How to kill a love of reading ...

[dippymare]

in a few easy steps, by my dd's junior school.

Anyone else think this is bonkers? My 8 year old dd has to complete a 20 question double sided A4 sheet called a "book review" every week on a school book she has read. If you had to do this every week on a book you had read, wouldn't it put you completely off reading. It would me, but maybe I'm just lazy?

In my primary school we were expected to do a book review a week.
I have a degree in English Lit.
Guess it doesn't put everyone off! :)

Yes it would. But at the same time, I do see why schools do things like this. Do they get a sticker or something for each completed one?

No, I would expect an 8 year old to be totally up for that. Tbh I would probably only expect one review a week, but by 8 they'll be on longer books.

Is this on top of daily written homework? If so then I would see if it could be limited to 1 per week. But to be honest I think that it is good for children to reflect on what they've read.

Oh god that would render me instantly illiterate. I don't want my reading to be Good For Me, I want it to be the source of life-giving pleasure that it is.

And imagine, anything you read that was less than madly worthy, reviewing it at length...

And I have a degree in English Literature too. In fact I have two of them.

I don't even make mine fill in the 'reading journal' they're supposed to use, to log the books they've read. If someone made me do that I'd be most affronted.

(Oh and before you warn me this will lead my children into feral illiteracy, they're actually rather good at reading and writing.)

urgh what a horrible idea. Also have an Eng Lit degree. Would have put me right off.

Am not disputing that book reviews have their place, just think one a week a bit excessive. Questions on sheet are pretty longwinded too. They don't earn stickers, they just get to look forward to even longer book reviews when they move on to the next level. Any incentive to read?

It's a shame they can't have a book group every week and discuss with their peers their opinions on the books they read.

I can't imagine many 8 year olds would be thrilled by writing a book review every week. But that won't matter - there's learning objectives to think of - who cares whether they enjoy it.

I must admit though, that I've often regretted not keeping a list of everything I've ever read.

but why? I can remember the books I would want to read again some time. Couldn't care less about the rest.

I also think it is a pleasure killer and so never bother with the 'reading journal' either. My kids would simply stop reading if this was their punishment for doing so. To tell the truth, I would too!

Why? Because I read so many and so quickly and then forget them. And it would have saved me from ploughing through Attonement, hating it and not realising until over half way through that I'd already read the damn thing.

Oh yeah, been there, done that. Schools give out book reviews to higher-achieving children as a form of occupational therapy and to keep the parents off their case: "Yes, this is our way of giving her extension work, so what are you complaining about you moany pushy parent."

Hi, MI!

What happens if a book isn;t finished within a week?

Dd is 8y and some of the books she reads she can't finish within a week as she can only fit in about 20 min reading a day max mosyt days. So a decent length chapter books takes longer than a week.

Not altogether convinved by book reviews like this.

BlueHair Sun 03-Oct-10 21:07:24
It's a shame they can't have a book group every week and discuss with their peers their opinions on the books they read.

Bluehair - agree. 8y DD has just joined the library's book group that does this. They have a book sent for a month and then return once a month to the library to chat about it and do activitities based on it. Think once a month is ample to do it and verbally is much better for most childrem in these situations. Cab discuss nd bounce of one another. A book review once a week will become very samey.

We has to do it for every book we read. It was dull with a capital D and slightly pointless in my opinion. It gets to the point where you don't write them in, but then get in trouble for not reading enough!

Oh dear, for someone who reads a lot my English leaves a lot to be desired in that post, but I know what I mean.

It's lazy teaching, IMO. Once in a while, maybe. Every week, er, no.

I think that' far too much. Maybe a book review of an occasional, enjoyable book? But I also hate these questionnaire "book reviews": ours tend to have odd questions and don't encourage any particular insight or thought.

I love the idea of a book group style discussion tho - must see if can suggest that.

It remind sme of the old Ginn system - read a coloured book, find the matching coloured card from the box, answer the questions, get it marked, get the new book.

SEtting endless, mindless book reviews is imo right up there with those teachers who make each child read every book at every level of the reading scheme regardless of their ability or interests.

Grr.

Guess it was just me who liked doing them then!

Hula - which library? DS used to be in a reading group at Broomhill, but that folded ages ago - haven't seen another advertised..?

It is the Broomhill library - Chatterbox. Katz's DD1 goes too.