Critics of this method say that these students may miss out on works of quality and complexity and the common body of knowledge that comes from reading literary classics. But maybe by reading books of their own choice and becoming habitual readers, they will eventually choose more "difficult" books down the road.
The article also mentions a school district in NY that sets aside 40 minutes every other day for all sixth, seventh, and eighth graders to read books of their own choosing. Where was that when I was in middle school? I used to race through assignments and tests so that I could have a few free reading minutes before everyone else finished and we moved on.
1 comment:
My old prinicipal actually made us English teachers do that--set aside a period of time on Fridays for kids to "free read." It was a success, and even the kids who I thought would give me grief (the non-readers) got into it. :)
I like the idea of kids choosing their own books SOMETIMES. But, without teacher guidance, many students wouldn't willingly read some of the great works of literature, missing out on a chance to share an important part of the collection "universal knowledge" and to just maybe discover that the past can be relevant.
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