Four nights of the week, part of Cordy’s homework is to read a book for twenty minutes, then fill out a paper that asks her to summarize what she’s read. Two of those nights, it’s a fiction book. The other two nights are non-fiction.
It’s been a lot harder to get Cordy to do the assignment with non-fiction books. She’s far more interested in getting lost in the world of a fiction book than having to face the real world and all of its limitations.
A few days ago, I got the kids off the bus and we started the usual homework routine. I asked Cordy if she brought home a non-fiction book for her homework or if she needed my help to find one in our house. (Despite our overflowing bookshelves, it’s harder than you might think.) She enthusiastically said, “Oh yes, I have a GREAT non-fiction book for tonight. Here, I’ll show you!”
She ran to her backpack and dug through all of the books she insists on keeping in it every day. Then she pulled out a book triumphantly, walked back to where I was sitting, and proudly presented the book to me:
A dictionary?
“Um, Cordy, I don’t think this is what your teacher meant by a non-fiction book…” I tried to explain.
My concerns over her choice of book sent Cordy into a fit of, “I can’t do ANYTHING right! I’m horrible at picking books and this homework is just TOO HARD!”
I calmed her down and tried to explain why her book wasn’t a good choice. “Your book isn’t fiction, but it isn’t really non-fiction, either.”
“Of course it’s non-fiction,” Cordy replied, “It’s a dictionary, and dictionaries only tell you about words that exist!”
At least I didn’t need to worry that she expected a coherent story from the dictionary.
And really, I couldn’t argue with her logic.
So I gave in. I told her she could use it for her non-fiction reading. She does four of these a week, every week. If she loses credit on one worksheet, it won’t be that damaging. Hopefully her teacher will find it amusing, too.
She read through her dictionary for twenty minutes (skipping around a bit) and later that night she completed her worksheet.
I’m especially fond of the main idea:
Perhaps, in the weeks ahead, her class will begin learning more about the select group of books known collectively as reference materials?
You realize this would make her a great lawyer, right? That could be her destiny.
Wow, I’m 100% with Cordy. The dictionary is a great non-fiction book. I’ve dipped into it often for pleasure since way back before the dawn of man. And gee, I turned out to be a writer..