http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/mar/2...ildren-laureate

 

I actually agree with a Tory!!!! WOAHHHHHHH!!!! Stop the presses.... Kids should be reading more. Definitely.. Can't see anything wrong with this... You know, kids, down at the Libraries.... Reading........

 

 

 

.....Oh, hang on, Libraries, errrrrrrrr..... :mellow:

50 per year is probably a bit ambitious for some children but, in general, he's right. I'm sure I read a lot more than 50 books per year when I was 11 but that put me in a minority, particularly among boys.

 

Of course, a lot of families would struggle to afford to buy 50 books per year which makes it even more essential to keep libraries open.

What an absolute prat! How he can have the gall to say that kids should be reading 50 books a year when not only have library budgets been cut but also bookstart (which encourages reading) has been cut. How the hell this idiot is in charge of education is beyond me.

 

I have one more thing to say....VOTE THE bast*rdS OUT

I don't think he'll be a member of the cabinet much long after coming out in favour of something that will help educate the poorer and less well off in the UK.

 

But major kudos for the guy for coming out with an idea i can fully support. I fully support actions to increase reading. I read so much as a child and I do what I can now as an adult. 50 might be a bit much though, perhaps encouraging 2 books per month outside of school and maybe a book a week over the summer and other holiday periods.

 

I would like to see this actioned with some form of incentive scheme perhaps. Maybe make reading a book per week [or fornight] and writing a report on it an examinable section of the GCSE/Standard Grade. I have no idea how the GCSE grade is formed, but the Standard Grade is formed of a Talking, Reading, Listening and Writing element, so perhaps adding a 5th and giving it the same double weighting as the Read/Write section will be a good incentive. Making it far easier to gain an overall grade 1 for English as employers are increasingly demanding credit grades in English and Maths.

Oh, and naturally I find this more than a little ironic after the budget for Library's has been obliterated.

 

I am praying that the Library's budget up north is a devolved matter as the SNP [quite rightly] are refusing to force through brutal cuts.

I read alot as a child anyway, maybe not 50 a year, that's alot, but i always took advantage of the library, where as new generations of kids won't be able to do so, so probaly wont read as much as I did.

I don't think libraries are necessarily the be all and end all when it comes to kids reading books.

 

With things like Kindle you can get hundreds of books from the Kindle store that are classics and for absolutely free for download.

 

Not every child has a Kindle of course but if they bought 2 less XBox or PS3 games a year they would be able to get one so it is a question of prioritising.

 

Plus a lot of books can be bought for next to nothing in charity shops too.

 

Libraries being cut should only be an excuse for the absolute poorest of children.

I do find it ironic that he's advocating this when libraries are being closed but in fairness, Gove isn't in charge of that and this is a good idea in principle. I used to read a lot up to the age of about 14/15, maybe not 50 books a year but certainly not far off.

I do find it ironic that he's advocating this when libraries are being closed but in fairness, Gove isn't in charge of that and this is a good idea in principle.

 

The library closures may not be down to him per se, but it hardly shows evidence of joined-up government does it... Libraries also do a lot more than just dispense books, they are a vital part of a local community, just getting rid of loads of them for stupid, ideological reasons is little better than cultural vandalism... Again, it's what you value as a society..

 

Oh, but of course the Tories don't believe in Society do they? ( and, no, I'm not buying into this "Big Society" fantasy of Cameron's, it's really just a sound-bite and means jack-all in reality because the Tories are busy nobbling the voluntary orgs who could deliver this with f**king cuts..), And they don't know the value of anything...

 

I'm with Grebo - get rid of the bast*rds....

 

How important is it that kids read loads of books in their free time ?

 

Far more important to me is kids developing social skills and social interaction as opposed to just sitting alone on a bed reading Shakespeare.

 

Facebook/internet/PS3 has created a generation who live on virtual interaction as opposed to social interaction and reading books will not help kids social skills.

How important is it that kids read loads of books in their free time ?

 

Far more important to me is kids developing social skills and social interaction as opposed to just sitting alone on a bed reading Shakespeare.

 

Facebook/internet/PS3 has created a generation who live on virtual interaction as opposed to social interaction and reading books will not help kids social skills.

 

I think it could? Kids aren't going out much anyway, they're not going to sacrifice any more of their socialising time to read so they'll do it when they have the time.

The library closures may not be down to him per se, but it hardly shows evidence of joined-up government does it... Libraries also do a lot more than just dispense books, they are a vital part of a local community, just getting rid of loads of them for stupid, ideological reasons is little better than cultural vandalism... Again, it's what you value as a society..

 

Oh, but of course the Tories don't believe in Society do they? ( and, no, I'm not buying into this "Big Society" fantasy of Cameron's, it's really just a sound-bite and means jack-all in reality because the Tories are busy nobbling the voluntary orgs who could deliver this with f**king cuts..), And they don't know the value of anything...

 

I'm with Grebo - get rid of the bast*rds....

 

Oh I agree - don't think I was saying I like the man, his party or their politics :lol: he's mildly less incompetent than Lansley but then again so is a hamster with no legs.

How important is it that kids read loads of books in their free time ?

 

Far more important to me is kids developing social skills and social interaction as opposed to just sitting alone on a bed reading Shakespeare.

 

Facebook/internet/PS3 has created a generation who live on virtual interaction as opposed to social interaction and reading books will not help kids social skills.

When you know the exact standard of kids' literacy skills then you will know how important reading widely and deeply is.

And it's not just about reading Shakespeare. (How simplistic is that?) It's about developing thinking, general knowledge, emotional intelligence and so much more.

 

And what is that bull$h!t about using a Kindle. The only free books tend to be classics and other stuff that is out of copyright. Hardly kid-friendly is it?

As someone on the Guardian Page wrote, it should be about reading as widely as possible from comics to poetry and libraries encourage taking chances because they are FREE!

When I was 12/13 I was reading everything from Batman/Spider-man to Lord of the Rings to George Orwell to Charlotte Bronte to Tom Sharpe to books on Art History.

 

Libraries are absolutely free and are so important in encouraging kids to read. They have been running schemes to encourage kids to read more for years.

When you know the exact standard of kids' literacy skills then you will know how important reading widely and deeply is.

And it's not just about reading Shakespeare. (How simplistic is that?) It's about developing thinking, general knowledge, emotional intelligence and so much more.

 

And what is that bull$h!t about using a Kindle. The only free books tend to be classics and other stuff that is out of copyright. Hardly kid-friendly is it?

As someone on the Guardian Page wrote, it should be about reading as widely as possible from comics to poetry and libraries encourage taking chances because they are FREE!

When I was 12/13 I was reading everything from Batman/Spider-man to Lord of the Rings to George Orwell to Charlotte Bronte to Tom Sharpe to books on Art History.

 

Libraries are absolutely free and are so important in encouraging kids to read. They have been running schemes to encourage kids to read more for years.

 

Some people are natural readers and some aren't. My brother for example always read (not that there was much else to do indoors in our day) whereas from a young age I preferred tinkering with motorbikes and the only books I ever bothered reading were related to motorbikes. Unlike my brother I simply ws not a natural reader.

 

Gove means well but I simply don't believe that someone who is not a natural reader is going to read no matter what the availability of books or their cost is, I did my homework and I revised but the thought of reading books turned my stomach.

How important is it that kids read loads of books in their free time ?

 

Far more important to me is kids developing social skills and social interaction as opposed to just sitting alone on a bed reading Shakespeare.

 

Facebook/internet/PS3 has created a generation who live on virtual interaction as opposed to social interaction and reading books will not help kids social skills.

Yes, you are quite correct if we want the next generation to spk in txt tlk all the time.

 

Not to mention all that can be learned from literature. Plus the fact that reading is a pretty vital skill later in school and especially at uni.

 

 

I developed the ability to read quickly and to Skim read. Both have proved vital at Uni.

Yes, you are quite correct if we want the next generation to spk in txt tlk all the time.

 

Not to mention all that can be learned from literature. Plus the fact that reading is a pretty vital skill later in school and especially at uni.

I developed the ability to read quickly and to Skim read. Both have proved vital at Uni.

 

Those that have an interest in reading will read anyway but how are those that don't like reading books going to be encouraged to start reading books in their spare time ?

 

You can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

 

Those that have an interest in reading probably read 50 books a year but those that don't have an interest in reading books will not just start because Gove says they should.

Those that have an interest in reading will read anyway but how are those that don't like reading books going to be encouraged to start reading books in their spare time ?

 

You can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

 

Those that have an interest in reading probably read 50 books a year but those that don't have an interest in reading books will not just start because Gove says they should.

People will read if there are books that interest them. The Harry Potter books are an obvious example. A lot of children started reading them because their friends talked about them. Some of those children will have got a lot of enjoyment from a book for the first time and will have gone on to read other books for pleasure.

 

If you want to encourage children to read, you don't present them with Shakespeare. You allow them to choose what to read.

Regardless of what you think of him/his party, it's absolutely true that kids should be encouraged to read.

 

I know plenty of people who haven't read fifty (or even twenty) books in their life, let alone in a year - and that includes adults with university educations (if you only count reading for pleasure).

 

Reading is so important - for a start it helps with spelling and grammar, which are often poorly taught in school (I know from personal experience), and both of which many many people are, quite frankly, crap at (there/their/they're being one irritating example amongst many).

 

I think it's a lot to do with culture though. For a lot of there isn't a great desire to read books. Reading used to be seen as a way to improve yourself and your mind, for all classes - for example, poor, working-class miners would usually have a library in their miners' institutes. Of course literacy and class don't necessarily go hand in hand - there are plenty of thick rich people and intelligent poor people, etc, etc, and there have always been people hostile to reading and learning, as there are now.

 

It seems to me though that there is a lot of hostility towards reading books for pleasure, far more so than there is for learning/education. I don't know. It would just be nice to see more kids - and indeed more adults - reading more books.

As utterly dire as they are and the films are too $h!t to even begin to describe, the Twilight novels are clearly this generations Harry Potter.

 

 

It's a shame Stormbreaker was the only Alex Ryder film made, as those novels were brilliant! I enjoyed them as a kid.

 

 

And RE: Harry Potter, being from that generation, i remember when the fifth, sixth and final books all came out :wub: The next month at school would be spend discussing them and how quick you read through it.

Regardless of what you think of him/his party, it's absolutely true that kids should be encouraged to read.

 

I know plenty of people who haven't read fifty (or even twenty) books in their life, let alone in a year - and that includes adults with university educations (if you only count reading for pleasure).

 

Reading is so important - for a start it helps with spelling and grammar, which are often poorly taught in school (I know from personal experience), and both of which many many people are, quite frankly, crap at (there/their/they're being one irritating example amongst many).

 

I think it's a lot to do with culture though. For a lot of there isn't a great desire to read books. Reading used to be seen as a way to improve yourself and your mind, for all classes - for example, poor, working-class miners would usually have a library in their miners' institutes. Of course literacy and class don't necessarily go hand in hand - there are plenty of thick rich people and intelligent poor people, etc, etc, and there have always been people hostile to reading and learning, as there are now.

 

It seems to me though that there is a lot of hostility towards reading books for pleasure, far more so than there is for learning/education. I don't know. It would just be nice to see more kids - and indeed more adults - reading more books.

There's a lot of hostility towards people considered to be "intellectuals" and people who read books are often considered to be intellectuals. I've never understood why a desire to learn should be anything other than a good thing.

 

You're right about spelling and grammar. I've always been good at spelling and I'm sure that's partly due to the number of books I read as a child.