Teachers...what is the point of this?

[JoiseyMom]

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.

I was looking into different places, but my future DIL is now working as a social coordinator in a low income housing project, and I am going to have her take the books for the kids there.

I know when my mom passed away, I had problems finding an organization that would take her furniture and dishes and the things that we didn't wnat to keep/need.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

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.

While I don't recall specific discussions, the discussions were well enough that I was able to write a coherent paper on whatever topic I chose out of the bunch.

I just found the language to be ultra-challenging to destroy anything of value in that book.

It seems I found my symbolism nitch as my papers from that point forward only improved.

 

[JoiseyMom]

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

Yes, I would have no problems with Stepanie Meyers on the list. I was also suprised that with the five book choices for the summer, yes just 5, that none of those authors were on the list! The book DD picked, The Uglies, is the first of 4, and she liked them and got all of them and wanted to read them throughout the school year. Now they are gonna have to sit on the side for awhile.

 

[MsLeFever]

Some of Judy Blume is more teen fiction and some is VERY adult! My mother constantly had her sixth grade students reading some very sexually explicit stuff since parents just figured Blume was for kids.

If she's interested in King The Eyes of the Dragon would be a good first choice.

 

[JoiseyMom]

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.

Well the Yolen books she chose are Briar Rose, Sister Light Sister Dark and White Jenna.

There are 63 authors, sorry, not typing them out.

Looking at the list for her third choice, she may pick the Phillip Pullman books.

 

[JoiseyMom]

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!

Meg Cabot is on her list, and she has had the first book in her room, forever...she just never got interested enough to read it.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Some of Judy Blume is more teen fiction and some is VERY adult! My mother constantly had her sixth grade students reading some very sexually explicit stuff since parents just figured Blume was for kids.

If she's interested in King The Eyes of the Dragon would be a good first choice.

Yes, I know Judy Blume has adult and teen books, I have them. Her first teen book was Forever, I still have it after all these years. I am not sure if she wrote anymore teen books. My older 2 kids were boys, and well not into Judy Blume!! LOL.

I think I have The Eyes of the Dragon, I gotta check my shelves. I have a list of books I need to read, but haven't gotten too. My first King book was Salem's Lot!! Scared my like no book has ever done before! I would read a few chapters at a time and through it in the closet for a couple of weeks!!

 

[JoiseyMom]

As we were searching our shelves for the Yolen books, DD grabbed the Dickens, and Shakespare we had sitting there! She also took Red Bad Of Courage, after I told her I HATED this book in HS!!


I use to hate when teachers in HS would rip apart the books and analyze them! All I wanted to do wsa read and enjoy, why was I supposed to care why someone author who died maybe centuries ago wrote what he did? How about that he wrote it cuase he liked to write??

I know, not the answer teachers want..but I enjoy books for their stories and for the ability to sweep me into them and make me apart of them.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Well the Yolen books she chose are Briar Rose, Sister Light Sister Dark and White Jenna.

There are 63 authors, sorry, not typing them out.

Looking at the list for her third choice, she may pick the Phillip Pullman books.

Ooohhhh. . .one of my fave Yolen books is Briar Rose. Lovely metaphors there -great Holocaust lit book suitable for about 7th grade on up. Most people who like Yolen like Pullman, I've noticed, not for stylistic choices so much as just. . .hmm, horizon expanding and thinking types of choices.

 

[Becky2005]

I use to hate when teachers in HS would rip apart the books and analyze them! All I wanted to do wsa read and enjoy, why was I supposed to care why someone author who died maybe centuries ago wrote what he did? How about that he wrote it cuase he liked to write??

I know, not the answer teachers want..but I enjoy books for their stories and for the ability to sweep me into them and make me apart of them.

That's my daughter now. She loves reading and can go through a stack of books. However, put her in English class where they have to read, stop, tear it apart -- drives her nuts. She just wants to read the book and not this start, stop, you can't read ahead stuff, etc...

I don't really know much to help you on authors as my DD likes Stephanie Myers and Shakespeare. She reads just about anything though.

 

[BelleWDW]

I use to hate when teachers in HS would rip apart the books and analyze them! All I wanted to do wsa read and enjoy, why was I supposed to care why someone author who died maybe centuries ago wrote what he did? .

Are you kidding?
That is what makes Literature so fascinating!

Little Dora was based on the author living in a debtor;s prison also....

Jane Austin 's books were based on society at the time...

 

[merryweather20]

Are you kidding?
That is what makes Literature so fascinating!

Little Dora was based on the author living in a debtor;s prison also....

Jane Austin 's books were based on society at the time...

I feel the same way as some of the other posters. Rip apart is right. I was an avid reader, but by the time I got through High School English they had cured me of that completely.

I remember my grade 9 English class. We read Romeo and Juliet and several Canadian authors. Apparently the most important thing about the books was that someone had died in each of them. We had to compare and contrast the deaths ad nauseum. In reality it is completely unreasonable to sit for hours and try to come up with similarities between the deaths of Romeo and Juliet and that of a woman who died of old age during the great depression.

I used to do book reports on Northanger Abbey all the time. Since it was Jane Austen I was always allowed to use the it. but as one of her lesser read titles the teacher didn't have a Coles notes for the book. That way they would actually read my book report without any preconceived notions.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

Oooh, so far it looks like there are some Really great authors on the list!

Tolkein (did I spell that write, lol) has other books (as I'm sure you know) that may be more appropriate than the Lord of the Rings! I read The Hobbit when I was Really little and loved it...but it took me a LONG time to really "get" TLotR.

Yolen is great! - Briar Rose is one of my favorite books!

Pullman - also good!

I can't remember what others you mentioned, but each one of them was familiar to me. I'm sure you DD will find books that she will love among them.

 

[TinkPinkPoem]

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

There's a lot of hype surrounding the Twilight series but other than that, I think the books are very poorly written. I couldn't even go through the first so I gave up. Meyer cannot in any way compare with literature's greats, at least not with the work she's presented thus far. So OP, I can understand the teacher's dismay.

 

[mjkacmom]

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

Well, if the OP's dd thinks that series was well written, it would be wise to let her experience other authors.

 

[mjkacmom]

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.

I was a big reader as a child, and I read Stephen King in 6th grade. I do believe Judy Blume has written adult books. My dd13 is in all honors classes, but hates to read (I average a book a week). I love her assigned reading lists (she has to take the tests today), because it forces her to read. Not all kids love reading, unfortunately. She did love the poorly written Twighlight series, of course.

 

[golfgal]

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.

What is wrong with your post is that YOU are picking the books for her, eliminating ones YOU think she won't like and trying to steer her toward books that are similar to what she does like. The point of the list and the mixed authors is to stretch your wings; read something you wouldn't normally read. If she is such an avid reader Lord of the Rings won't be a challenge like you think. My kids read LotR in 5th grade-they are also very avid readers. The Judy Bloome books are not for little kids, they are for preteens and many of them deal with the very issues she is probably facing in middle school. Besides that, it looks like she is trying to get them to read all levels of books. Let your DD surf the internet and figure out what books she wants to read. Why are you doing that for her? I would guess that part of the assignment is to do just that-research what books each author has and pick the once you would like to read.

There's a lot of hype surrounding the Twilight series but other than that, I think the books are very poorly written. I couldn't even go through the first so I gave up. Meyer cannot in any way compare with literature's greats, at least not with the work she's presented thus far. So OP, I can understand the teacher's dismay.

I agree. While the Twilight books are entertaining they are far from good literature and don't belong on a reading list like this.

 

[jrmasm]

Yes, I would have no problems with Stepanie Meyers on the list. I was also suprised that with the five book choices for the summer, yes just 5, that none of those authors were on the list! The book DD picked, The Uglies, is the first of 4, and she liked them and got all of them and wanted to read them throughout the school year. Now they are gonna have to sit on the side for awhile.

I guess different strokes...

I have no problem with my DD reading her books but I would have a HUGE problem with a school reading list that had her books on it. They are garbage pure and simple. Nothing wrong with a little brain candy now and then but for a school assignment?? No way!!

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

Are you kidding?
That is what makes Literature so fascinating!

Little Dora was based on the author living in a debtor;s prison also....

Jane Austin 's books were based on society at the time...

Literature in school is not simply a class to read a book. It's a class that explores all aspects of a book, not just the story. That was the point of the stop and go nature of the class.

To the OP: Out of 63 authors, I am positive your DD can find 3 that are appropriate for her. I think it is a great way to have kids branch out with a little push.

 

[allison443]

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.

Why are you considering this "recreational reading"? Because it is being done outside the classroom? To me it sounds like an assignment. So what? Do you have a problem with teachers assigning the kids books to read?

It sounds like your dd is a very good reader who should have no trouble reading the books.
With 63 authors to choose from, I'm sure she can find something to her taste. Let her look at the books on Amazon, a lot of times they have excerpts and reviews which might help her make her decision.