To think this is stupid in an English lesson in year 7?

[justmeandmeandonlyme]

My daughter who is 11 years old in year 7 has told me she has been watching hunger games in her English lesson. She said she was nearly crying because of the people dying in it ( I have watched the full series Of hunger games Myself) and she thought it was real.. she is only 11 bad doesn’t watch things like that at home. But am I being unreasonable to think this is not even remotely educational in an english lesson??? I just don’t see how watching a film like that is going to teach kids anything apart from how to sit and cry at a film?

Lazy.

Why so?

To those querying her struggling with reality and fiction, to be honest there are some very horrific real events that are depicted in film. She probably is a bit sheltered, but imagine switching from war poets to hunger games - why is it obvious Hunger games isn't true if you are a 'young' 11 year old just out of primary.

After my year 3 had 'War Game: Village Green to No man's Land' as his topic book I'm prepared for English lit tears.

DS is the same age as the OP's DD, and has jsut read the Hunger Games series. I had to give the librarian my approval for him to borrow the books.

After he had read the books, we talked about them: what was happening, what is dystopian fiction, what does it tell us about our own world etc etc. We also watched the films together, with me being clear that he could stop watching any time he wanted.

I don't think it's healthy for an 11yo to be completely shielded from everything, but I do agree that difficult subjects need to be handled properly

Shouldn't they be reading the books?

You know people can do both?

Hunger Games is appropriate, now, if they’d started watching The Handmaidens Tale on the other hand.....

My DS read The Hunger Games in year 6 when it was first released. He bought it at his primary school book fair. The book is actually more graphic than the film.

It is certainly age appropriate for a child at secondary school as it is on a par with eg. Lord of the Flies.

I think you're possibly being a little precious.

Luckyme:
To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis
New Policeman - Kate Thompson
Arthur, the Seeing Stone - Kevin Crossley-Holland
Lord of the Rings - J R R Tolkien
Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - J Kelly
Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Obasan - Joy Kogawa
White teeth - Zadie Smith
Hitchhiker's Guide books - Douglas Adams
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea - Shyam Selvadurai
Kitchen - Banana Yoshimoto

This is from looking around at ds' bookshelf. He also loved Orwell at that age, including 1984 and Animal Farm. Obviously I'm not saying no dark stuff ever as then there's no 1984 - I'm just saying leaven if with some work that is not so negative. My dd came to associate reading fiction with reading about difficult and depressing subject matter and I think that's a shame as fiction can be just for entertainment and we can also learn about the human condition from Douglas Adams and Jane Austen.

Shhh

Re parents or guardians: teachers are in loco parentis.

www.teachers.org.uk/files/the-law-and-you--8251-.pdf

I watched the first hunger games. Gripping but also disturbing. I don't think I'd let my 11yr old watch it but we're a family of scaredy cats when it comes to films!

DD watched this yr 7 and also read one of the books. Its not something we would chose to watch at home or for her to watch - I was a bit cautious but actually it was fine. The film engages the though process and helps those that struggle with reading, it brings things to life, shows the difference between book and film and how to script write vs novel - I think there is plenty of learning

Surely “in loco parentis” has limits?

Some excellent choices there Lizzie. Your DS has good taste! However I wouldn't describe them all as light and happy. Or necessarily any more age appropriate for year 7s than the hunger games.

Sorry... I'm an English teacher and my 4 year old can tell the difference between real and pretend. I really think you need to address this issue. The text is neither here nor there but if she honestly thought it was real I would be worried.

They're not all light and happy but for me the important thing is that they take place in a different world to his so he can engage without feeling like he's personally standing on a precipice. He's late teens now, but I vividly remember that in from around ages 11-14 every single work of fiction was dark and depressing. It was as if it had been decided that it was the schools' job to jolt them out of childhood with a series of short sharp shocks. Adolescence is hard for a lot of kids and I have the thought that some may come to associate reading solely with darkness.

He does have good taste - he gets it from his mother's side!

I suspect the people saying "oh, my child can tell the difference between fiction and the real world - your dc may need professional help" are being deliberately disingenuous. Obviously (!) it's not that they think the fiction they are reading is non-fiction but that if all the assigned fiction is depressing they may be more likely to view reading as a chore and something not to turn to to relax. And it may darken their world view, just as mine is a touch if I watch too much news. It's not head in the sand, it's just seeking balance in what we feed our heads.

For gods sake OP! She’s in high school and she can’t tell the difference between a film and reality?! Sorry but that should be the issue rather than watching the hunger games!
She needs to toughen up honest, or she will struggle big time

He must do. Well done there I'd say! It might just be me then. My DD loves dark and depressing ha ha! It started many years ago with the hetty feather phase (put upon orphan). Now she's over that at 13 we've moved on to maze runner, divergent, all.of the Philip Pullman books, anything where someone's very being is at risk etc! I promise she has a nice life really! But she seems to love the safety of 'fear and threat' that comes in a good book.

She also loves a good old Agatha Christie!

I think it’s tough for Year 7. By Year 8 some of the edges have been knocked off and they are hardier but you get some sheltered and some sensitive ones in Year 7. So I would keep it for Year 8 just to make it a better experience for all.

However, some kids will always be more sensitive than others and no good will come from exposing them to things that upset them; some just have thicker skins than others. I will always remember my kind English teacher in Year 7 letting me leave the classroom because I found another classmate’s oral book report on a serial killer really viscerally upsetting. I went on to read and enjoy a lot of dystopian and violent fiction but probably more aged 13+.

Luckyme2 ooh get her to read the pretties/uglies/specials series by Scott Westerfeild. Sounds like she will love them

StickThatInYourPipe thank you! Hasn't heard of those but just looked them up and will definitely be adding to her Christmas list!

I found them when I was about 16 and read the first 2 within a week. They are just amazing!

Glad to have helped spread the word hehe

Hello everyone
Thanks for all your views

I’ve spoken to my daughter and she said that she didn’t actually think some of the parts of the film was real but said that when it got to the part when the girl died she said it was ‘realistic’ and I think she was a bit take aback by the blood and ‘dying’ scene. I don’t have any concerns about her development that a lot of you are trying to say I need to. I think because she’s not watched many films with violence like this the film has shocked her a little and think that’s because of the lack of tv. It’s all about learning and she is learning.

OP there is a difference between thinking it was realistic and thinking it's real. So I think that was maybe just poor phrasing on your part in your OP and agree it is not something you need to be overly concerned about.
I've not seen the films but have read the books, it not any worse than the books we were reading at that age and I remember being shown shots of Schindlers list in year 7 which imo is much worse.
I think yabslightlyu as secondary aged children will be learning that life isn't all roses but do understand your want to shield her from this.

Oh dear. Is she a PFB?

Most of my Year 6s have read and seen The Hunger Games.

I don't understand why she'd think it was real. That would be a concern to me.