HS English class and in-class reading

[Anonymous]

What's your child's experience regarding in-class reading? My DS says his class spends about 45 minutes reading with minor "interruptions" from the teacher. Is this normal? Are students no longer told to read the book at home for homework? Just checking. TIA

[Anonymous]

Weird

[Anonymous]

Kids might not be reading at home and therefore are not able to complete assignments. I would love to read in class. Just a guess though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's your child's experience regarding in-class reading? My DS says his class spends about 45 minutes reading with minor "interruptions" from the teacher. Is this normal? Are students no longer told to read the book at home for homework? Just checking. TIA

Many teachers now are expecting that almost all work for the course will be done in-class for equity reasons. I am an AP Lang teacher and communicate with hundreds of other English teachers on the group Facebook page. I don't agree with this, just reporting...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your child's experience regarding in-class reading? My DS says his class spends about 45 minutes reading with minor "interruptions" from the teacher. Is this normal? Are students no longer told to read the book at home for homework? Just checking. TIA

Many teachers now are expecting that almost all work for the course will be done in-class for equity reasons. I am an AP Lang teacher and communicate with hundreds of other English teachers on the group Facebook page. I don't agree with this, just reporting...

But if the school supplies all the books for the kids to take home and read, what is the issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your child's experience regarding in-class reading? My DS says his class spends about 45 minutes reading with minor "interruptions" from the teacher. Is this normal? Are students no longer told to read the book at home for homework? Just checking. TIA

Many teachers now are expecting that almost all work for the course will be done in-class for equity reasons. I am an AP Lang teacher and communicate with hundreds of other English teachers on the group Facebook page. I don't agree with this, just reporting...

But if the school supplies all the books for the kids to take home and read, what is the issue?

Kids are not necessarily reading at home. If one English class period a week is devoted to reading, they hope students will at least open the book, read a few pages or chapter, get into the story and continue at home before taking an assessment on that week's reading at the end of the week. Different than once upon a time when reading was part of homework to be done outside class time. So now basically one English period is a study hall. Not agreeing just posting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's your child's experience regarding in-class reading? My DS says his class spends about 45 minutes reading with minor "interruptions" from the teacher. Is this normal? Are students no longer told to read the book at home for homework? Just checking. TIA

Yes this is the new normal according to DS who is in an apex class at WJ. This is an advanced, cohorted class. The assumption is kids won’t read even a minimal number of pages at home so they read in class.

By assumption I mean this is the experience teachers are having with students now. They are adapting to this sad reality.

[Anonymous]

You never had sustained silent reading? With all the distractions outside of school, it’s nice to “force” a nonnegotiable time and space to read. With jobs, extracurriculars, sports, social media/video game temptations, and chaotic/noisy home lives, it can be helpful to provide some time to read. Independent reading IS productive, it’s not a study hall. Don’t we want them reading at school?!

[Anonymous]

Now that we have “all honors” with no distinction in ability level—yes, we have to read in class.

Students who can read 1-2 chapters per night or week due to their reading level are lumped with kids who are still learning English.

Please tell me… How do you teach to all students with these kind of whacko expectations? MCPS is living in Lala Land and teachers are expected to compensate for MCPS’s inability to think rationally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your child's experience regarding in-class reading? My DS says his class spends about 45 minutes reading with minor "interruptions" from the teacher. Is this normal? Are students no longer told to read the book at home for homework? Just checking. TIA

Many teachers now are expecting that almost all work for the course will be done in-class for equity reasons. I am an AP Lang teacher and communicate with hundreds of other English teachers on the group Facebook page. I don't agree with this, just reporting...

If the school is supplying the book then short of not having access to one of the many libraries in MoCo, there is not an equity concern. Not being interested or devoting time outside of class is not an equity problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You never had sustained silent reading? With all the distractions outside of school, it’s nice to “force” a nonnegotiable time and space to read. With jobs, extracurriculars, sports, social media/video game temptations, and chaotic/noisy home lives, it can be helpful to provide some time to read. Independent reading IS productive, it’s not a study hall. Don’t we want them reading at school?!

Oh SSR sounds lovely but that isn’t what happens. It isn’t silent. It is phone, talk to friends, work on other homework free period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You never had sustained silent reading? With all the distractions outside of school, it’s nice to “force” a nonnegotiable time and space to read. With jobs, extracurriculars, sports, social media/video game temptations, and chaotic/noisy home lives, it can be helpful to provide some time to read. Independent reading IS productive, it’s not a study hall. Don’t we want them reading at school?!

I want my child to experience good curriculum and teaching. A few min of SSR is nice. Forced time and space to read is good. But a 45 min period of sustained silent reading, like OP describes - even with a few intermittent comments from the teacher - is nothing but a babysitting service. This is insulting to teachers and to their profession.

[Anonymous]

It seems many school divisions now have only honors classes to make everyone feel good. So
the only challenging classes with your true academic peers are to be in a magnet program or advanced language or math sequence in 9th grade. Then to take APs with some students going for the academic knowledge but not the pressure of taking the final test.

Some divisions also have test and retest options which make high grades not necessarily reflecting a very strong student.
We see this in VA and in MD.

[Anonymous]

Interesting--my son is in 11th grade and hasn't had that experience yet, even in Honors English. His AP Lang teacher expects students to read outside of class and come in prepared for discussion and quizzes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your child's experience regarding in-class reading? My DS says his class spends about 45 minutes reading with minor "interruptions" from the teacher. Is this normal? Are students no longer told to read the book at home for homework? Just checking. TIA

Many teachers now are expecting that almost all work for the course will be done in-class for equity reasons. I am an AP Lang teacher and communicate with hundreds of other English teachers on the group Facebook page. I don't agree with this, just reporting...

But if the school supplies all the books for the kids to take home and read, what is the issue?

They have very romantic ideas about poverty... that all of the kids are busy working two jobs to support their families, so no demands can be made on their time.