To challenge DD's teacher about this?

[ASorcererIsAWizardSquared]

DD is just 6, (last week) and she is in yr1.

The school are doing something called 'read write inc' and DD had hers sent home with her on friday because she 'refused' to do the written work based on the RWI book they were working on.

The book is this, word for word.

Three cars stood at the starting post
Three smart cars - and an old go-kart!
The man lifted his arm to start them off.
They darted off along the track.
Vroom! Vroom!
Carl was in car 1
Carla was in car 2
Mark was in car 3
and Margo was in the go-kart.
The Cars did not get far.
Car 1 ran off the track, and ended up in the car park.
So did Car 2.
Car 3 - just stopped.
But look at that old go-kart!
You are a star, Margo.

and thats it.

the work DD 'refused' to do (told me she didnt know what to write) is an A4 piece of paper with a picture of Margo (Cartoon woman in racing leathers and a helmet, no other detail) which asked "What is Margo Like"

DD has written "Margo is happy because she won the gold trophy" and nothing else.

AIBU to ask wtf the teachers expects a 5/6yo to write about when neither the book, nor the pictures actually tell you anything about what Margo is like?

I get the feeling it's some sort of imagination thing. Encouraging kids to male up a story about Margo...

The teacher should have explained further "what colour do you think Margo likes. Make up a story about Margo".

I hated that imagination crap. It was just so the teachers could do other stuff while we got on with it.

I'm with you op.
looks a bit odd for such little children to understand

DD1 hated RWI. She swiftly went from loving reading to saying that she never wanted to read again. So we're not fans of that particular scheme [hmm}

fail

Is she expected to write a whole A4 page about Margo?

She could have written a bit more than she did, but not a whole page's worth.

Margo is a woman.
Margo beat the cars in an old go-kart.
Margo is a good driver.
Margo wears [colour] racing clothes and a [colour] helmet.
Margo is confident.

its probably roughly half the page dedicated to answering, and the story doesn't tell us any of that, you've just made it up.

she's 6!

i mean it doesn't tell you she is a good driver, or that she's confident.

Hahah, that sounds bonkers! DS is 5 1/2, if I asked him to make up some stuff about a character based on no information whatsoever I'm sure he would think I'm nuts! What an utterly ridiculous exercise! He does loads of imaginary play, mainly with lego people, but he usually has things to go on, ie. this is a bad guy, he lives in a small house and wants to break into the castle so he can steal all the King's gold...
Keeping my fingers crossed we won't come across RWI, it sounds like a pile of shite.
Also very glad I'm not in school anymore!

Suspect it's asking them to infer from the text what kind of person Margo is.
She won= good driver
She kept going = has perseverance.
Inference is something children find hard but are expected to do to show a higher level of reading ability.

I think duchess gave you some very good ideas! it's about using your imagination, what do you see on your head when you look at the picture? And read the story? Describe the picture of Margo, what she is wearing colours ect, her facial expression - does she look happy or sad. Describe how you think she felt winning the race, and what the word 'star' means to you - well your DD

Margo is a good driver. She can drive very fast. Margo is pleased because she beat the other cars. Margo enjoys driving cars.
It's a rubbish story but you have to use your imagination. All the above are simple sentences your daughter should have been able to come up with

Margo isn't a good driver. The first 2 cars crashed and the third broke down. Possibly gearbox related. Margo's a lucky cow with no ability.

I hate Margo.

And what the hell did she think turning up in an old go cart? Arrogant or just a big loser? I'm assuming the former.

I really hate Margo.

She probably put oil down on the first corner. You just can't trust Margo.

Surely the teacher would have given more direction than "what is Margo like" - even "what do you think Margo is like" would give the children pointers as to what to write. Is it possible your DD heard the first part of what the teacher said, then got her head down trying to figure out what to write and missed any further instructions?

OTOH, I would expect a teacher to keep an eye out around the class and if a child was obviously struggling to write anything, to stop and clarify what exactly the exercise was. If the teacher expected several lines, it would take the children a good 10 minutes to write. Your DD would have been sitting there staring at the page (or around the room, or chewing a pencil) looking confused for the majority of that, and I would have expected the teacher or the TA to notice that.

They would have done a lot of work in class on what could be written. That is how RWI works. There will have been lots of sharing ideas, modelling sentences etc, maybe it would have been helpful if they had sent some of that home.

Just spat my tea out laughing at 'Margo's a lucky cow with no ability'

Yes to what tiggy wrote.

Take it for granted that it's an A4 sheet because small children write in BIG letters and run out of space easily. Especially if they used a pen to write with and they crossed out three sentences, and wrote them all out again because you gently mentioned 'you' isn't conventionally spelt 'u'. Don't feel obliged to fill it all up, until told otherwise!

Maybe Margo should be our new Wendy. 'You can never trust a Margo'

Tiggy

Margo is having an affair with Carla. Carla is married to Mark. Margo is pathologically threatened by Mark and sees his ostentatious car as nothing short of an insult to her eco ideals. Margo is a woman who cares about the environment, like JRR Tolkien she is threatened by the rise of industrialisation and longs for a simpler time - when cars were Karts and made with fruit and veg boxes. Margo had a lot riding on this race as for her it represented the battle between good and evil, and on a personal level, it allowed her to prove to Carla that homespun ideals can win the day and that their love could go the distance. When she won, Margo cried, but didn't let anyone see. Especially Mark. Margo has no real friends as she spends a lot of time making embroidered marching banners and making modifications to her Go Kart. Carla is conversely really social, despite being busy helping Mark with his online business. She also manages a portfolio of shares.

There. You're welcome.

Margo has narcissistic personality disorder. Jealous of Carla's relationship with Mark she cut the breaks of the other contestants.
Margo's appears dead behind the eyes when standing on the podium. She is plotting how best to hit Mark over the head with her gold trophy.

nancy

I think that's the idea, OP. You just make it up.

loving this thread