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PDyer
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What do you think of this sixth grade reading list (not for my homeschool)?
The Giver by Lois Lowry
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - read first, then movie watched.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
The Grey King by Susan Cooper
Julei of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
Out of the Dust
Three anthologies from Perfection Learning, from the Literature & Thought Series (tables of contents linked)
The Best of Friends, The Main Event, and What's So Funny?.
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Erin
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Patty
To be really frank there are books there that are not suitable for a 6th grader at all. It is rather an older list (concepts) overall.
To Kill a Mockingbird for example is very well written. There are lots of issues at play here and not subtle it is the main thrust of the book, an African American is accused of rape and the prejuidice of the whole town is exposed. The book is written from the eyes of a young girl whose father is the lawyer of the accused.
Julie of the Wolves is married at a very young age (I think around 12) and her husband (not the brightest man in the village) wants to consummate the marriage so Julie runs away. This is not a subtle part of the book, about 1/3 of the book is focused on her marriage.
John Steinback's books are for an older audience than an 12yr old. Although I'm not familiar with 'The Pearl' but I'd make the assumption based on his other books.
Most of the others I'm not familiar with but I'd advise your friend to pre-read.
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Magnificat
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I have just heard some things about "The Giver".
Another mom I was speaking with said that when her 4th grader was in school, this book was on his list. First, the reading itself was WAYYYYYY over his head, and according to her, the content was without a doubt, not for a 4th grader...or even middle school age (her opinion). She read it with him and said she had to skip over lots of things because it was either too awful, or just too, too much.
After speaking with her, I would just skim it over, or read it myself first...
Just thought I would chime in. Hope it helps.
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missionfamily
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Patty-I have to say I was so relieved when I looked at your post again and saw that the list was not for your homeschool. I was trying to think of a way to say ever-so-gently that I find that list frightening for a sixth grader. There are books in there, as Erin said, with topics of a very sensitive nature, and furthermore, written on an adult reading level.
I don't know much about the series from perfection learning, but I do know that often those anthology texts prepared for school systems contain poetry and prose that is less than stellar and often highlights political and social issues without a Christian perspective.
Overall, I would be very concerned if someone were pushing this list on my child.
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PDyer
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missionfamily wrote:
| Patty-I have to say I was so relieved when I looked at your post again and saw that the list was not for your homeschool. I was trying to think of a way to say ever-so-gently that I find that list frightening for a sixth grader. |
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So do I, and so does my son. This list is for the sixth graders in our local parish school. My sixth grade son read 95% of The Giver before I knew it had been assigned.
I'm trying to locate church documents on education and age-appropriate literature, innocence, etc. Any help would be appreciated. I'm supposed to find out about a meeting date today. This has been a long-standing argument between parents and administrators of this school, and I'm feeling foolish for enrolling him. 
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Patty
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PDyer
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Forgot one:
Homecoming
and a version of Phantom of the Opera, should they get to it by the end of the year.
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Patty
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Magnificat
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Patty~
I just looked back at my post and I wanted to say that I'm sorry for sounding so critical!  It's just that when I saw "The Giver", I thought, "Yikes! I'd better say something!"
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PDyer
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Magnificat wrote:
Patty~
I just looked back at my post and I wanted to say that I'm sorry for sounding so critical! It's just that when I saw "The Giver", I thought, "Yikes! I'd better say something!" |
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I don't think you sounded critical. I want opinions!
Gathering information:
Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality, in the puberty section: "96. In answering children's questions, parents should offer well-reasoned arguments about the great value of chastity and show the intellectual and human weakness of theories that inspire permissive and hedonistic behaviour. They will answer clearly, without giving excessive importance to pathological sexual problems."
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Patty
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guitarnan
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Chiming in...The Giver is scary. It's an excellent book, and fairly simply written, but still...
We read Julie of the Wolves in 7th grade (Catholic school) and I have to say much of the marriage part went totally over my head. Still, I think 6th grade is young for this book.
I doubt sixth grade readers will really get the point of The Pearl. We read The Red Pony (same author) in sixth grade and that pretty much finished my interest in horse books.
We read To Kill a Mockingbird in 8th. I had my son read it last year in 10th. What if some of those 6th-graders haven't had "the talk" with their parents? Are the school teachers supposed to explain all that?
While I don't think parents should necessarily be able to override all teacher decisions, I do think this list is 1) extremely ambitious and 2) contains books many parents will object to.
I've found this to be the case in our local public school system, too - one of the 9th grade lit selections last year was I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Ugh.
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Martha
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hmmm....
All of these books seem to lend themselves to very serious and deep social justice issues? Sometimes scary social issues like abortion, euthanasia, gov't control via force and or indoctrination, and so forth.
Now, YOU know better than I whether your child is mature enough for those discussions better than I do.
I can say the Giver is an excellent book to spark some really in depth discussions on some current social justice issues.
I can also say that I think literature can be a wonderful way to debate and discuss these things and that there does coem an age when parents should do so.
When that age is and what literature is good for it - that is something you would know better than I for your family.
I would NOT let a child of mine just read any of those books on their own. The point of these books when they were written, and good literature in general, is to open dialog and discussion and get people thinking about the world we live in. So even if they read this is high school, I'd have LOTS of discussion about them.
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PDyer
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guitarnan wrote:
| Chiming in...The Giver is scary. It's an excellent book, and fairly simply written, but still... |
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I really object to The Giver and it's already too late. I'm writing to help me form my own thoughts on the subject:
Quote:
| Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality, para 119: It is recommended that respect be given to the right of the child and the young person to be adequately informed by their own parents on moral and sexual questions in a way that complies with his or her desire to be chaste and to be formed in chastity. This right is further qualified by a child's stage of development, his or her capacity to integrate moral truth with sexual information, and by respect for his or her innocence and tranquility. |
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Woman chosen by the state to be baby breeders? Medicating away the awakening of attraction to the opposite sex? Medicating away that drive for the duration of an adult's life, through marriage? The state requiring lethal injections be administered to individuals who don't meet their 'standards'? The state sponsoring assisted suicide?
Respect for innocence? Respect for tranquility?
guitarnan wrote:
We read Julie of the Wolves in 7th grade (Catholic school) and I have to say much of the marriage part went totally over my head. Still, I think 6th grade is young for this book.
I doubt sixth grade readers will really get the point of The Pearl. We read The Red Pony (same author) in sixth grade and that pretty much finished my interest in horse books. |
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I haven't read either of these in years. They'll be next on my list.
guitarnan wrote:
| We read To Kill a Mockingbird in 8th. I had my son read it last year in 10th. What if some of those 6th-graders haven't had "the talk" with their parents? Are the school teachers supposed to explain all that? |
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Precisely. I haven't read this book in years either.
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PDyer
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Martha wrote:
I can say the Giver is an excellent book to spark some really in depth discussions on some current social justice issues.
I can also say that I think literature can be a wonderful way to debate and discuss these things and that there does coem an age when parents should do so. |
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Of course. I would not however choose to open the discussion by requiring a room full of 12-year-olds to read The Giver.
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Patty
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hylabrook1
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I am in total agreement with all those who say many of these works are *too old* for a sixth grader. Just because someone can handle the reading level in terms of the mechanics of reading (vocabulary, etc.) does NOT mean that the content, message, meaning of the works is appropriate for that reader. Also, I think it is sad to have someone read things at the *wrong age* because they believe they've btdt, when they really need to read the book when they are able to receive and consider the material with greater maturity.
Just my (strongly held) opinion, of course. 
Peace,
Nancy
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JodieLyn
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Well I think most of the books have been covered..
I would also be suspicious of The Grey King.. there's some stuff in the Susan Cooper books that I'd want to consider but it's been too long for me to say just what they were.
And I don't care for Anne Frank at all.. but that's just a preference..
And umm it's not a "room full of 12 yr olds" a good number of them are probably still 11 yr olds. 
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nissag
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I'll echo what the gals have already said. A few of these titles are a little mature for a 6th grader. Ones I like:
Crispin (a fave with my kids)
Anne Frank
The Pearl
Pictures of Hollis Woods (a fave of everyone here)
I'm not familiar with a couple of the titles you list and others (esp. The Giver and Mockingbird) are just too mature for this age group, IMO.
Blessings,
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PDyer
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Kolbe's Middle School Reading List
Sigh.
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Patty
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nissag
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On that page, the only one I have a really big issue with is Animal Farm. Are they serious? Who chooses the booklist and why?
Blessings,
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JodieLyn
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well that's confusing.. if you go to their 12th grade stuff they have "A Tale of Two Cities" there.. so why would they have it on the Jr High list?? but they don't have a "high school literature" link either.. Jr High can go up to 9th grade depending on where you are.. the only grades that seem to always be in jr high are 7th and 8th.
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PDyer
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nissag wrote:
| On that page, the only one I have a really big issue with is Animal Farm. Are they serious? Who chooses the booklist and why? |
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Animal Farm is the only one I felt may be a bit questionable too.
The teacher chooses the book list with the administration's apparent approval.
Why? The kids 'need to be prepared for what they will experience in public high school' (no Catholic high around). 'Most parents don't discuss these issues with their kids.' Many references to the 'real world'.
Sigh.
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Proposed reading list - opinions please
