Reading Recommendations for "Children"

[Selena_Kitt]

It's been my experience that I've learned to think better through the use of language, whether through reading, writing, listening, talking in conversation, and so I would hope the 'best' (extraordinary, whatever) language is used in a school's curricula.

not everyone learns best through language... nor "thinks better" because of it... I think most of us here would say that we do... of course, this is the AH! But there are many many people who don't have that particular learning style... or interest... those are the kids for whom Goosebumps and Harry Potter are excellent, to expose them to the world that CAN open up through language... even if it is not their natural interest...

No matter though, I would not try to force a child to do anything unless it was a matter of life or death. Still, I also wouldn't naively leave a child to unfold at will. But perhaps that's a bigger subject than this thread's.

there is a fine line between encouraging and instructing... but I agree with you, it's a subject too big for this thread

 

[R. Richard]

Though my riposte to WH covers this, I want to emphasize the 'point' of teaching English literature to children. What you state here might prove useful in a middle-school civics or government class, but if it's not extraordinarily fine writing I would not recommend it for a lit. curriculum.

Perdita

I can see your point Perdita. However, I wonder if you haven't overlooked another point. No matter how fine the writing, it a child doesn't want to read the item, it is not going to do much good. If you concentrate on just the literary aspects of a work, it may be fine writing. However, it the work doesn't have a strong story that a child can get interested in, I am of the opinion that the work is not particularly useful as a teaching tool. I would also point out that elements of a story that an adult might be interested in may not register at all with a child.

In my particular case, the "Robinson Crusoe" that I read had a three page segment that had Robinson Crusoe saying, "I am lonely." There was really no more information than that, just "I am lonely" over and over again. By the end of that section of the book, I determined that I would never again, unforced, read another line of "literature." When the teacher tried to go over the three page section again, I tried to get her arrested for inciting to riot. If it was a learning experience, I missed the point.

 

[kendo1]

And what about short stories?

I remember reading a lot of Asimov's anthologies many years ago.
The story behind his writing- how he struggled to get published, what he was paid, etc.- kept me more interested in the books.

Ken

 

[oggbashan]

I do NOT recommend...

The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney by Henry Handel Richardson - a set work when I was at school in Australia.

Apart from being the first 'Australian' novel, it has nothing to distinguish it from many other mid-Victorian turgid novels and while it might be interesting to read as a curiosity, it is not worthy of concentrated study.

Og

 

[kendo1]

The book that started me down the slippery slope of reading avidly- in OZ when I was about 10 - was 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' !

Happy memories!


My point-
Is the book important or the reading, the catching of a chid's imagination to make them want more.

 

[Guest]

I can see your point Perdita. However, I wonder if you haven't overlooked another point. No matter how fine the writing, it a child doesn't want to read the item, it is not going to do much good.

That's where I find I need to keep repeating here that it's the teacher that can make the difference. Of course one can't presume a story by a fine writer will in itself appeal to a child, let alone a classroom of diverse individuals, but if the structure of the story and how it's told are more than 'just' a story a good teacher can get that across. I myself have yet to find Robinson C. personally interesting but I don't dismiss it, just presume I don't have what it takes to get it (yet ).

For most of my life I ignored Shakespeare's history plays, ignorantly presuming they were for historians, boys or academics. Then the best teacher I know showed me what was there. I developed a passion for the characters of Richard II, Hal, Hotspur and Falstaff as if I'd known them in real life; I'd not been able to imagine that before this woman led me into those texts. I wish I could introduce the Henry plays to my sons as they have much to say about father/son relations, but I'm not a real teacher and have yet to figure out how to make them appealing to anyone without interest. Go figure.

Thanks for all your responses btw

Perdita

 

[R. Richard]

That's where I find I need to keep repeating here that it's the teacher that can make the difference. Of course one can't presume a story by a fine writer will in itself appeal to a child, let alone a classroom of diverse individuals, but if the structure of the story and how it's told are more than 'just' a story a good teacher can get that across. I myself have yet to find Robinson C. personally interesting but I don't dismiss it, just presume I don't have what it takes to get it (yet ).

For most of my life I ignored Shakespeare's history plays, ignorantly presuming they were for historians, boys or academics. Then the best teacher I know showed me what was there. I developed a passion for the characters of Richard II, Hal, Hotspur and Falstaff as if I'd known them in real life; I'd not been able to imagine that before this woman led me into those texts. I wish I could introduce the Henry plays to my sons as they have much to say about father/son relations, but I'm not a real teacher and have yet to figure out how to make them appealing to anyone without interest. Go figure.

Thanks for all your responses btw

Perdita

Actually, I found the novel "Robinson Crusoe" interesting. At least the parts that were written by Daniel Defoe were interesting. I found any number of themes in the novel and I could defend their existence despite the fact my "teacher" not only could not see the themes, she obviously had missed the entire point of the novel.

The high school I graduated from was so bad that somewhere between 55% (school) and 85% (street) of the students who tried to go to college were unable to pass the Subject A exam. The "solution" was to force memorization of more material. I can agree with your statement about needing a good teacher, although I have no experience of actually having one.

I was forced to read "The Merchant of Venice." When asked questions about the play, I delivered a hate laced screed about the obvious anti-semitism that is the basis of the play. When challenged to talk about something else in the play, I pointed out the obvious, that Antonio was able to conduct his trade only because he had the education of a Prince [he could read and write] in a time when few had those skills and he obviously had merchant contacts. I then pointed out that Antonio was a lazy bastard who didn't work. I summarized my analysis with the question, "Are you trying to give us a hint?" I did not get an answer to my question. I did get another boring trip to the Vice Principle.

The Vice Principle asked me a question, "Exactly what is your problem here?" I replied politely, "[my teacher] is a fat, stupid, ugly old bitch. However, next to you, she is Miss Universe with a PhD." Apparently I offended the boy, for some unknown reason. [In answer to your unasked question, I was the school's National Merit Scholarship Finalist for that year.]