Is this proper English homework?

[optimist66]

My DS1 who is in Year 3 completed his "English" home work, last night. Sorry, it's not called "English" - it's called "Literacy". He is at a state school.

His home work was about the use of "onomatopoeia" words. These are the use of words whose sound suggests the sense of what is happening. DS1 had to design an advertisement for a cereal.

Am I wrong in thinking that this is a weak and namby pamby way of discussing use of sounds. Where is the greating traditional way of discussing the rules of Grammar - complemented by an indepth building of Vcabulary and Comprehension skills.

He is on the top table, and a level 3b

Am I expecting too much, as I always see homework of weak substance given to him?

and FWIW IME teachers tend to try and teach the 'dull' stuff in school and send home the more 'fun' stuff. Personally I am very grateful for this.

muddleduck

i wish I'd made more posters at school, actually.

I would have found it a lot more useful when I did my HND, as we had to quite a lot of design and presentation, and I was crap at it.
I finally got good at it, and you know what? I use the skil a lot in my work life.
I run a shop and have to produce my own POS (point of sale material or posters/leafelts/flyers/adverts etc)

a remarkably useful skill.

and a good way of enforcing what has been learned.

btw, I think an advert is a brrrilliant way of learning/enforcing onomatopaeia.
I love wors that sound like the noise they make, and that's exactly what happens in Snap, crackle, pop!

this is my favourite poem of all time
^The Dustman
Clive Sansom^
Every Thursday morning,
Before you?re quite awake,
Without the slightest warning
The house begins to shake
With a Biff! Bang!
Biff! Bang! Bash!
It?s the Dustman who begins
(Bang! Crash!)
To empty both the bins
Of their rubbish and their ash,
With a Biff! Bang!
Biff! Bang! Bash!

Learned in 2ndyear juniors, and littered with onomatopaeia

somewhat off topic - but DS3 has just reminded me by asking if it's on today - I wish that thing like "Horrible Histories" had been around when I was doing History at school.

I sit transfixed by that programme as much as the DS's do. To see my DS's come flying through to the living room when they hear the theme tune and squeal in excitement that "The Terrible Tudors" or "Vile Victorians" is the next bit is staggering.

I remember doing those bits of history at school and finding them incredibly dull learning dates, names and reading boring texts.

This fun way of showing history has my DS's hooked on history in a way I never imagined possible (and it's started to rub off on me despite switching off from history by about YR2 age and find it all incredibly dull)

(sorry, i got the wrong diphthong, obviously i meant onomatopoeia - i blame it on my crap typing, not my spelling!!)

ooooooo Nickel - (sorry OP REALLY hijacking your thread now but talking of DS's and learning and literature and stuff and seeing Nickel here has reminded me,

Sam Hutton - Special Agents
and Horrible Histories

have you got them in your book shop and I can order some if you have

looks like all the special agents books are out of print...
but horrible histories, yes, i've got most of them!
email me....

I have taught children who can do 'grammar' exercises until their fingers are on fire. Do they apply any of the skills they have been learning to their independent writing? Nope. There really does have to be a balance in the type of tasks they are given so that they can learn and then apply their knowledge and skills. Since I am the teacher, I have always assumed that I should do the teaching part in school rather than send it home to be taught be parents.

There are countless reasons why literacy results in this country may not compare to others. It's not alway the school's fault. I don't believe that the Literacy Strategy has 'dumbed down' in fact I teach pupils aspects of language and literature that I didn't study until O level.

by parents

"Do they apply any of the skills they have been learning to their independent writing? Nope"

That's DS1 absolutely. He's always been like it with anything

Nickel - nnoooooooooooo special agents can't be out of print

I'll email you

proof

(some might be avaailable, but hard to get hold of iyswim)
(i'd try for you though )

'ang on - I'll tke this over to the relgion thread rather than hijacking tins one

good plan.
sort your typing out too, on an english language thread!

The problem we would have in my house with this homework is that DS would spend all his time on the computer messing about with fonts and colours, and only come up with one or two appropriate words.

However, they will have discussed it in class already, desigining the poster is a way of learning how onamatopoeia is actually USED, and that it is not simply a poetic device.

BTW, I first learnt about onamatopoeia in year 8. About 40 years ago. So if they are now learning it in year 3, that doesn't much sound like dumbing down.

i would have been year 4, if it was 2nd junios.
about 26 years ago.
(shit, i'm old :( )

"PS. Has only an English Teacher/Professional the right to express an opinion about the National Literacy Strategy? Hmmmmn!!!"

No, I'm neither. But I guessed from your attitude that you don't have a great love of language/poetry, as you are valuing the learning of facts above learning to love the language. Anyone who has studied English to an advanced level would understand why playing with sound and appreciating what works is a key step to appreciating poetry.

sorry -

Bring back the cane too.

DD2s English teacher is totally bonkers eccentric and it doesn't seem like they actually cover a great deal of the curriculum during lessons. But, she remembers the stuff they have covered by relating it to whatever weird thing the teacher did that lesson. Some people learn best when it's learning by rote, some learn best when it's "fun". A good teacher who is aware of modern teaching methods will use a variety of different styles to accomodate the learning needs of all the DC in the class.

But, yes, the "make a poster" homework drives us bananas, especially when they have to draw it by hand (DD2 finds drawing something recognisable quite hard, so we do a lot of stick men as I can draw them-- ).

MainlyMaynie

""PS. Has only an English Teacher/Professional the right to express an opinion about the National Literacy Strategy? Hmmmmn!!!"

No, I'm neither. But I guessed from your attitude that you don't have a great love of language/poetry, as you are valuing the learning of facts above learning to love the language. Anyone who has studied English to an advanced level would understand why playing with sound and appreciating what works is a key step to appreciating poetry."

I do have a great love language/poetry...... science, arts and humanities too. I come from an educated family, my relatives are equally well-educated - and we all have great jobs. All down to the education we received.

I wish I had posted this two days ago when I was on annual leave, as I would have been posting every other minute to the responses.

This is a great forum and I look forward to continued postings this weekend.

"It is strange that most people I speak to agree with me, however, here there is a different consensus."

That is the joy of MN-you can say what you really think! In RL I would just agree with you-much simpler!

hehe exotic - I wouldn't

Life is just too short-if someone is opinionated just say 'yes' -saves a lot of bother!

My dc's teacher has never even heard of onomatopoeia,(but that's another story) so I think it is good homework. It's a great lead in to poetry and creative writing imo.