Anonymous wrote:When you switch them to private.

My oldest went all the way through an FCPS elementary and never had a whole class novel. We switched to private when my youngest was in 3rd. Whole class novels are often read alouds for the younger kids, and they all do reading responses as a class. As they transition out of primary grades, it's read in class and then respond. By middle school it's read at home and write essays.

That's not true. My 4th grader is in Fairfax County Public Schools and the teacher read Because of Winn Dixie with the class this year - there was an excerpt in the Benchmark curriculum and they decided to read the entire novel as a read aloud.

In Fairfax County, the first book they read as a class was The Outsiders in 7th grade. I think they read another one in 2nd semester, as well.

Anonymous wrote:In FCPS, never in elementary. The benchmark reading curriculum has erased novels in favor of short excerpts. They still do the “answer a few questions” or “write a paper”, but it will be a response to a couple of 6 paragraph excerpts vs a whole book.

To be fair, they weren't reading full novels before Benchmark either.

Anonymous wrote:When you switch them to private.

My oldest went all the way through an FCPS elementary and never had a whole class novel. We switched to private when my youngest was in 3rd. Whole class novels are often read alouds for the younger kids, and they all do reading responses as a class. As they transition out of primary grades, it's read in class and then respond. By middle school it's read at home and write essays.

Our DCPS does this starting in third. Private vs public is not the debate here

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you switch them to private.

My oldest went all the way through an FCPS elementary and never had a whole class novel. We switched to private when my youngest was in 3rd. Whole class novels are often read alouds for the younger kids, and they all do reading responses as a class. As they transition out of primary grades, it's read in class and then respond. By middle school it's read at home and write essays.

What kind of books were read in those grades? I'm trying to remember what we read in 3rd and 4th grade at school and I have no idea. I remember doing a group history project on mummies, though - that was 3rd or 4th grade.

Let's see - this year 4th grader has read Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, Snow Treasure, and is starting in on Number the Stars. Last year in 3rd I remember there was a Beverly Cleary book (but I forget which one), Little House in the Big Woods, and I know two more but I don't remember the titles.

This must be a catholic school

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you switch them to private.

My oldest went all the way through an FCPS elementary and never had a whole class novel. We switched to private when my youngest was in 3rd. Whole class novels are often read alouds for the younger kids, and they all do reading responses as a class. As they transition out of primary grades, it's read in class and then respond. By middle school it's read at home and write essays.

What kind of books were read in those grades? I'm trying to remember what we read in 3rd and 4th grade at school and I have no idea. I remember doing a group history project on mummies, though - that was 3rd or 4th grade.

Let's see - this year 4th grader has read Misty of Chincoteague, Sign of the Beaver, Snow Treasure, and is starting in on Number the Stars. Last year in 3rd I remember there was a Beverly Cleary book (but I forget which one), Little House in the Big Woods, and I know two more but I don't remember the titles.

Anonymous wrote:In FCPS, never in elementary. The benchmark reading curriculum has erased novels in favor of short excerpts. They still do the “answer a few questions” or “write a paper”, but it will be a response to a couple of 6 paragraph excerpts vs a whole book.

This is tragic. Truly.

I can understand the logistics of not being able to do this in elementary, due to different reading levels. If it's K or 1st, the teacher reads the book to them. But it's hard to fit a true novel into a K or 1st grade day if you have to read it aloud -- teachers usually stick with picture books and short chapter books, especially because books with pictures will go over better for read alongs at that age.

And then in 2nd and 3rd you have the problem of finding novels that will accommodate both the advanced readers and the kids who are struggling to catch up. My kid is in 3rd now. There are kids in class who struggle to get through a Magic Treehouse book (they are in extra tutoring and most are likely dealing with LDs, I'm not privy to the situation and not judging, I just know that's their current level). There are also kids in class reading books a MS or HS kid might struggle with. I would LOVE it if the school just decided to assign an age appropriate book like Fringle or From the Mixed Up Files... anyway, and allow it to be easy for the advanced kids and hard for the struggling kids and everyone still learns plus they have that formative experience together.

But they won't, because you would immediately get a bunch of parents complaining that the book is either ruining their kid's confidence because it's too hard, or boring their kid to death because they finished it on the first day.

This just isn't how education works anymore. There is something lost. But look on this website at everyone demanding tracking and differentiation. People want specialized instruction, not universal experiences.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We read so many books as class starting in 4th grade. I specially remember two of the books in 4th being A Bridge to Terabithia and A Wrinkle in Time. And we had to take turns reading aloud in class. Do kids do this anymore?

Why would they? How does that help anyone?

Ours start in second grade. In kindergarten and first grade they are reading according to their level. They read Roald Dahl, Mildred Taylor books like Let the Circle be Unbroken, The Family Under the Bridge are some of them.

I don’t believe this. No school in 2026 is assigning Family Under the Bridge to elementary kids.

Family Under the Bridge is a short book that deals with heavy topics in a kid sensitive way. Why wouldn't schools assign it to elementary kids?

It’s not PC. Derogatory terms used for homeless people and racist terminology and themes used when describing and talking about the Gypsies. I read it with my kids- but no way a public school is. Same with books like Secret Garden where there is a lot of talk about her dark skinned/black servants. No 3rd glade class is going to be assigned that.

Anonymous wrote:When you switch them to private.

My oldest went all the way through an FCPS elementary and never had a whole class novel. We switched to private when my youngest was in 3rd. Whole class novels are often read alouds for the younger kids, and they all do reading responses as a class. As they transition out of primary grades, it's read in class and then respond. By middle school it's read at home and write essays.

What kind of books were read in those grades? I'm trying to remember what we read in 3rd and 4th grade at school and I have no idea. I remember doing a group history project on mummies, though - that was 3rd or 4th grade.

When you switch them to private.

My oldest went all the way through an FCPS elementary and never had a whole class novel. We switched to private when my youngest was in 3rd. Whole class novels are often read alouds for the younger kids, and they all do reading responses as a class. As they transition out of primary grades, it's read in class and then respond. By middle school it's read at home and write essays.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We read so many books as class starting in 4th grade. I specially remember two of the books in 4th being A Bridge to Terabithia and A Wrinkle in Time. And we had to take turns reading aloud in class. Do kids do this anymore?

Why would they? How does that help anyone?

Ours start in second grade. In kindergarten and first grade they are reading according to their level. They read Roald Dahl, Mildred Taylor books like Let the Circle be Unbroken, The Family Under the Bridge are some of them.

I don’t believe this. No school in 2026 is assigning Family Under the Bridge to elementary kids.

Family Under the Bridge is a short book that deals with heavy topics in a kid sensitive way. Why wouldn't schools assign it to elementary kids?

My child in Alexandria Public Schools has been doing this since 2nd grade (no diaramas though).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We read so many books as class starting in 4th grade. I specially remember two of the books in 4th being A Bridge to Terabithia and A Wrinkle in Time. And we had to take turns reading aloud in class. Do kids do this anymore?

Why would they? How does that help anyone?

Ours start in second grade. In kindergarten and first grade they are reading according to their level. They read Roald Dahl, Mildred Taylor books like Let the Circle be Unbroken, The Family Under the Bridge are some of them.

I don’t believe this. No school in 2026 is assigning Family Under the Bridge to elementary kids.

*public

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We read so many books as class starting in 4th grade. I specially remember two of the books in 4th being A Bridge to Terabithia and A Wrinkle in Time. And we had to take turns reading aloud in class. Do kids do this anymore?

Why would they? How does that help anyone?

Ours start in second grade. In kindergarten and first grade they are reading according to their level. They read Roald Dahl, Mildred Taylor books like Let the Circle be Unbroken, The Family Under the Bridge are some of them.

I don’t believe this. No school in 2026 is assigning Family Under the Bridge to elementary kids.