8yo DD's homework based on Bond films - WIBU to complain?

[QueenOfFeckingEverything]

DD's class are basing this term's work on 'Spies'.

She has come home today saying she doesn't know how to do her homework because she doesn't know who James Bond is. Apparently the homework is to find out about a villain from a Bond film and then write about them - she's left the sheet at school so is unsure of the details though.

Now I am Not Happy with that. Bond films are not suitable for 8yo children - aren't most of them 12 or 15 rated? Surely the school should not be basing homework round films the children should not have seen - obviously I am aware that most of them will have done but it shouldn't be assumed.

Plus as far as I am aware (not a film watcher myself really) they are somewhat sexist, or at least Bond's treatment of women is, and I don't really want the films and their messages given tacit approval by school tbh.

So I am thinking I might write and state my objections...

I do disagree with those who are saying that you can look the material up on Wikipedia and that is enough. I would always encourage students to start with the source material - in this case the novels and the films - and work from there. Otherwise, what is the point of ever doing anything other than asking them to read the relevant Wikipedia page?

So are we saying that its fine for DC to be sent home to research any film at any age as they can always look at the Wikipedia page and don't need to watch it? Really??

So its OK if an 11yo is told to research the villain from, oh, I don't know, Clockwork Orange - because the point is the researching and they can do that without watching the film?

I just think its so much bollocks. There are plenty of other spy-related films and books that are actually suitable for the age group concerned. Spy Kids. Harriet The Spy. Emil and the Detectives. MI High. And thats just off the top of my head.

what did the school say?

And yy to primary sources. Its not bloody research if all they have done is read Wikipedia and seen a Youtube clip

Nothing yet SEA. I handed in a letter today (DD was away ill the last two days). But two other parents have told me they thought they'd be the only ones who had a problem with it, so clearly I am not that precious.

Cutting and pasting isn't research.

Reading a wiki site and watching a clip is research. What else would it be?

They've to get a bit of background info about a Bond villain so they can share info about villains. They're not writing a critical analysis.

www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0789466910/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

incidentally, re Charlie Higson- my ds was given one of the books at about 9. He read the first chapter and was "too scared" to read the rest

(he is now 13, and has to be accompanied by his 7 yo sisters when he goes to the toilet, because his English teacher showed a clip of Psycho in class three weeks ago )

DD's class are basing this term's work on 'Spies'.

I don't even begin to understand this :(

Surely at 8 the class should be basing the term's work on times tables, handwriting, reading, French, history, geography, science etc.

Or am I out of touch?

Hogsback ...very

Well hogsback I agree with you tbh. But thats not how it goes now [shrug]

But they will be basing their work on times tables, handwriting, reading, French, history, geography, science etc.

But some of it will involve spies!

Our school take a topic approach, hogsback

I'm a bit about spies, but we've had Tudors, Africa, Vikings, ummmm other stuff. Literacy, maths and whatnot gets covered within the topic. Which isn't to say that everything they do in class is related to that term's topic, but a lot is.

SpringHeeledJack my 10yo ds doesn't like them either. He will watch anything and not be scared, but reading/being read to is another matter. A James Bond movie would be more accessible to him than Silverfin (or whatever it's called) basically.

Feenie put it better that I did.

It's amazing how much high quality cross curricular work you can get from a theme that grips children's imagination

Times tables [hollow laugh]

They have taught DD that counting in 2s/5s/10s is a times bloody table. She got a sticker for knowing them all. But if you ask her, what is 3 times 5, she has no idea without counting the 5s on her fingers

And yes, I am trying to teach her them at home. But she's not very receptive to reciting times tables after a full school day and tbh who can blame her?

So yeah, call me an old fashioned precious party-pooper, but I think a better use of time would be to actually teach them something, not have them write out facts about James sodding Bond.

So you don't think reading and research are useful skills? You don't think writing a character description is learning anything?

wrt tables (and ot, sorry)

I still don't know mine despite years and years of school. I don't think reciting them works for everyone.

Go to the maths zone games on the Woodlands schol website. Great times tables games.

I'm surprised you can see no value in appreciating some common features of villains.

Or using correct punctuation, exciting vocabulary, excellent sentence openings, etc. All waste of time, yes?

I agree with you re times tables though.

mrz writing a character description of Shylock or Mr Bumble when you're 12 might be. I'm struggling to see the value in writing descriptions of Bond baddies when you're 8 and, as Queen points out you haven't even learnt your 3 times table.

You don't learn your 3 times table in the English lesson take it up with the person responsible for maths.

and children are expected to be able to write character descriptions when they are 5 I take it you want them to do something different.

sorry, I've read all these comments and thought about it carefully but I still think it is a great topic with lots of scope for learning and, as mrz said, capturing the imagination (especially of boys, which is important when so many of them are left behind in education as the girls suceed)