Reading "for homework"
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Anonymous
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I'm just curious:
Reading is something we do with our kids every day (ages 2 and 5). Both kids pick up books on their own as part of their regular self-directed playtime routine. The school does not assign reading or any other homework to my kindergarten child. Next year, in a new school, I assume that reading will be an assignment, as in "20 minutes a day" or something like that. Can I ask, what happens when something your child typically does on their own or with you becomes an assignment? Does it impact their interest or willingness to do it? How do you approach reading assignments with a child who already reads as part of their everyday thing? My inclination is to ignore the directive as an assignment and just keep plugging on as we always do. Maybe mention it, like, "Oh, the school says children should be reading every day. You already so that, so let's see now what they say about maths." |
Anonymous
| We ignore it completely and don't mention what the school says to the kids. Once a month or once a week I initial the reading chart for all the past days so the kid can turn it in at school. |
Anonymous
That doesn't work at our school. Starting in K, the kids write what book they read and for how long. |
Anonymous
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I believe all schools do it. It is important for kids to read daily, especially for building endurance.
We just select some books that they've read on their own or we've read together and put those down. Its not a big deal. Generally the 20 minutes is what we read before bed. Some kids read a lot more on their own, but you have to think there are kids who don't read at all unless it is assigned. |
Anonymous
| I'm sure reading homework can be easily incorporated into the daily routine, not a set time. For example, if you read stories before bedtime you can have your child write those in, etc. |
Anonymous
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DD is an avid reader -- which means she'll read for an hour (it's supposed to be 15-20 min.) and then she's tired and doesn't want to do the rest of her homework (word study/math/etc.).
An avid reader will not stop reading just b/c it is homework... they read for enjoyment to the exclusion of other subjects sometimes. You do not have to worry that your child will suddenly hate reading b/c it is required. |
Anonymous
| Our school required a log but we just made stuff up. I never wanted to force my son to read if he didn't feel like. Other days he'd read entire books in one day. |
Anonymous
Agree. One of my DDs reads all of the time because she loves it. The other one is not as confident in her reading so is more reluctant, but we read together a lot. We have a bedtime reading routine and use that for school. It doesn't feel like "homework" to them because they have always loved it. I've never stressed the homework part of it. We fill in the log at the end of the week with books we've read. There is always enough to put on the log. |
Anonymous
| My kindergartener has "homework" to read for 15 minuts a day, but no required log. We greatly exceed that as just part of our routine, so I don't think we have ever even mentioned that it is homework |
Anonymous
Agreed. We have a requirement of 20 minutes a day, which has not been great for my son (age 7). The logs have turned into a task, rather than an extension of what he already liked to do. Before the logs, he would just read what he liked. Now, he picks a book at random and says, "start the clock." I really, really hate that it has turned into something that he checks off his list. I know it's different for every kid, but this has really sucked the joy out of it for him. Yes, I know it's important to read daily, but it's what he was doing anyway. Now it's a chore for him to accomplish so he can be "done" with his homework. |
Anonymous
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Until grade 3, teachers sent home monthly calendars. We sometimes never sent it back. Other times, I just marked a big line across the whole thing and said, "NAME reads every day."
No one has ever said anything to me about this approach. Child is an avid reader and everyone who knows him knows it. It's always felt forced to have some kind of reading "requirement." Now he has a weekly log and he's supposed to put his minute count. He takes care of it all, and I never mention it. If teacher has any issue or concern, teacher will say something. |
Anonymous
If he's doing it anyway, just write those books down. You don't need to have a set time with a set book in order to count it. You don't even have to set a timer, if you know he will read for at least 20 minutes anyway. |
Anonymous
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Yes, we've been doing that. What is changed is his attitude towards reading. He used to stop when he was done with a chapter, or when he got tired. Now he stops at twenty minutes, whether or not he is "done."
I need to have a talk with him about not worrying about the timer and just write to the teacher he reads every day. I am sure this will even out when he really gets sucked into a book, like the Harry Potter or Warriors books. He's almost ready for that level. And then I will probably look back on this post and wonder, "why did I fret over a reading log?" 
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Anonymous
| Why are you PPs so hostile about reading homework? |
Anonymous
oh come on coz their special snowflakes are above the assignments for the masses. if this were reading assignments from AAP teacher you bet your behind they type, print, and laminate the logs and spray some perfume on it when turning it in |