff..I crossed him off the list.

My dh and I LOVE to read. We also read the same books over and over, so have an extensive varied library, so do the kids!

I actually have tons of kids books I need to find a place to give them too, since my kids have outgrown them!!

Reading is fun in our house!

 

[JoiseyMom]

It sounds like these are for the school year since she has to submit the choices ahead of time. Not sure what the assignment itself says, but OP also said it is for recreational reading.

I just hope one of the authors is not Hawthorne.

The sheet says Author Study Investigation Author List. It is supposed to be instead of AR, which was there you have to read on your own, but we want you to read this list.

And Hawthorne is not on the list .

DD said the teacher was kinda snarky when she said that Stephanie Myers is not on the list!

 

[golfgal]

I so agree with all of you! SOme of the authors I know and they write little kids books. One author was Tolkein, now she can read the Hobbit and would probably love it..but the other 3 books...my husband thinks is too much.

I am now googling the authors, we need a third one. One of the authors wrote Aretemis Fowl, she loved and read those books and will do that, if the teacher allows. ANother authoer is Jane Yolen, who my husband has read and so have I, and we have 3 of her books in the house. DD says they look good.

DD is really into horror and vampires right now. She also loves Dickens and Shakespare (neither of which are on her list).

One author I googled is a homophobe . He writes scifi and DH has read some of his stuff..I crossed him off the list.

My dh and I LOVE to read. We also read the same books over and over, so have an extensive varied library, so do the kids!

I actually have tons of kids books I need to find a place to give them too, since my kids have outgrown them!!

Reading is fun in our house!

What is wrong with the Lord of the Rings books? What "little kids" books are on the list?

From this post this is EXACTLY why a teacher assigns these reading lists this way.

 

[Northstar]

I don't think the purpose of this assignment is just to get kids turned on to reading, like younger grade recreational reading. With younger kids, they still need practice with the basic skills... so anything that keeps 'em reading is good. They'll be faster, more proficient, skilled readers even if it's just comic books or formula series books they're reading.

But by grade 8, they're reading to learn rather than learning to read. I'm guessing that the purpose of this assignment is to broaden students' reading horizons, while still allowing them some choice, and to acquaint them with some literature that's considered good... either classics, or current "book club" type literature, the kind that gets reviewed and discussed.

It is a valuable assignment, I think. I still remember with gratitude a similar assignment from my grade 10 English teacher... we had a list of about 40 books to choose from, and had to read something in various categories... something 19th century, something non-fiction, something drama... It was really useful to have a background familiarity with some good literature because in high school English literature discussion, even if you're reading Great Novel A, you're expected to be able to bring in discussion of similar themes etc from Great Novels B and C. Well, I'd never heard of Jane Austen before this assignment in grade 10, but I managed to bring Pride and Prejudice into every essay I wrote for years. I thought it was the greatest novel and held the key to life, the universe, and everything.

So about the purpose of the assignment... I'd be willing to bet that the teacher wouldn't say it's recreational reading. It's to encourage wide reading, develop knowledge of what you like and don't like, and ability to read independently without a teacher telling you what you should be getting from the book. It's a good assignment. The biggest problem with the assignment is designing an assessment that lets the teacher know who actually did the work... oh, those lame book reports!

 

[luvmy3]

I actually have tons of kids books I need to find a place to give them too, since my kids have outgrown them!!

Reading is fun in our house!

I know this OT but have you thought of finding a local battered women's shelter or Children's Hospital to donate them to. I know our GS troop gave donations to a woman's shelter and they were so appreciative. Alot of the kids there leave alot of their stuff behind when the mom decides to leave. I think alot of people only think of donating things for the woman, but many of them have their kids with them.

 

[golfgal]

It sounds like these are for the school year since she has to submit the choices ahead of time. Not sure what the assignment itself says, but OP also said it is for recreational reading.

I just hope one of the authors is not Hawthorne.

The OP assumed it was for recreational reading. What is wrong with Hawthorne? Chances are the reason to submit ahead of time is so the teacher can get an idea of what everyone will be reading so she can prepare for the varied choices.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The OP assumed it was for recreational reading. What is wrong with Hawthorne? Chances are the reason to submit ahead of time is so the teacher can get an idea of what everyone will be reading so she can prepare for the varied choices.

It was simply a joke--but I HATED Scarlet Letter with an immense passion and quit reading it as soon as the pop quizzes are over. I think I failed almost every pop quiz on that book and struggled immensely with it. I do not know how the book ends, nor do I ever intend to find out.

I did go on to read other required readings from several authors whom I found interesting. And I do eventually read books on occasion just for the sake of trying it out. But you couldn't get me to read a Hawthorne book ever again.

I simply mentioned the deadline as most posts were focusing on Summer reading and pointing out that it wasn't in case it was missed. I wasn't questioning the submission.

 

[jrmasm]

DD said the teacher was kinda snarky when she said that Stephanie Myers is not on the list!

I'm confused. Do you think she should be on the list?

 

[cabanafrau]

I'm thinking you didn't have much discussion to go along with your reading of the Scarlet Letter. It's a tremendous starting point to understand symbolism in writing, amongst other things.

I'm going to guess that some of what's on the reading list is geared towards exposing students to different archetypes of writing.

 

[IDoDis]

OP, who are ALL of the authors? It sounds like the teacher wants the students to read and experience various reading genres. This sounds like a "spread your wings" type of reading.

If Jane Yolen is on the list then the teacher must also be allowing the students to read pictures books. Yolen's "Owl Moon" is one of the best picture books out there. Picture books are not just "little kid" books. Many have very sophisticated writing styles. Picture books are often used by good language arts teachers as springboards for writing to help students see, hear and then practice writing in various genres.

I'd love to see the list of authors. I'd recommend Yolen. Your DD can read three picture books easily in one setting -- that is if she wants to get through with the 9 books and move on to her preferred genre.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Must be so that they can get that additional paper or test in.

 

[MaumeeMom]

It sounds like these are for the school year since she has to submit the choices ahead of time. Not sure what the assignment itself says, but OP also said it is for recreational reading.

I just hope one of the authors is not Hawthorne.

I love Nathaniel Hawthorne! The House of Seven Gables is one of my favorites.

OP, your daughter is probably too young for Jane Austen, another one of my faves.

What about Meg Cabot? My god daughter enjoys her books.

Good luck!

 

[JoiseyMom]

What is wrong with the Lord of the Rings books? What "little kids" books are on the list?

From this post this is EXACTLY why a teacher assigns these reading lists this way.

Judy Blume is a kids author. There is nothing wrong with The Lord of the Rings. We have them all, and my DH has read them numerous times. I read some of them back in HS. But knowing our DD, the size of the books, and his own language, she won't get to read all 9 books she has to read.

And what is wrong with my post?? That my daughter loves the horror genre?? She also loves Shakespare and Dickens. She doesn't not like mysteries. She is also itching to read King, but I feel she needs to wait another year or 2.