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Post by hannahhiester on Mar 3, 2016 8:29:56 GMT -5
Today is world book day! My facebook feed is full of people talking about how they like reading. However, one came up saying they felt that world book day turned into parental one up-manship at their child's school with all the focus being on the children's costumes. So I am curious: What do you think about events such as world book day? How would you bring it into the classroom (if you would bring it in)?
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kasee
New Member
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Post by kasee on Mar 3, 2016 17:56:05 GMT -5
I think this looks like a fun activity for kids to participate in! Unfortunately, many events like this turn into a competition amongst the parents and the kids miss out on what the main message is. However, I would think that it would beneficial to continue even if a handful of students enjoyed it, or more importantly made lasting impact on them. If a few students can learn to appreciate reading or find the joy in a book, then I don't think its all for nothing. It's planting a seed in the child that will hopefully continue to develop into adulthood. This makes me think of science fairs... I do know that parents at my middle school did all of the work and so science projects are no more. Hopefully this won't happen to the world book day!
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Post by taylorbelleglaze on Mar 16, 2016 16:08:53 GMT -5
Hey Hannah, I actually appreciate that you brought this up because this same thought ran across my mind when I saw it was World Book Day. I believe some people don't take it as seriously, or even see it as a day to just dress up as a book character. Although some people just see it as a fun day to dress up and think about their "favorite books," this day could be used effectively to think about the importance of reading inside and outside of the classroom. This day could be great to introduce pleasure reading to students. Many students are turned off by reading because they associate it with school and studying, but reading is much more than that. In a future classroom, I would have students do something like blind date with a book so they can learn about different genres and the different types of reading they can do.
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Post by alicenburnett on Mar 16, 2016 16:42:23 GMT -5
I love world book day! I think it could be a lot of fun in the classroom. Students could bring in their favorite book and talk about it through a book talk. I tend to associate world book day with banned books week. I think it's just as important to highlight the banning of books and what that means for public school students. There is a poem all about banned books week that I absolutely love. Find it here: www.huffingtonpost.com/john-lundberg/a-poem-highlights-banned_b_300302.html. I would use this in my classroom, first because it's a really great poem and second because it has such a powerful message. |
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Post by hannahhiester on Mar 23, 2016 14:41:47 GMT -5
I like the poem and the blind date with a book as a way to expand what could be incorporated or discussed on World Book Day. I could also see many science teachers ignoring it or thinking it doesn't apply but I think it could be used as a way into a discussion of what kind of science literature they consume or discussing what they do and don't like about (science) books (and then maybe even h ow literacy is about more than reading!)
There was a second part to the facebook post that spurred my question: the one up-manship was something the parents had experienced in past years. This year, the school had changed it and students were to come in wearing hats from their favorite characters. The parents said they much preferred this as it was simpler and so their children could get involved with making the hat and be more a part of the process.
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Post by parkerh13 on Mar 23, 2016 19:22:06 GMT -5
Hannah, I am really happy you brought this up because all the English nerds really appreciate world book day! I think, like Alicen said, it can be associated with banned books week which is so important for us to be discussing with our students because they are already limited in the reading they are "allowed" to be exposed to and they have so little time to read outside of class anyway. I think world book day is a way for students to be exposed to all kinds of books and to realize that their teachers read too. This modeling of teacher readers is so important to how students view reading and it can really encourage them to pursue a book. As for the costumes and parents being crazy, I think that in almost any instance parents like to get crazy and so as a teacher you have to be aware of how a parent will react to an assignment just as much as how the student will. I like the idea that they changed it to a hat because I think that is much more productive to what teachers are trying to encourage!
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Post by lindseynharrell on Mar 30, 2016 15:11:01 GMT -5
Hannah, I think that regardless world book day is a fun way for students to engage with their favorite books. Just because parents are competitive in some cases does not mean that we should take it away from all the kids where that is not the case. Furthermore, even for kids who's parents do take it too far the kids might still enjoy it, and once they get into the classroom there are still so many opportunities for learning. So, in this case, I think that the pros outweigh the cons. There is so much to discover in the world of books, and this day is a great way to embrace and celebrate that!
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Post by hannahhiester on Mar 30, 2016 15:35:18 GMT -5
Good point! I think you also make an important point that they will get into the classroom. Then the teacher has a lot of input into the learning environment created and will hopefully focus on the important parts!
Thinking about the banned books topic - could this/is this extended to banned media in general? Movies, songs, plays etc. Or even a discussion of should programs be allowed on TV at all times or should movies have age ratings? I wonder if this might tap into what students know to complement the discussion of banned books.
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Post by keturahyoung on Mar 30, 2016 15:35:45 GMT -5
I'm sad I missed this day! I honestly think that no matter what the assignment or specialty day is, some parents will always be on competition with one another (which is also why I think the PTA continues to function and thrive). Even if the parents do go above and beyond, its still a fun day for the kids to talk about books. I really like the idea of doing a blind date with a book, but I would include the idea of doing book talks. Maybe the kids don't have to dress up, but bring in their favorite book and explain to the class why it is their favorite. We did this in one of my classes last semester and it was really enjoyable. Its like I got know my classmates better through the books that they liked and I was able to get summaries of books that I may have been interested in reading. No matter the way it is chosen to be done, I still think its a fun idea to utilize leisure reading.
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Post by alicenburnett on Apr 6, 2016 13:52:19 GMT -5
One of the things we did in grade schools was called R.I.F.: Reading Is Fun! Toby's Clown School came in an talked to us once a semester in the cafeteria about how awesome it is to read. Then on the lunch tables were dozens of books and we usually got to pick two of them to take home and read. We'd get like two minutes to run and search the tables for a title or cover to pull us in. You had to move fast or all the "good books" would be gone. It made getting to have a book a lot of fun and interactive. It was kind of like a blind date, but you chose it for a specific reason. I still have a bunch of mine.
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Post by brittanysinitch on Apr 12, 2016 12:34:08 GMT -5
WORLD BOOK DAY! It is the greatest ever. I love the blind book date idea. We also discussed the idea of making a "Red Box" type of thing where the students "rent a book" from the box. Instead of movies and DVDs, books would be displayed. This is also an awesome way to create an open, creative classroom setting. Book talks and literature circles have always been great this year and gets the students talking about elements they loved or didn't love as much in a novel.
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Post by brittanysinitch on Apr 12, 2016 12:36:00 GMT -5
Hey Hannah, I actually appreciate that you brought this up because this same thought ran across my mind when I saw it was World Book Day. I believe some people don't take it as seriously, or even see it as a day to just dress up as a book character. Although some people just see it as a fun day to dress up and think about their "favorite books," this day could be used effectively to think about the importance of reading inside and outside of the classroom. This day could be great to introduce pleasure reading to students. Many students are turned off by reading because they associate it with school and studying, but reading is much more than that. In a future classroom, I would have students do something like blind date with a book so they can learn about different genres and the different types of reading they can do. I love this idea of a blind date book type of thing. The students would really get a chance to sit down with another peer (which they usually enjoy doing during class time) and really get to know each other's books! Not only is that adorable, but it gives the students an opportunity to sit down and learn about those different genres and story plots. I have done something similar to think before in school and I was not a huge fan of fiction novels until a student opened up my eyes to how awesome they can be. It's great that students can influence one another to read! |
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Post by hannahhiester on Apr 13, 2016 16:21:40 GMT -5
I also think that students introducing a book to one another and sharing what they like helps to build a community and make it something that is theirs rather than coming solely from the teacher and so, like taylorbelleglaze said, giving reading associations beyond school and studying.
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Post by sarahaubreyr on Apr 17, 2016 16:12:42 GMT -5
So I am totally not in this group, but I am snooping and love this post! I think World Book Day is great! Like Keturah says you are always going to have parents compete with each other. I think that is just something that will always happen. I do think it is a fun day for students to dress up like their favorite character though. It is a way for students to express themselves and the books they love.
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