h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

An example of good practice for the same thing in terms of developing the skill of reading (rather than an appreciation of the words used in the text, or rather, as well as) would be:

Spend a few minutes getting the students to recap the story so far and predict what might happen next. Show them a picture from the scenes to come to help them predict.

Set a global question which aims to summarise the general idea of the text, and give students a short time limit to encourage them to work on the skill of skimming - slamming through a text, not trying to take in everything, but just getting the overall idea. They do this alone. Now some language work. Perhaps Ss can match some words that the teacher has decided they might not know to definitions by looking at how the words are used in the text. Then the main task (the adjectives one). Ss are encouraged to read the text again more carefully, and since they have read it once already, I'd allow some outloud reading for the sheer keep them occupied value, as long as they were clear what the task was first. I'd make them do it in pairs though as if reading aloud is beneficial, better that they get 50% of the time to do it rather than a miniscule 1/30 of the time. It;s still not great practice though in terms of reading skills. Can read and talk. Can;t listen and write (sentences), can;t listen and read at the same time. Just isn't physically posible really.

Sorry, can't read and talk, not can.

Dunno how important having stories read aloud is really. It never happened in our house when I was growing up. The only reading materials to hand were a Bible, my dad's Sven Hassel books and my mum's Catherine Cookson novels. And the Daily Retard

I read the Bible cover to cover when I was about 10. I'm convinced if you changed the New Testament from "Jesus of Nazareth" to "Jesus of Mars", you'd have a great Sci-Fi story.

But I did have a library ticket from a very early age and a membership in the Tufty Club It was a two mile walk to the library and I think I did it every Saturday. Years later, when I published a wee anthology of rubbish poetry with some mates, the Head Librarian got in touch to buy two copies for the library and he swore the first book I ever read from there was a Dr Seuss cos he had written my first library card

Anyhoo, this has been an interesting thread. I thought Gove was being aspirational rather than setting targets and also looking to open up the curriculum to a wider range of books than the tired old classics (idea for a new thread there). I think it's a really good point made earlier about the threat to libraries. If we can't fund them centrally, we really should be looking to the private sector and altruistic sponsors. That's where they came from after all

Hmm all those posts was alot of reading to do So off on a tangent one really good thing for me to come out this (other than discussing it with yourselves obviously) was discussing with my teen about books in general, how many did she reckon was a ballpark figure if any, how do you think you enjoy books, rehashing best memories of reading books together. Laughing so hard at Angus, thongs and perfect snogging in ASDA carpark that people looked at us like we were wierd, we've cried together reading another book, and just all those times we've enjoyed a book and why and that togetherness of reading one.

Then while in town we splurged on books and are enjoying that again.

Lord knows what happening with Shakespere in school, all I know that it is the best thing since sliced bread and it sounds positively riotious but hey I'm getting plotlines, characters etc in the feedback plus the rave reviews. How this wil translate into writing, who knows, but then from what little I know about Shakespere it wasn't intended to be read then written about. Prehaps in that sense it is being enjoyed in it's purist form

Bit tipsy, s'cuse the tangents,

Love Peanut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU

While children do have a lot of things to do with their spare time, how much of it has a long term benefit of any kind? Not to say that reading a book guarantees anything at all - but, I'd love to have a chance to read more, personally. Employment, housework and the various demands of an adult life (or at least mine) mean I generally only get a chance to read two or three times a day, and rarely manage more than 3 or 4 pages per session. So, a 200 - 300 page book will take me 4 - 6 weeks most of the time. I hate it - with so many books to read and such a pace, I'm unlikely to ever complete my current library, never mind anything else I may choose to buy!

I wish I could get my own children to read anything, but it's a thankless task filled with disappointment. Maybe I could entice them with a Home Book Club - everyone reads the same thing and then chats about it over dinner. Too much?

>>If we can't fund them centrally, we really should be looking to the private sector and altruistic sponsors. That's where they came from after all

Up to a point. Yes, there are former Carnegie libraries all over the place - it's said of the man that he gave as silently as a waiter dropping a tray of china. But note that we don't have any altruists *continuing* to fund libraries. Dunfermline's favourite son is long dead.

I'm not a huge fan of 'The Manic Street Preachers', but I do like the opening line of their 'Design for Life', inspired by the sign over the door of Newport library: 'Knowledge is power'. That library was funded, iirc, by the Workers' Educational Council. Socialism - dontcha just love it?

>>Lord knows what happening with Shakespere in school,

You'll be pleased to know... it's being taught. My son has just done 'Twelfth Night' (not the easiest) and my daughter's doing 'Much Ado' (and thinks Denzel is a hunk)

Looked up more.


'..Mr Gove told the Sunday Express: “In one school run by the charter chain KIPP [the initials stand for the Knowledge Is Power Programme] I saw how every child was expected to carry a book at all times so they could fill every vacant minute reading for pleasure...

and,

'...It was cool to be smart and a love of reading was seen as a winner’s trait...'




http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/236988/Michael-Gove-Well-read-US-poor-kids-inspired-my-book-challenge

Hmmm,…KIPP…all sounds a bit cultish to me. And hey..I love reading so its a winner's trait

I don't want to beat about the bush…my opinion is that he's an idiot.

He used to be a hoot when he did The Moral Maze. I remember particularly one tirade about women wishing to 'flaunt their depravity' by buying vibrators from Boots.

Monkey, not only pleased that's it's being taught but pleased that it's taught in a way that's inspiring.

Laughed my socks off when the end of Hamlet was I quote 'hilarious' not sure that's what Shakespere intended but then on my list of things to do is learn about Hamlet so I can keep up, so what would I know

I only read about half of the backlog because it was quite a lot.

I really like reading, but I read slowly. I always did. I was brought up with reading and certainly always read much more than other children but I don't think I ever made 50 books per year.

50 books per year seems to mean one book per week, but why should someone read all the time? Is it really important to always have a book? Sometimes I just don't find anything I want to read or sometimes I just don't want to read even if I still have good books at home. I think it's important that children read but I don't think it's important that reading gets their favorite hobby. So 50 books is a bit much. Of course everyone who wants to do it should read 50 books per year but forcing someone to do that...

I'm also pretty sure that I would never have found so many that I would really have enjoyed. I remember that we sometimes had to go to the school library and everyone had to pick a book and read. That's just no fun. School libraries tend to have only the kinds of books that teachers think are good for children. I hardly ever liked anything they made us read at school... mind you, I didn't really read most of it. I let others borrow my maths homework so I could be rather sure that someone would tell me what happened in the books we were supposed to read.

But I was always very good at writing. At least my grammar was always good and my style. I'm sure reading helped me. But I want to warn everyone who thinks that reading helps with getting better spelling: that's just not true. I can't see how. When you read you don't really read the spelling of every word, you don't even see the separate letters most of the time.
And if someone says the spelling gets only better with 50+ books a year I rather go with bad spelling.

I remember we had to read about 5 books in English at some time. Most people just read summaries and then said they had read the book. Maybe elementary school children don't do that yet but you can be sure that of the 50+ books 13 year olds would have on their list they have read maybe 10.

"I'm also pretty sure that I would never have found so many that I would really have enjoyed."

Of course, there's a certain school of thought which holds that "It's education! You're not supposed to enjoy it!"

Yes, that's the school of thought that makes children put 45 books on the list of 50 which they have never read.

Children need a very good reason to read a book, there are a lot of things they prefer to do first.
Books are great for pleasure, etc. but the important thing is to make them get the reading skills Solnuska mentioned earlier, because children needs them for all subjects. Reading skills can be developed with any text, not necessarily books. Give them a magazine related to their interests, or a web page, whatever, and well guided by the teacher, kids will enjoy reading and will learn skills.

Or make them prepare a story for their mates:

http://storybird.com/

I learned a lot with comic strips.

I'm not big into comic strips myself. By and large they've passed me by...although I do appreciate it's my loss. (And I like the Bros Hernandez 'Love and Rockets' stuff).

However, I keep recommending one comic-y book: 'Marxism for Beginners' by Ruis. It was the prototype for the '...for Beginners' series and gives a good, entry-level introduction of where Marx was coming from philosophically. The ones on Feminism and Ethics are rather good, too.

More today, from our Secretary of State for Education.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/01/michael-gove-reading-humanities

It seems he wants kids reading more Victorian novels... Well yes Michael there are many superb Victorian novels..but does he want them to be read because they are superb or Victorian?

The writer of the article, Sarah Churchwell says,

'.. In fact, affirmative teaching – teaching to exams – often means these students also know the same five things about those three books. It doesn't make for a wide-ranging conversation...'

She's referring to, 'Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies and To Kill A Mockingbird..

This 'affirmative teaching' thing does sound utterly ridiculous for something like Eng Lit. Like a prescription. You teach kids the process of examining text..equipping them with the skills to be able to analyse anything they will subsequently read.

Sounds like rather than skills being taught..what's being taught is 'painting by numbers' to pass exams. That's mental.

I thank my lucky stars for Miss Gray, and being at my school, at that moment in history.

I guess it all depends on whether you want to encourage children to enjoy reading, or study Eng Lit. From an early age I was a keen reader but I never enjoyed the analysis required in Eng Lit. Even worse was the slow reading aloud in class.

Victorian literature may be OK for someone already a proficient reader interested in widening the scope of their reading material & the history of literature. Not much use for those still struggling to decipher simple text.

Wouldn't it be better to introduce some kind of media study earlier on & save Eng Lit for an academic GCSE/A level?

I didn't much like the books that we were made to read for GCSE Eng. Lit. (a few years ago I admit!!) but I didn't mind because they weren't the only books I read ... this is my argument for keeping librarians ... libraries (and librarians!!)are the reason I'm a book addict, they introduced me to all kinds of books, both fact & fiction!!

There are so many new books being written now (not all good I know!) but there's gotta be something to interest everyone ... paper-based books are not gonna disappear any time soon!!

But, please, don't introduce "media studies" at any age below 16, it's a stupid enough subject anyway!!

Btw, I think reading aloud is brilliant, it means that you actually have to read the words and understand them & their context, not just skim reading (which I have a bad habit of doing!!).

The most beautiful eve of my life was spent having poetry read to me by a guy from Hull, a combination of his accent, the poetry and being curled up in bed dozing off ... absolute heaven!! I still miss that!!

Anyway, enough of me reminiscing ... books are fab!! No matter who the person is, or where they come from, or what they're interested in ... there's a book out there for them ... they just need to find it!!

Books will rule the world!!

Lx