Does your school assign reading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they assign books or let the kids pick? How much does your kid read? - assigned or not. For ours, they sent home books in K and the expectation was every night if possible, but no minimum time. In 1st they didn’t send books, but suggested 15 minutes of reading whatever per night. Now in 2nd there is no suggested time, but DD reads alone for maybe 30-45 minutes. Should I be sitting down and listening to her read aloud, or is her independent reading enough?

Not at that age. Most assigned reading might start around Jr. High.

Encourage any print reading, even comics, etc. Don't look down on things like Garfield, Far Side, older Donald Duck comics, etc. as they are very good forms of reading media for kids as kids are big on visuals while growing up, which enhances the learning of the content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our public school never assigned a whole class novel. At the end of the year starting in 2nd they did do "book club" where kids would pick from a group of several books and discuss them with the group of other kids who picked the same book. There was occasional short passage reading comprehension homework in the reading packet as early as 1st, but that was highly teacher dependent and most years the kids didn't even have homework. When they did have homework one part of it might be "read for 15 minutes and log it."

Contrast that with our private, where whole class novels start as read-alouds in the primary grades but become homework or classwork (depending on the kid) in upper elementary and the middle and high school literature curriculum could have come straight out of the 1990s, with many of the same assigned books parents might recognize from that era.

What are some of the novels?

At which grade?

Off the top of my head, in 5th grade they read Prince Caspian, The Golden Goblet, and 2 others I'm forgetting. 6th grader is currently reading Bud, Not Buddy and will be reading City of Ember sometime later this year. 7th grader read The Hobbit, Inside Out and Back Again, something from Shakespeare, and others I'm forgetting. I know in 3rd grade they read Charlotte's Web, but there were more I'm not remembering (and 3rd is the last year where novels are mostly read alouds - they do other assigned reading in ability groups). 4th includes Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, and Because of Winn Dixie.

I know by high school they are reading Beowulf, Lord of the Flies, and other lit that most of us would remember from, well, high school.

This elementary reading list sounds like some school out of 1990. Hard to believe any elementary school is picking these instead of newer literature where characters are mostly non-white and mostly have some theme about marginalized people and racism

The book choices drive me crazy. Our elementary school does have class books they read together dealing with the history of racism in the Deep South.

Mildred D. Taylor has a series of excellent books that are perfect for the 4th or 5th grader. She writes historical fiction. It starts with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It’s about the Logan family and how they deal with racism down South starting in the 1930s. The readers start to learn what The Jim Crow Era was all about.

It has four sequel books - (Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), The Gold Cadillac (1987), and All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2020))

Mississippi Bridge is about a man watching from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver orders the black passengers off to make room for the Whites. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and the bus crashes into the lake. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice.

These five books that follow a Black family will give your child a look into what it was like to have been a Black kid in the South 90 years ago. My son really liked these books.

Historical fiction is a good way to read an interesting story if the writer is good and it has the reader learning about history in a fun way.

[Anonymous]

All my K, 2nd, & 4th kids get homework and assigned reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our public school never assigned a whole class novel. At the end of the year starting in 2nd they did do "book club" where kids would pick from a group of several books and discuss them with the group of other kids who picked the same book. There was occasional short passage reading comprehension homework in the reading packet as early as 1st, but that was highly teacher dependent and most years the kids didn't even have homework. When they did have homework one part of it might be "read for 15 minutes and log it."

Contrast that with our private, where whole class novels start as read-alouds in the primary grades but become homework or classwork (depending on the kid) in upper elementary and the middle and high school literature curriculum could have come straight out of the 1990s, with many of the same assigned books parents might recognize from that era.

What are some of the novels?

At which grade?

Off the top of my head, in 5th grade they read Prince Caspian, The Golden Goblet, and 2 others I'm forgetting. 6th grader is currently reading Bud, Not Buddy and will be reading City of Ember sometime later this year. 7th grader read The Hobbit, Inside Out and Back Again, something from Shakespeare, and others I'm forgetting. I know in 3rd grade they read Charlotte's Web, but there were more I'm not remembering (and 3rd is the last year where novels are mostly read alouds - they do other assigned reading in ability groups). 4th includes Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, and Because of Winn Dixie.

I know by high school they are reading Beowulf, Lord of the Flies, and other lit that most of us would remember from, well, high school.

This elementary reading list sounds like some school out of 1990. Hard to believe any elementary school is picking these instead of newer literature where characters are mostly non-white and mostly have some theme about marginalized people and racism

The book choices drive me crazy. Our elementary school does have class books they read together dealing with the history of racism in the Deep South.

Mildred D. Taylor has a series of excellent books that are perfect for the 4th or 5th grader. She writes historical fiction. It starts with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It’s about the Logan family and how they deal with racism down South starting in the 1930s. The readers start to learn what The Jim Crow Era was all about.

It has four sequel books - (Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), The Gold Cadillac (1987), and All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2020))

Mississippi Bridge is about a man watching from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver orders the black passengers off to make room for the Whites. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and the bus crashes into the lake. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice.

These five books that follow a Black family will give your child a look into what it was like to have been a Black kid in the South 90 years ago. My son really liked these books.

Historical fiction is a good way to read an interesting story if the writer is good and it has the reader learning about history in a fun way.

What do you mean that the book choices drives you crazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All my K, 2nd, & 4th kids get homework and assigned reading.

*or assigned reading

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they assign books or let the kids pick? How much does your kid read? - assigned or not. For ours, they sent home books in K and the expectation was every night if possible, but no minimum time. In 1st they didn’t send books, but suggested 15 minutes of reading whatever per night. Now in 2nd there is no suggested time, but DD reads alone for maybe 30-45 minutes. Should I be sitting down and listening to her read aloud, or is her independent reading enough?

DS is 2nd grader at private

K they sent home books
1st they sent home books
2nd-- 10 minutes of independent reading, books of choosing

we read nightly as well (magic treehouse, matilda, curious tale of edward tulane, mouse and the motorcycle series, charlottes web)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our public school never assigned a whole class novel. At the end of the year starting in 2nd they did do "book club" where kids would pick from a group of several books and discuss them with the group of other kids who picked the same book. There was occasional short passage reading comprehension homework in the reading packet as early as 1st, but that was highly teacher dependent and most years the kids didn't even have homework. When they did have homework one part of it might be "read for 15 minutes and log it."

Contrast that with our private, where whole class novels start as read-alouds in the primary grades but become homework or classwork (depending on the kid) in upper elementary and the middle and high school literature curriculum could have come straight out of the 1990s, with many of the same assigned books parents might recognize from that era.

What are some of the novels?

At which grade?

Off the top of my head, in 5th grade they read Prince Caspian, The Golden Goblet, and 2 others I'm forgetting. 6th grader is currently reading Bud, Not Buddy and will be reading City of Ember sometime later this year. 7th grader read The Hobbit, Inside Out and Back Again, something from Shakespeare, and others I'm forgetting. I know in 3rd grade they read Charlotte's Web, but there were more I'm not remembering (and 3rd is the last year where novels are mostly read alouds - they do other assigned reading in ability groups). 4th includes Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, and Because of Winn Dixie.

I know by high school they are reading Beowulf, Lord of the Flies, and other lit that most of us would remember from, well, high school.

This elementary reading list sounds like some school out of 1990. Hard to believe any elementary school is picking these instead of newer literature where characters are mostly non-white and mostly have some theme about marginalized people and racism

The book choices drive me crazy. Our elementary school does have class books they read together dealing with the history of racism in the Deep South.

Mildred D. Taylor has a series of excellent books that are perfect for the 4th or 5th grader. She writes historical fiction. It starts with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It’s about the Logan family and how they deal with racism down South starting in the 1930s. The readers start to learn what The Jim Crow Era was all about.

It has four sequel books - (Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), The Gold Cadillac (1987), and All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2020))

Mississippi Bridge is about a man watching from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver orders the black passengers off to make room for the Whites. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and the bus crashes into the lake. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice.

These five books that follow a Black family will give your child a look into what it was like to have been a Black kid in the South 90 years ago. My son really liked these books.

Historical fiction is a good way to read an interesting story if the writer is good and it has the reader learning about history in a fun way.

Disagree. I’m over all the school book material being about racism, and the struggles of marginalized groups. It’s constantly being shoved on kids. It’s quite literally every single book our teachers pick (or are told to pick) for classroom reading, year after year. I’d rather my kid read Old Yeller, Rascal, My Side of the Mountain, Never Cry Wolf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they assign books or let the kids pick? How much does your kid read? - assigned or not. For ours, they sent home books in K and the expectation was every night if possible, but no minimum time. In 1st they didn’t send books, but suggested 15 minutes of reading whatever per night. Now in 2nd there is no suggested time, but DD reads alone for maybe 30-45 minutes. Should I be sitting down and listening to her read aloud, or is her independent reading enough?

I’m following because I’m curious about responses. My eldest is in 1st and needs to read for 15 minutes a night out loud to an adult (any book) after being assigned reading in K. She is still in a reading group at school, but unlike last year, is not bringing home reading group assigned books.

I would be whether to ask your child to read aloud on how well your child is doing in reading and how much she enjoys it/how seriously she takes tasks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our public school never assigned a whole class novel. At the end of the year starting in 2nd they did do "book club" where kids would pick from a group of several books and discuss them with the group of other kids who picked the same book. There was occasional short passage reading comprehension homework in the reading packet as early as 1st, but that was highly teacher dependent and most years the kids didn't even have homework. When they did have homework one part of it might be "read for 15 minutes and log it."

Contrast that with our private, where whole class novels start as read-alouds in the primary grades but become homework or classwork (depending on the kid) in upper elementary and the middle and high school literature curriculum could have come straight out of the 1990s, with many of the same assigned books parents might recognize from that era.

What are some of the novels?

At which grade?

Off the top of my head, in 5th grade they read Prince Caspian, The Golden Goblet, and 2 others I'm forgetting. 6th grader is currently reading Bud, Not Buddy and will be reading City of Ember sometime later this year. 7th grader read The Hobbit, Inside Out and Back Again, something from Shakespeare, and others I'm forgetting. I know in 3rd grade they read Charlotte's Web, but there were more I'm not remembering (and 3rd is the last year where novels are mostly read alouds - they do other assigned reading in ability groups). 4th includes Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, and Because of Winn Dixie.

I know by high school they are reading Beowulf, Lord of the Flies, and other lit that most of us would remember from, well, high school.

This elementary reading list sounds like some school out of 1990. Hard to believe any elementary school is picking these instead of newer literature where characters are mostly non-white and mostly have some theme about marginalized people and racism

The book choices drive me crazy. Our elementary school does have class books they read together dealing with the history of racism in the Deep South.

Mildred D. Taylor has a series of excellent books that are perfect for the 4th or 5th grader. She writes historical fiction. It starts with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It’s about the Logan family and how they deal with racism down South starting in the 1930s. The readers start to learn what The Jim Crow Era was all about.

It has four sequel books - (Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), The Gold Cadillac (1987), and All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2020))

Mississippi Bridge is about a man watching from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver orders the black passengers off to make room for the Whites. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and the bus crashes into the lake. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice.

These five books that follow a Black family will give your child a look into what it was like to have been a Black kid in the South 90 years ago. My son really liked these books.

Historical fiction is a good way to read an interesting story if the writer is good and it has the reader learning about history in a fun way.

What do you mean that the book choices drives you crazy?

I think there are too many fantasy books assigned. There is too much science fiction. There are too many books over 100 years old when there are better, more relevant books.

Some books are timeless like Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, a book about a ten year old girl and the German occupancy in WW2. Inside Out and Back Again is a good choice for elementary school, a more current historical book about the Vietnam War and the family going to the US.

Students don’t do well in history. These books tell stories happening during significant times in our country and others. Save the fantasy for after school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our public school never assigned a whole class novel. At the end of the year starting in 2nd they did do "book club" where kids would pick from a group of several books and discuss them with the group of other kids who picked the same book. There was occasional short passage reading comprehension homework in the reading packet as early as 1st, but that was highly teacher dependent and most years the kids didn't even have homework. When they did have homework one part of it might be "read for 15 minutes and log it."

Contrast that with our private, where whole class novels start as read-alouds in the primary grades but become homework or classwork (depending on the kid) in upper elementary and the middle and high school literature curriculum could have come straight out of the 1990s, with many of the same assigned books parents might recognize from that era.

What are some of the novels?

At which grade?

Off the top of my head, in 5th grade they read Prince Caspian, The Golden Goblet, and 2 others I'm forgetting. 6th grader is currently reading Bud, Not Buddy and will be reading City of Ember sometime later this year. 7th grader read The Hobbit, Inside Out and Back Again, something from Shakespeare, and others I'm forgetting. I know in 3rd grade they read Charlotte's Web, but there were more I'm not remembering (and 3rd is the last year where novels are mostly read alouds - they do other assigned reading in ability groups). 4th includes Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, and Because of Winn Dixie.

I know by high school they are reading Beowulf, Lord of the Flies, and other lit that most of us would remember from, well, high school.

This elementary reading list sounds like some school out of 1990. Hard to believe any elementary school is picking these instead of newer literature where characters are mostly non-white and mostly have some theme about marginalized people and racism

The book choices drive me crazy. Our elementary school does have class books they read together dealing with the history of racism in the Deep South.

Mildred D. Taylor has a series of excellent books that are perfect for the 4th or 5th grader. She writes historical fiction. It starts with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It’s about the Logan family and how they deal with racism down South starting in the 1930s. The readers start to learn what The Jim Crow Era was all about.

It has four sequel books - (Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), The Gold Cadillac (1987), and All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2020))

Mississippi Bridge is about a man watching from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver orders the black passengers off to make room for the Whites. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and the bus crashes into the lake. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice.

These five books that follow a Black family will give your child a look into what it was like to have been a Black kid in the South 90 years ago. My son really liked these books.

Historical fiction is a good way to read an interesting story if the writer is good and it has the reader learning about history in a fun way.

Disagree. I’m over all the school book material being about racism, and the struggles of marginalized groups. It’s constantly being shoved on kids. It’s quite literally every single book our teachers pick (or are told to pick) for classroom reading, year after year. I’d rather my kid read Old Yeller, Rascal, My Side of the Mountain, Never Cry Wolf.

I wouldn’t want all the books to be about racism either but it’s a major part of American history and needs to be addressed as early as possible and continue as the students mature. There are books about the Vietnam war, the two world wars, Chinese history.

Old Yeller has history in it and the struggles of frontier life. Rascal, My Side of the Mountain have historical significance too. They are good books and so are the ones I mentioned.

If anyone has a 4th or 5th grader have a conversation about the Civil Rights era or the Vietnam War and see if they are able to discuss them. They should know enough to discuss the subjects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our public school never assigned a whole class novel. At the end of the year starting in 2nd they did do "book club" where kids would pick from a group of several books and discuss them with the group of other kids who picked the same book. There was occasional short passage reading comprehension homework in the reading packet as early as 1st, but that was highly teacher dependent and most years the kids didn't even have homework. When they did have homework one part of it might be "read for 15 minutes and log it."

Contrast that with our private, where whole class novels start as read-alouds in the primary grades but become homework or classwork (depending on the kid) in upper elementary and the middle and high school literature curriculum could have come straight out of the 1990s, with many of the same assigned books parents might recognize from that era.

What are some of the novels?

At which grade?

Off the top of my head, in 5th grade they read Prince Caspian, The Golden Goblet, and 2 others I'm forgetting. 6th grader is currently reading Bud, Not Buddy and will be reading City of Ember sometime later this year. 7th grader read The Hobbit, Inside Out and Back Again, something from Shakespeare, and others I'm forgetting. I know in 3rd grade they read Charlotte's Web, but there were more I'm not remembering (and 3rd is the last year where novels are mostly read alouds - they do other assigned reading in ability groups). 4th includes Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, and Because of Winn Dixie.

I know by high school they are reading Beowulf, Lord of the Flies, and other lit that most of us would remember from, well, high school.

This elementary reading list sounds like some school out of 1990. Hard to believe any elementary school is picking these instead of newer literature where characters are mostly non-white and mostly have some theme about marginalized people and racism

The book choices drive me crazy. Our elementary school does have class books they read together dealing with the history of racism in the Deep South.

Mildred D. Taylor has a series of excellent books that are perfect for the 4th or 5th grader. She writes historical fiction. It starts with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It’s about the Logan family and how they deal with racism down South starting in the 1930s. The readers start to learn what The Jim Crow Era was all about.

It has four sequel books - (Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), The Gold Cadillac (1987), and All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2020))

Mississippi Bridge is about a man watching from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver orders the black passengers off to make room for the Whites. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and the bus crashes into the lake. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice.

These five books that follow a Black family will give your child a look into what it was like to have been a Black kid in the South 90 years ago. My son really liked these books.

Historical fiction is a good way to read an interesting story if the writer is good and it has the reader learning about history in a fun way.

What do you mean that the book choices drives you crazy?

I think there are too many fantasy books assigned. There is too much science fiction. There are too many books over 100 years old when there are better, more relevant books.

Some books are timeless like Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, a book about a ten year old girl and the German occupancy in WW2. Inside Out and Back Again is a good choice for elementary school, a more current historical book about the Vietnam War and the family going to the US.

Students don’t do well in history. These books tell stories happening during significant times in our country and others. Save the fantasy for after school.

NP

While I agree that kids should read “relevant” books and that schools should do a better job teaching history, I disagree with your conclusions. I think it’s valuable for kids to read about important topics like war, but that should only be part of a wider exploration of literature.

For one thing, historical stories about war, while valuable, may not be especially relevant to the everyday lives of kids. For another, fantasy and science fiction can sometimes offer a fresh viewpoint to explore more abstract concepts like philosophy, social issues, etc. Moreover, books offer many advantages, and I think it’s beneficial to kids to sometimes show them that books don’t have to be a chore one undertakes to achieve an underlying goal, but that they can also be a source of enjoyment and that reading for fun is worthwhile in itself.

I find it especially interesting that you are concerned about students not doing well in history, but complain about reading too many old books. Those books are themselves part of history. They provide insight for kids into the actual thoughts and feelings of the time. The author doesn’t have to do extensive research to strive for historical accuracy, they are just writing what they know. Moreover, it can provide context for kids that history isn’t about abstract other people who lived a long time ago, experiencing “historic” events, but it’s about ordinary people just like them, living their lives day by day.

[Anonymous]

Public elementary schools do not assign reading. Consider yourself lucky if they assign any books in high school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public elementary schools do not assign reading. Consider yourself lucky if they assign any books in high school!

LCPS assigns 20 minutes per day starting in 2nd grade (child can pick the book).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our public school never assigned a whole class novel. At the end of the year starting in 2nd they did do "book club" where kids would pick from a group of several books and discuss them with the group of other kids who picked the same book. There was occasional short passage reading comprehension homework in the reading packet as early as 1st, but that was highly teacher dependent and most years the kids didn't even have homework. When they did have homework one part of it might be "read for 15 minutes and log it."

Contrast that with our private, where whole class novels start as read-alouds in the primary grades but become homework or classwork (depending on the kid) in upper elementary and the middle and high school literature curriculum could have come straight out of the 1990s, with many of the same assigned books parents might recognize from that era.

What are some of the novels?

At which grade?

Off the top of my head, in 5th grade they read Prince Caspian, The Golden Goblet, and 2 others I'm forgetting. 6th grader is currently reading Bud, Not Buddy and will be reading City of Ember sometime later this year. 7th grader read The Hobbit, Inside Out and Back Again, something from Shakespeare, and others I'm forgetting. I know in 3rd grade they read Charlotte's Web, but there were more I'm not remembering (and 3rd is the last year where novels are mostly read alouds - they do other assigned reading in ability groups). 4th includes Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, and Because of Winn Dixie.

I know by high school they are reading Beowulf, Lord of the Flies, and other lit that most of us would remember from, well, high school.

This elementary reading list sounds like some school out of 1990. Hard to believe any elementary school is picking these instead of newer literature where characters are mostly non-white and mostly have some theme about marginalized people and racism

The book choices drive me crazy. Our elementary school does have class books they read together dealing with the history of racism in the Deep South.

Mildred D. Taylor has a series of excellent books that are perfect for the 4th or 5th grader. She writes historical fiction. It starts with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It’s about the Logan family and how they deal with racism down South starting in the 1930s. The readers start to learn what The Jim Crow Era was all about.

It has four sequel books - (Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), The Gold Cadillac (1987), and All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2020))

Mississippi Bridge is about a man watching from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver orders the black passengers off to make room for the Whites. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and the bus crashes into the lake. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice.

These five books that follow a Black family will give your child a look into what it was like to have been a Black kid in the South 90 years ago. My son really liked these books.

Historical fiction is a good way to read an interesting story if the writer is good and it has the reader learning about history in a fun way.

What do you mean that the book choices drives you crazy?

I think there are too many fantasy books assigned. There is too much science fiction. There are too many books over 100 years old when there are better, more relevant books.

Some books are timeless like Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, a book about a ten year old girl and the German occupancy in WW2. Inside Out and Back Again is a good choice for elementary school, a more current historical book about the Vietnam War and the family going to the US.

Students don’t do well in history. These books tell stories happening during significant times in our country and others. Save the fantasy for after school.

NP

While I agree that kids should read “relevant” books and that schools should do a better job teaching history, I disagree with your conclusions. I think it’s valuable for kids to read about important topics like war, but that should only be part of a wider exploration of literature.

For one thing, historical stories about war, while valuable, may not be especially relevant to the everyday lives of kids. For another, fantasy and science fiction can sometimes offer a fresh viewpoint to explore more abstract concepts like philosophy, social issues, etc. Moreover, books offer many advantages, and I think it’s beneficial to kids to sometimes show them that books don’t have to be a chore one undertakes to achieve an underlying goal, but that they can also be a source of enjoyment and that reading for fun is worthwhile in itself.

I find it especially interesting that you are concerned about students not doing well in history, but complain about reading too many old books. Those books are themselves part of history. They provide insight for kids into the actual thoughts and feelings of the time. The author doesn’t have to do extensive research to strive for historical accuracy, they are just writing what they know. Moreover, it can provide context for kids that history isn’t about abstract other people who lived a long time ago, experiencing “historic” events, but it’s about ordinary people just like them, living their lives day by day.

You’re assuming the students can learn that books don’t have to be a chore and can be fun by reading fantasy and science fiction. Those types of books are torture for some kids and are a major chore while some love it. Some kids love the realistic stories about family lives from different places and times written in books with historical backgrounds. The American Girl stories were very popular. I don’t believe that just because someone wrote a book in the 1800s it means that you can get a sense of what it was like unless that’s what’s written in the book.

There are books that are being read in most schools that are more than 50 years old and they are still very important. Night by Elie Wiesel is about a 15 year old boy experiencing WW2 as a Jewish teen. It’s a relevant book in our current world.

I like books like Wonder, The One and Only Ivan, A Long Walk to Water and even the old fantasy book called The Borrowers. But I do wish there was more of a push to start promoting up and coming storytellers that specialize in writing stories for children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our public school never assigned a whole class novel. At the end of the year starting in 2nd they did do "book club" where kids would pick from a group of several books and discuss them with the group of other kids who picked the same book. There was occasional short passage reading comprehension homework in the reading packet as early as 1st, but that was highly teacher dependent and most years the kids didn't even have homework. When they did have homework one part of it might be "read for 15 minutes and log it."

Contrast that with our private, where whole class novels start as read-alouds in the primary grades but become homework or classwork (depending on the kid) in upper elementary and the middle and high school literature curriculum could have come straight out of the 1990s, with many of the same assigned books parents might recognize from that era.

What are some of the novels?

At which grade?

Off the top of my head, in 5th grade they read Prince Caspian, The Golden Goblet, and 2 others I'm forgetting. 6th grader is currently reading Bud, Not Buddy and will be reading City of Ember sometime later this year. 7th grader read The Hobbit, Inside Out and Back Again, something from Shakespeare, and others I'm forgetting. I know in 3rd grade they read Charlotte's Web, but there were more I'm not remembering (and 3rd is the last year where novels are mostly read alouds - they do other assigned reading in ability groups). 4th includes Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, and Because of Winn Dixie.

I know by high school they are reading Beowulf, Lord of the Flies, and other lit that most of us would remember from, well, high school.

This elementary reading list sounds like some school out of 1990. Hard to believe any elementary school is picking these instead of newer literature where characters are mostly non-white and mostly have some theme about marginalized people and racism

The book choices drive me crazy. Our elementary school does have class books they read together dealing with the history of racism in the Deep South.

Mildred D. Taylor has a series of excellent books that are perfect for the 4th or 5th grader. She writes historical fiction. It starts with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It’s about the Logan family and how they deal with racism down South starting in the 1930s. The readers start to learn what The Jim Crow Era was all about.

It has four sequel books - (Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), The Gold Cadillac (1987), and All the Days Past, All the Days to Come (2020))

Mississippi Bridge is about a man watching from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver orders the black passengers off to make room for the Whites. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and the bus crashes into the lake. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice.

These five books that follow a Black family will give your child a look into what it was like to have been a Black kid in the South 90 years ago. My son really liked these books.

Historical fiction is a good way to read an interesting story if the writer is good and it has the reader learning about history in a fun way.

What do you mean that the book choices drives you crazy?

I think there are too many fantasy books assigned. There is too much science fiction. There are too many books over 100 years old when there are better, more relevant books.

Some books are timeless like Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, a book about a ten year old girl and the German occupancy in WW2. Inside Out and Back Again is a good choice for elementary school, a more current historical book about the Vietnam War and the family going to the US.

Students don’t do well in history. These books tell stories happening during significant times in our country and others. Save the fantasy for after school.

NP

While I agree that kids should read “relevant” books and that schools should do a better job teaching history, I disagree with your conclusions. I think it’s valuable for kids to read about important topics like war, but that should only be part of a wider exploration of literature.

For one thing, historical stories about war, while valuable, may not be especially relevant to the everyday lives of kids. For another, fantasy and science fiction can sometimes offer a fresh viewpoint to explore more abstract concepts like philosophy, social issues, etc. Moreover, books offer many advantages, and I think it’s beneficial to kids to sometimes show them that books don’t have to be a chore one undertakes to achieve an underlying goal, but that they can also be a source of enjoyment and that reading for fun is worthwhile in itself.

I find it especially interesting that you are concerned about students not doing well in history, but complain about reading too many old books. Those books are themselves part of history. They provide insight for kids into the actual thoughts and feelings of the time. The author doesn’t have to do extensive research to strive for historical accuracy, they are just writing what they know. Moreover, it can provide context for kids that history isn’t about abstract other people who lived a long time ago, experiencing “historic” events, but it’s about ordinary people just like them, living their lives day by day.

You’re assuming the students can learn that books don’t have to be a chore and can be fun by reading fantasy and science fiction. Those types of books are torture for some kids and are a major chore while some love it. Some kids love the realistic stories about family lives from different places and times written in books with historical backgrounds. The American Girl stories were very popular. I don’t believe that just because someone wrote a book in the 1800s it means that you can get a sense of what it was like unless that’s what’s written in the book.

There are books that are being read in most schools that are more than 50 years old and they are still very important. Night by Elie Wiesel is about a 15 year old boy experiencing WW2 as a Jewish teen. It’s a relevant book in our current world.

I like books like Wonder, The One and Only Ivan, A Long Walk to Water and even the old fantasy book called The Borrowers. But I do wish there was more of a push to start promoting up and coming storytellers that specialize in writing stories for children.

PP you responded to

I think you are interpreting my post too narrowly. While sci-fi and fantasy may not be enjoyable for everyone (I think calling them torture is a bit hyperbolic), I think many kids do enjoy them and they should be exposed to them as a part of a wide survey of literature. Personally, I thought Laura Ingalls Wilder was boring and I disliked Great Expectations, but I’m glad I was exposed to them. I think the American Girl books are fantastic and my kids loved them. I think kids should read new books by new authors, 50 year old books, 100 year old books, etc.

My point is that there are many kinds of books, with each type having its own distinct merits. Some may teach about specific historic events or provide general historic context, while others may focus on familiar characters, settings, and situations that a child can identify with. Some may be written to provoke deep contemplation on a meaningful theme while others are meant for sheer escapism. One of the best things about books is the marvelous variety. Whatever your personality and preferences, whatever your immediate motivation for reading, there’s a book for you. Kids should absolutely read modern books about history, but they should also try other types of books, as well. They need to try all kinds of books so they can determine for themselves what they enjoy, find meaningful, and/or want to learn more about.