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Question: Are summer reading lists being dumbed down!?
Just from answering questions here in Y!A asking for recommendations from summer reading lists, it seems like many of them include pulp and genre fiction from writers like John Grisham and Dean Koontz!.
While I don't have a specific quarrel with these authors or their works, isn't a school reading list supposed to emphasize the study of important works of world literature!? As entertaining as Stephanie Meyers' books may be, reading and analyzing her work isn't going to prepare you for college level study, nor, to judge from the subject matter, leave you particularly enlightened about important social or spiritual matters!.
So what do you guys think!? Should school reading lists be made more appealing and thematically egalitarian, or should literary and cultural substance be the standard by which these books are selected!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
At my school, we have two types of summer reading!. We normally have 1 or 2 classic books assigned to the class to read!. This year I have 5!. These include things like The Scarlet Letter, Slaughter-house Five, and Native Son!. Besides these assigned books, which we will discuss in class and probably have some sort of in-class project related to them, we are also encouraged to pick one or two books from teen or adult booklists to read on our own!. Being a voracious reader, this has never been a problem for me, and it's mostly just a way to get kids to read other books besides their summer reading!. So I guess at my school we have the best of both worlds - we read the classics as well as more contemporary stuff that people might be more interested in!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
It depends what your goal is!. If you're trying to get students to actually DO the summer reading, then you pretty much have no choice but to dumb it down so that it's more appealing!. Even threatening to have a test on the material the first day of school does not work with high school kids!. You'll just end up giving a lot of Fs!. If you're trying to uphold the importance of classic literature, then you shouldn't dumb it down, but don't be surprised if only 1/10 kids actually does the reading!.!.!.maybe 1/5 if they can sparknote it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
I can't think of a single Dean Koontz novel that is appropriate for a school reading list, and I've read an enormous number of his novels!.
Stephanie Meyers work, while I've not read it, does seem a very poor choice to "educate" with!.
I think we have plenty of classic literary treasures to choose from, it's a shame that whoever makes up these lists isn't putting more thought into them!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
well i see where your coming from but i also see why these books would be on the list
for the lists with fun books on them the teachers just want the students to read and the assignment is the important skills needed,!.!.!. not the actual book!.!.!. so choosing a book that every1 is saying how great it is will motivate students to actually read
im just saying,!.!.!.!.!. my summer reading is nothing like these lists though!.!.!.so obviously when theses lists r given, they arent the only options!.!.!.!. showing the assignment is he mportant part
im forced to read shakespeare on my own ( a midsummer nights dream) and animal far and death be not proud!.!.!.!.and im only going into 9thWww@QuestionHome@Com
Everything is being dumbed down!. I was horrified when I found out someone was actually teaching Twilight to a class!. English classes barely have enough time to read decent books, one shouldn't be taken out for something like that!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
I think the level of novels included in some reading summer reading lists should be raised!. But it also depends on the grade I guess!? I'm 13 but I picked up the 10th Grade Honors list and haven't been disappointed yet :)Www@QuestionHome@Com
As long as it isn't written in Internet jargon, I just think it's good that kids are reading!.
Yes, the literary classics should be read and taught in school!. IN school!. I think teachers should ease up on what to read over the summer, though!.
I've grown to appreciate (aspects of) it in recent years, but classic Russian literature on summer vacation would be a bummer!. I think that would turn a lot of kids off from reading!.
Back to the Internet jargon thing!.!.!. I think it's more important for teachers to preserve how kids write and speak!. This chat-shorthand crap is getting out of hand!. They're shortening words that don't even have three syllables in them!.
I had John Grisham assigned for summer reading in sophomore year, by the way!. I think it was Runaway Jury!. I didn't like that anymore than I would have liked Dostoevsky!. Actually, come to think of it, even that young I probably would have liked the latter better!. Grisham is kind of too clinical for me!.Www@QuestionHome@Com