Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, key point - OPTIONAL. Your 7th grade kid will not be required to read any particular book. Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles. What more can you ask, really? Unless you want all kids to be required to "read" one book regardless of interest or reading level ... a sure-fire way to make lots of kids hate reading and English class.

Are you one of the three teachers on the Cooper 7th grade English syllabus?
"key point-OPTIONAL" is not mentioned in the syllabus.
"Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles." -- Do you mean parents can opt out their students from the book assigned for reading? If you are the teachers, please clarify this.
The syllabus states: "As a class, we will read a variety of books that challenge individual readers and provide opportunities for everyone to explore universal concepts. We will read using literature circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student choice, while still encouraging class-wide discussion of lager concepts that match each of our units. To further support student learning, we will also require supplemental short stories, poetry, nonfiction articles, independent reading novels, and other media that connect via a unit's universal concept. To see the list of potential book choices, go to the next page."
The universal concepts of study listed in Cooper 7th Grade English syllabus are:
Identity - Community - The Unknown - Loyalty - Justice - Ethics - Perspective - Change

Not a teacher but it's clear from what you posted that the teachers are saying the list of books is not required reading.

"We will use lit circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student CHOICE."
"To see the list of POTENTIAL BOOK CHOICES, go to the next page."

It's not a matter of opting your kid out, it's a matter of helping your kid choose a book from the list that you and s/he think is a good choice. I'm honestly not sure where the confusion is coming from.

AND they don’t even have to choose from the list — they can red a book of their own choosing (my son is reading a book that is not on the list, but the teacher approved it).

Really? Sounds good. This is different from what I learned at the Cooper BTSN. The teacher told parents that in each unit, students would be given a chunk of 6 books from the book list as their reading choices. She didn't mention that students can read their own books.

I was at BTSN and my son's teacher clearly said they could choose to read their own (I already knew this, because he was already reading his own) -- in fact, they had gone to the library to look at books. Maybe talk to the teacher?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, key point - OPTIONAL. Your 7th grade kid will not be required to read any particular book. Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles. What more can you ask, really? Unless you want all kids to be required to "read" one book regardless of interest or reading level ... a sure-fire way to make lots of kids hate reading and English class.

Are you one of the three teachers on the Cooper 7th grade English syllabus?
"key point-OPTIONAL" is not mentioned in the syllabus.
"Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles." -- Do you mean parents can opt out their students from the book assigned for reading? If you are the teachers, please clarify this.
The syllabus states: "As a class, we will read a variety of books that challenge individual readers and provide opportunities for everyone to explore universal concepts. We will read using literature circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student choice, while still encouraging class-wide discussion of lager concepts that match each of our units. To further support student learning, we will also require supplemental short stories, poetry, nonfiction articles, independent reading novels, and other media that connect via a unit's universal concept. To see the list of potential book choices, go to the next page."
The universal concepts of study listed in Cooper 7th Grade English syllabus are:
Identity - Community - The Unknown - Loyalty - Justice - Ethics - Perspective - Change

Not a teacher but it's clear from what you posted that the teachers are saying the list of books is not required reading.

"We will use lit circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student CHOICE."
"To see the list of POTENTIAL BOOK CHOICES, go to the next page."

It's not a matter of opting your kid out, it's a matter of helping your kid choose a book from the list that you and s/he think is a good choice. I'm honestly not sure where the confusion is coming from.

AND they don’t even have to choose from the list — they can red a book of their own choosing (my son is reading a book that is not on the list, but the teacher approved it).

Really? Sounds good. This is different from what I learned at the Cooper BTSN. The teacher told parents that in each unit, students would be given a chunk of 6 books from the book list as their reading choices. She didn't mention that students can read their own books.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, key point - OPTIONAL. Your 7th grade kid will not be required to read any particular book. Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles. What more can you ask, really? Unless you want all kids to be required to "read" one book regardless of interest or reading level ... a sure-fire way to make lots of kids hate reading and English class.

Are you one of the three teachers on the Cooper 7th grade English syllabus?
"key point-OPTIONAL" is not mentioned in the syllabus.
"Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles." -- Do you mean parents can opt out their students from the book assigned for reading? If you are the teachers, please clarify this.
The syllabus states: "As a class, we will read a variety of books that challenge individual readers and provide opportunities for everyone to explore universal concepts. We will read using literature circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student choice, while still encouraging class-wide discussion of lager concepts that match each of our units. To further support student learning, we will also require supplemental short stories, poetry, nonfiction articles, independent reading novels, and other media that connect via a unit's universal concept. To see the list of potential book choices, go to the next page."
The universal concepts of study listed in Cooper 7th Grade English syllabus are:
Identity - Community - The Unknown - Loyalty - Justice - Ethics - Perspective - Change

Not a teacher but it's clear from what you posted that the teachers are saying the list of books is not required reading.

"We will use lit circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student CHOICE."
"To see the list of POTENTIAL BOOK CHOICES, go to the next page."

It's not a matter of opting your kid out, it's a matter of helping your kid choose a book from the list that you and s/he think is a good choice. I'm honestly not sure where the confusion is coming from.

AND they don’t even have to choose from the list — they can red a book of their own choosing (my son is reading a book that is not on the list, but the teacher approved it).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, key point - OPTIONAL. Your 7th grade kid will not be required to read any particular book. Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles. What more can you ask, really? Unless you want all kids to be required to "read" one book regardless of interest or reading level ... a sure-fire way to make lots of kids hate reading and English class.

Are you one of the three teachers on the Cooper 7th grade English syllabus?
"key point-OPTIONAL" is not mentioned in the syllabus.
"Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles." -- Do you mean parents can opt out their students from the book assigned for reading? If you are the teachers, please clarify this.
The syllabus states: "As a class, we will read a variety of books that challenge individual readers and provide opportunities for everyone to explore universal concepts. We will read using literature circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student choice, while still encouraging class-wide discussion of lager concepts that match each of our units. To further support student learning, we will also require supplemental short stories, poetry, nonfiction articles, independent reading novels, and other media that connect via a unit's universal concept. To see the list of potential book choices, go to the next page."
The universal concepts of study listed in Cooper 7th Grade English syllabus are:
Identity - Community - The Unknown - Loyalty - Justice - Ethics - Perspective - Change

Are all Cooper parents such ninnies or is it just you? They ALWAYS seem to be looking for something to get upset about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, key point - OPTIONAL. Your 7th grade kid will not be required to read any particular book. Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles. What more can you ask, really? Unless you want all kids to be required to "read" one book regardless of interest or reading level ... a sure-fire way to make lots of kids hate reading and English class.

Are you one of the three teachers on the Cooper 7th grade English syllabus?
"key point-OPTIONAL" is not mentioned in the syllabus.
"Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles." -- Do you mean parents can opt out their students from the book assigned for reading? If you are the teachers, please clarify this.
The syllabus states: "As a class, we will read a variety of books that challenge individual readers and provide opportunities for everyone to explore universal concepts. We will read using literature circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student choice, while still encouraging class-wide discussion of lager concepts that match each of our units. To further support student learning, we will also require supplemental short stories, poetry, nonfiction articles, independent reading novels, and other media that connect via a unit's universal concept. To see the list of potential book choices, go to the next page."
The universal concepts of study listed in Cooper 7th Grade English syllabus are:
Identity - Community - The Unknown - Loyalty - Justice - Ethics - Perspective - Change

Not a teacher but it's clear from what you posted that the teachers are saying the list of books is not required reading.

"We will use lit circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student CHOICE."
"To see the list of POTENTIAL BOOK CHOICES, go to the next page."

It's not a matter of opting your kid out, it's a matter of helping your kid choose a book from the list that you and s/he think is a good choice. I'm honestly not sure where the confusion is coming from.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, key point - OPTIONAL. Your 7th grade kid will not be required to read any particular book. Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles. What more can you ask, really? Unless you want all kids to be required to "read" one book regardless of interest or reading level ... a sure-fire way to make lots of kids hate reading and English class.

Are you one of the three teachers on the Cooper 7th grade English syllabus?
"key point-OPTIONAL" is not mentioned in the syllabus.
"Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles." -- Do you mean parents can opt out their students from the book assigned for reading? If you are the teachers, please clarify this.
The syllabus states: "As a class, we will read a variety of books that challenge individual readers and provide opportunities for everyone to explore universal concepts. We will read using literature circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student choice, while still encouraging class-wide discussion of lager concepts that match each of our units. To further support student learning, we will also require supplemental short stories, poetry, nonfiction articles, independent reading novels, and other media that connect via a unit's universal concept. To see the list of potential book choices, go to the next page."
The universal concepts of study listed in Cooper 7th Grade English syllabus are:
Identity - Community - The Unknown - Loyalty - Justice - Ethics - Perspective - Change

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, key point - OPTIONAL. Your 7th grade kid will not be required to read any particular book. Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles. What more can you ask, really? Unless you want all kids to be required to "read" one book regardless of interest or reading level ... a sure-fire way to make lots of kids hate reading and English class.

Are you one of the three teachers on the Cooper 7th grade English syllabus?
"key point-OPTIONAL" is not mentioned in the syllabus.
"Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles." -- Do you mean parents can opt out their students from the book assigned for reading? If you are the teachers, please clarify this.
The syllabus states: "As a class, we will read a variety of books that challenge individual readers and provide opportunities for everyone to explore universal concepts. We will read using literature circles to match student reading abilities and to allow for more student choice, while still encouraging class-wide discussion of lager concepts that match each of our units. To further support student learning, we will also require supplemental short stories, poetry, nonfiction articles, independent reading novels, and other media that connect via a unit's universal concept. To see the list of potential book choices, go to the next page."
The universal concepts of study listed in Cooper 7th Grade English syllabus are:
Identity - Community - The Unknown - Loyalty - Justice - Ethics - Perspective - Change

Anonymous wrote:Yes, key point - OPTIONAL. Your 7th grade kid will not be required to read any particular book. Lists are provided precisely to give parents a heads-up in case they want to steer their kids toward or away from some titles. What more can you ask, really? Unless you want all kids to be required to "read" one book regardless of interest or reading level ... a sure-fire way to make lots of kids hate reading and English class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Books I read for school in the 80s:
Catcher in the Rye
The Paper Chase
The Outsiders
The Scarlet Letter
Huck Finn
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Raisin in the Sun
Mrs Dalloway

Themes included suicide, mental illness, racism, adultery, violence, etc. and certainly topics of identity and change. There were lots of others of course. I remember wishing we read more contemporary work. This was at a DC area catholic school.

Have you read contemporary works lately? They are written short and fast with short sentences and short words. Quick. And shallow.

Yes, I read every book assigned to my now-9th grader. It’s a great bonding experience for us. There are plenty of modern books that have lyrical and dense prose.

Hemingway was criticized for writing too sparingly. We read The Sun Also Rises (sexual themes).

Remember: this is 7th grade--not high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Books I read for school in the 80s:
Catcher in the Rye
The Paper Chase
The Outsiders
The Scarlet Letter
Huck Finn
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Raisin in the Sun
Mrs Dalloway

Themes included suicide, mental illness, racism, adultery, violence, etc. and certainly topics of identity and change. There were lots of others of course. I remember wishing we read more contemporary work. This was at a DC area catholic school.

Have you read contemporary works lately? They are written short and fast with short sentences and short words. Quick. And shallow.

Yes, I read every book assigned to my now-9th grader. It’s a great bonding experience for us. There are plenty of modern books that have lyrical and dense prose.

Hemingway was criticized for writing too sparingly. We read The Sun Also Rises (sexual themes).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Books I read for school in the 80s:
Catcher in the Rye
The Paper Chase
The Outsiders
The Scarlet Letter
Huck Finn
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Raisin in the Sun
Mrs Dalloway

Themes included suicide, mental illness, racism, adultery, violence, etc. and certainly topics of identity and change. There were lots of others of course. I remember wishing we read more contemporary work. This was at a DC area catholic school.

Have you read contemporary works lately? They are written short and fast with short sentences and short words. Quick. And shallow.

Anonymous wrote:Books I read for school in the 80s:
Catcher in the Rye
The Paper Chase
The Outsiders
The Scarlet Letter
Huck Finn
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Raisin in the Sun
Mrs Dalloway

Themes included suicide, mental illness, racism, adultery, violence, etc. and certainly topics of identity and change. There were lots of others of course. I remember wishing we read more contemporary work. This was at a DC area catholic school.