Would you expect a 10 year-old to complete this assignment?

[ProbablyJustGas]

My niece goes to an expensive independent primary. She is 10 and in Primary 6. This was her homework tonight, due tomorrow, having been given a week to complete it.

[i]1. research info about the artist and write about him or her

1. how did the image (the painting) make you feel
2. write about the medium and the technique the artist has used
3. write about the mood of the image
4. write about the colours used, warm,cool, dark, light, etc
5. describe exactly what the image shows

Artist - David Cameron
Image - a huge gargoyle/griffin on top of a building (The chimera of amiens 1910)

800 word thesis[/i]

She has completed 500 words and is bashing her head in trying to come up with any more.

I think her teacher has pretty unreasonable expectations for this age group. I also think the teacher is going to find several assignments turned in with paragraphs looking a lot like Wikipedia. Am I right, or are my standards just aiming low?

I just don't think it's teaching the right skills. It's going for quantity over quality.

Very similar to what my ds's were doing in year 6. Sounds fine to me.

My DD1 would have done this at that age and enjoyed it, was given very similar assignments albeit on different topics. It sounds very structured and guided, should be within the scope of a bright 10yo.

DD was in a top set in a normal state school, BTW.

Not the right place to ask, OP- you will find that every mumsnetter's child will have Ben able to do this in Reception!

I think it's quite a lot- but she did have a whole week- why is she doing it all tonight? My dd could have done it- but ds would have struggled. Not with answering the questions- he would have loved doing that, but with the getting it down on paper. I can see why your niece is struggling.

Dd is now in the 6th form- and and may of her essays are only about 1500 words- so 800 does seem a lot for year 6.

if she has already written 500 words and answered all the questions, I don't really see how she can just conjure up another 300 words to wind it up. Only thing I can think of is adding a bit more to the first part (research the artist and write about him/her). I suppose she could add something personal, along the lines of "what interested me most about this artist's life". The thing is when you have completed the work and answered all those guided questions, if you don't have enough words down, there isn't a great deal you can do about it, unless she is using a pc for it.

Very similar to what my 10yr old (year 5) DS had last week but the artist was Van Gogh.

I wouldn't have had a problem at that age...unless they were asking me to draw. I love art, I'm just terrible at the practical application of it.

800 words is a bit much for one painting. And boring, too. If you're an art expert writing for the public in a museum you wouldn't write that much.

It'd be better to split the exercise into 4 paintings, 200 words each. That's a more interesting challenge.

Ds2 is ten and in yr 6 and he could and does do similar work. As she has had a week i dont think its too much.