I simply could not believe that this was a question to an eight year old student. I wrote to the author and here is my email.
Hello Doc,Are you serious that this is an actual worksheet for an 8 year old?This is madness.Please allow me to copy paste this whole article.I will probably be continuing with my blog posts after June 2025.I wish you well as always.Luqman Michel
His reply: Yep...verbatim from the worksheet.
"What is meant by the phrase, "Italy was a quilt of city states?"
"The government was like a blanket covering city-states of Italy."
"The two spaceships, Eagle and Columbia, separate. They orbit in sight of each other one last time. Then the Eagle begins to descend..." (Question: What does the word descend mean?)
--------------------------------------
The above are exact quotes from worksheets a bewildered 8-year old, third grader received. There were various red marks on the page. The child, Chloe, was drowning in red ink.
Chloe had little idea what Italy was. She certainly didn't know what a quilt of city-states meant. She had no clue about Eagle and Columbia, no less the word descend.
As conveyed to the parent from the teacher's perspective, the child had a probable "medical problem" that needed diagnosing (code for "she's ADHD and needs medication.")
From my vantage point, the child was confused, pure and simple.
The concepts and vocabulary were well beyond her. How could she pay attention?
The issue was one of language and understanding not a "medical problem."
Have any comments or questions on this edition? Want to schedule a private, group, or virtual consultation? Reply to this newsletter, or email me any time at shutdownlearner1@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment