Read storybooks & get more marks, suggests CBSE

Reading storybooks by the likes of Enid Blyton or Agatha Christie may now earn children marks at school.

Students from Class V onwards could soon be rewarded on their reading habits under a Central Board of Secondary Education proposal to use a new evaluation system to encourage children to read storybooks.

India’s largest school board has asked affiliated institutions to include reading habits among parameters to be used in the comprehensive and continuous evaluation (CCE) of students in English, and has even proposed a reading list.

The CCE, already in place till Class VIII and extended no w till Class X, is aimed at reducing a student’s dependence on his performance in term-ending examinations to secure good marks.

Under this evaluation system, a student’s term scores are based on his performance in a series of tests and assignments, measured in two formative assessments, and one semester-ending test.

The CBSE, in its letter to affiliated schools, has proposed that reading habits be tested in one of the formative assessments using discussions, quizzes, dramatised depictions and even an interaction with the author, if possible.

The board has cautioned against asking students to write reports on the books they read — a form of assessment the CBSE feels may bore students.

Students can, however, be asked to critically review a book or its characters, the board has said.

The books should not be taught in class. Instead, a teacher can ask the students of a class to read any book they like by a particular (and common) author or genre.

The books recommended by the CBSE range from old classics to modern-day works of fiction. [..] Read more..

Courtesy: Telegraphindia.com