Winston Wonders

Now, any good dog knows about fun: chasing balls, squirrels, cats; rolling in something good and dead; playing keep away with She-Writer's new shoes. Most two-leggeds don't know this, but dogs are also avid readers. We love to read! It's fun and who doesn't like to have fun?
Evidently some educators in Florida. They've created a thick workbook for one of She-Writer's books. Here is the first page of thirty-six pages:
LEARNING CONTRACT FORM Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larsen (sic)
Dear _____________________________, (Student Name)
You and your teacher will agree on learning projects for you to complete after you read the book Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larsen. The activities will be chosen based on the goals of your Educational Plan (EP). Your teacher will help you understand the goals and pick appropriate projects. You and your teacher will agree upon the number of projects you will complete, a deadline for each project and a schedule to meet on a regular basis to discuss your progress (please complete grid below).
It is important to preview the project choices before you read the book and keep them in mind as you read. You may have a lot of ideas and questions as you are reading, so you may want to use a journal to jot them down.
Your teacher will give you a short test after you finish reading the book to make sure you understood the characters, events, and vocabulary.
ENJOY!
"Enjoy"??!! Does anybody else think this approach to reading is like being whacked with a rolled up newspaper? Does a child need to fill out 36 pages of exercises about a book? Does that sound like fun to anyone? Not me! I wonder: if a kid reads a book in a forest, and nobody is around to test her on it, would she still have read the book?
This Two-Legged approach to reading makes my brain tired.
I'm going to go take a nap.
Published on April 12, 2011 06:29
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