Anonymous wrote:MS is not ES. You (parent) don’t get to decide to have your kid skip it without consequences.

Send assignment to your kid. Tell them that it will be graded. If they don’t do it ... that’s on them. Don’t put blame on anyone. Just give kid what the information they need to get it done.

Maybe we shouldn’t start that expectation in ES then.

You pick books for your seventh grader?

It clearly states on the summer reading that students can pick their own books. So I selected a memoir by Dave Eggers and and Gravity’s Rainbow for fiction for my 7th grader. He can read these in between video games.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is leaving Deal for a top DC private and has 35 math lessons plus two reading assignments to do this summer. All will be graded the first week back to school. It's about 10 times the amount of summer work that she had at Deal.

But isn't that what you have chosen to pay for? A 'better' education?? I do find I funny that you are probably paying a bunch of extra money for all those math worksheets and a extra reading assignment!! Lol. Aw, the plight of the privileged.

Not the PP but I would say more like the expectations are much higher and stage set for what is to come with the school year. Expectations at DCPS are low period, just as many people have posted.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is leaving Deal for a top DC private and has 35 math lessons plus two reading assignments to do this summer. All will be graded the first week back to school. It's about 10 times the amount of summer work that she had at Deal.

But isn't that what you have chosen to pay for? A 'better' education?? I do find I funny that you are probably paying a bunch of extra money for all those math worksheets and a extra reading assignment!! Lol. Aw, the plight of the privileged.

My kid is leaving Deal for a top DC private and has 35 math lessons plus two reading assignments to do this summer. All will be graded the first week back to school. It's about 10 times the amount of summer work that she had at Deal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how on earth can a kid have a assignment from a class that has not started yet?!?!?

Is this a serious question? Have you not heard of email?

My point is that it is summer vacation. Kids should not be given required homework over the summer. A list of recommendations of books or activities sure required graded work NO. (Short of summer school)
Especially assignments for classes that have already ended or have not started yet.

We had summer assignments from middle school through high school when I was a kid back in the dark ages. Just have your kid do it. It’s really not that hard. They will live.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how on earth can a kid have a assignment from a class that has not started yet?!?!?

Is this a serious question? Have you not heard of email?

My point is that it is summer vacation. Kids should not be given required homework over the summer. A list of recommendations of books or activities sure required graded work NO. (Short of summer school)
Especially assignments for classes that have already ended or have not started yet.

Anonymous wrote:How can you have an assignment before school has started? Do kids who register right before school starts get an automatic zero, extra time, or an automatic A? Generally kids who register after the start of school can transfer the grades from their old school but that doesn't work if school hasn't started and it seems unfair to make them do "make-up" work this intense when they weren't there.

The kids who register right before school would talk to their teacher, tell them they just registered and were unaware of the assignment and work out a plan for how to proceed.

Summer assignments are pretty common in this area for MS and HS. The schools that don't give them are the outliers.

How can you have an assignment before school has started? Do kids who register right before school starts get an automatic zero, extra time, or an automatic A? Generally kids who register after the start of school can transfer the grades from their old school but that doesn't work if school hasn't started and it seems unfair to make them do "make-up" work this intense when they weren't there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you think the 6th grade list is depressing, take look at the 8th grade list. All the readings are about structural racism.

Now, I fully believe that's an important topic. But it's a rough summer reading list. It's not a list to encourage kids to love summer reading.

6th grade: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae0c35af8370a38d95d996f/t/5cf7e244a270d50001c19414/1559749189133/6th+Grade+Summer+Reading+2019%5B2%5D.pdf

7th grade:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae0c35af8370a38d95d996f/t/5cf7e25096ff000001dfd082/1559749201403/7th+Grade+Summer+Reading+2019%5B2%5D.pdf

8th grade:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae0c35af8370a38d95d996f/t/5cf7e25c86ed2400016e8982/1559749213178/8th+Grade+Summer+Reading+2019+HW+GRADE.pdf

If a kid doesn't love reading by 8th grade, a school summer reading list isn't going to do it. This list is to prepare students for discussions during the coming school year, and to ensure all kids are able to converse on the topic with some degree of knowledge.

The books are the list are specifically to prepare kids to read and explore A Raisin in the Sun in 8th grade ELA. It isn't to develop a love of reading.

Anonymous wrote:if you think the 6th grade list is depressing, take look at the 8th grade list. All the readings are about structural racism.

Now, I fully believe that's an important topic. But it's a rough summer reading list. It's not a list to encourage kids to love summer reading.

6th grade: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae0c35af8370a38d95d996f/t/5cf7e244a270d50001c19414/1559749189133/6th+Grade+Summer+Reading+2019%5B2%5D.pdf

7th grade:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae0c35af8370a38d95d996f/t/5cf7e25096ff000001dfd082/1559749201403/7th+Grade+Summer+Reading+2019%5B2%5D.pdf

8th grade:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae0c35af8370a38d95d996f/t/5cf7e25c86ed2400016e8982/1559749213178/8th+Grade+Summer+Reading+2019+HW+GRADE.pdf

If a kid doesn't love reading by 8th grade, a school summer reading list isn't going to do it. This list is to prepare students for discussions during the coming school year, and to ensure all kids are able to converse on the topic with some degree of knowledge.

if you think the 6th grade list is depressing, take look at the 8th grade list. All the readings are about structural racism.

Now, I fully believe that's an important topic. But it's a rough summer reading list. It's not a list to encourage kids to love summer reading.

6th grade: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae0c35af8370a38d95d996f/t/5cf7e244a270d50001c19414/1559749189133/6th+Grade+Summer+Reading+2019%5B2%5D.pdf

7th grade:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae0c35af8370a38d95d996f/t/5cf7e25096ff000001dfd082/1559749201403/7th+Grade+Summer+Reading+2019%5B2%5D.pdf

8th grade:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae0c35af8370a38d95d996f/t/5cf7e25c86ed2400016e8982/1559749213178/8th+Grade+Summer+Reading+2019+HW+GRADE.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What other areas of your child's education don't you like that you will be "inclined to skip?" I can only imagine what will happen when the teacher is "inclined" to give your child a zero.

Homeschool is probably easier.

Why so nasty? What's wrong with you???

My kid will do the assignment but the assignment is dumb and meant for kids who are not readers (to have them keep with with reading just a little bit). Also the book selection is staggeringly depressing (even our ES teachers were shocked!) . It's summer, people!

You are not going to like ELA at Deal. My kids are not readers (these books will be the only ones they read all summer) and they easily get high A's (as final grades) at Deal. This summer reading assignment is about as good as Deal gets in ELA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What other areas of your child's education don't you like that you will be "inclined to skip?" I can only imagine what will happen when the teacher is "inclined" to give your child a zero.

Homeschool is probably easier.

Why so nasty? What's wrong with you???

My kid will do the assignment but the assignment is dumb and meant for kids who are not readers (to have them keep with with reading just a little bit). Also the book selection is staggeringly depressing (even our ES teachers were shocked!) . It's summer, people!

A book of your choice and one from the list. The list had a variety of reading levels from 600 to 1040. It is summer and independent work. If there is nothing on the list that engages you - I assume the book of choice can be less depressing. I am not sure why the ES teachers were shocked - as it is a similar list to the last few years so they should be familiar with it.

Also - the children coming to Deal are at a lot of different reading levels. For example, Bancroft PARCC ELA was ~ 30% for 4+. The book choices are grade reading level appropriate for content - and can support all incoming students.