Reply to APS How many novels are read in fifth grade?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Our kid didn't have any novels they read at home. At home reading was all for pleasure. They did read novels together at school. I think it was Wonder and Because of Win Dixie. [/quote]

In 5th grade?  They are reading books aloud in class?[/quote]

My oldest continued to read aloud in class throughout middle school, kid you not. Thank goodness she was a voracious reader at home. Younger kid is likely heading to private school for 6th grade, mostly because of the lack of reading and writing expectations in public. It’s ridiculous.[/quote]

Are you sure they weren’t reading a play? Shakespeare for example is best read aloud. [/quote]

Shakespeare! Hahaha! Good one. Yes, I’m sure.[/quote]

Dont they have english differentiation in middle school? At least de facto, as the kids who go to advanced math likely have english together?[/quote]

Yep. This is honors English.[/quote]

Wait, they are reading ALOUD novels in class in honors English?  Or just like a passage, and then discussion the themes, word choice, grammar, etc?[/quote]

Yes, students were actually instructed not to read ahead on their own so they could all stay together.[/quote]

Oh, this is a pet peeve of mine! Our kid wasn't being read aloud to in class, but the high school teachers kept telling them not to read ahead.  Hey, if my kid was actually interested enough to want to read ahead, LET HIM!  Encourage him!  But my bigger issue is with all the post-it notes they make them use and giving them specific questions to answer/things to look for AS they read each chapter for the first time.  I hate that.  That makes them read just to find the answers, missing out on the overall story and writing.  It does not let them read for themselves and get what they get out of it on their own first, then get a broader and deeper understanding via meaningful class discussions - which develops the ability to see broader themes and deeper meanings for themselves when they read another book.

But OP is asking about elementary school still.  The APS way is to just encourage reading of anything that interests them.  Generic assignments to just "read" every night is the main focus of homework (until even that goes away).  At that level, it should be about developing a love for (and ability to) read.  And yes, teachers might still read a book aloud to the class even in 5th grade.  So what?  Hearing someone else read can be very helpful to those learning to read or having difficulty with reading.  If you're constantly struggling over words, you don't really get as much out of what you're reading because you're so focused on figuring out individual words.  The teacher reading aloud exposes them to more sophisticated writings and everyone can benefit from hearing a proficient reader read with expression.  Adults listen to books on tape; so what's wrong with kids listening to teachers read a book?[/quote]

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