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No Talking
Price:$8.30
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Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing |
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Product Description
"You have the right to remain silent." However...The fifth-grade girls and the fifth-grade boys at Laketon Elementary don't get along very well. But the real problem is that these kids are loud and disorderly. That's why the principal uses her red plastic bullhorn. A lot. Then one day Dave Packer, a certified loudmouth, bumps into an idea -- a big one that makes him try to keep quiet for a whole day. But what does Dave hear during lunch? A girl, Lynsey Burgess, jabbering away. So Dave breaks his silence and lobs an insult. And those words spark a contest: Which team can say the fewest words during two whole days? And it's the boys against the girls. How do the teachers react to the silence? What happens when the principal feels she's losing control? And will Dave and Lynsey plunge the whole school into chaos? This funny and surprising book is about language and thought, about words unspoken, words spoken in anger, and especially about the power of words spoken in kindness...with or without a bullhorn. It's Andrew Clements at his best -- thought-provoking, true-to-life, and very entertaining. |
Customers Reviews
2008-11-12
fun contest between boys and girls
My 11 year old son loved reading this book. This is the story of a boy and girl who decide to challenge each other by not talking for a couple of days. They also get the rest of fifth graders in the same contest.
It is interesting to see the abilities they develop to communicate without talking. It is a great lesson for a child, and it also changes their perception of the stereotype of girls and boys.
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2008-11-06
One of the Best!
This one definitely falls in the ranks of Frindle, The School Story, and The Landry News. It goes back to the charming school story, of two kids who make a difference in their entire school, rebelling against the authority figures. Two kids, just playing a simple little game, but in the process, revealing so much about life itself. I love the way the message is sent. Silence may not be the best solution, but on occasion, if taken the right way, it will work. The adults learn lessons from the ingenious kids, like the classic Clements works before this. I feel like the characters (other than the teachers) were really not given much characterization, though. Not much is known about their home lives, their interests, their personalities (other than the feistiness living in them all).
Random points I would like to make. It was slightly weird seeing them in a K-5 school, as the last book of his I read, 'Lost and Found', was set in a K-6 school, which I found odd. The three word story was pretty awesome, although it's more commonly seen as a forum game than a classroom activity, it worked out as a pretty awesome teaching tool. And, again, three word debating, that had me laughing very hard. All the ingenious ways the kids came up with to communicate and have fun, it's all classic Clements again :)
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2008-10-08
This could generate some really interesting discussion!
I thought this was just a really interesting book. It generated some great discussions in our family and I am looking forward to reading it to my students. There are so many interesting topics within this book. I would highly recommend it!
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2008-09-20
No Talking
It's often difficult to get my son, who just started fourth grade, to read. However, he really liked No Talking and I never had to battle with him to read while he was reading this book. He really enjoyed it and picked it up every night and never gave me a problem. It was our first Andrew Clements book and we'll now try other.
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2008-09-07
My 5th grader loved this book
Last weekend I ordered my daughter away from the TV and requested she pick a selection from a bag of library [paper] books and audio books we had borrowed a few days earlier. She started listening to 'No Talking' and didn't come out of her room for hours. I had to check on her several times because I never figured she would listen to the ENTIRE book in one sitting. She LOVED the book, and the narrator as well. So, although I didn't hear it firsthand she did give me a little synopsis of the book and it was an afternoon well spent!
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What Everybody Should Know About Secondary Education Problems Public poll, held in 2005 showed that 85% Americans consider educational problem the most important and current one.
The inquiries disclosed that more educated people live in the capital of the country if take in account the whole population. Among the most “smart’ states is also Massachusetts and Colorado and the most illiterate people live in West Virginia and Arkansas. As a rule the income of the person directly depends on his education quality.
Major Problems in Public Education
Unfortunately the quality of secondary education still leaves much to be desired. Only in 20 of the 50 US states pupils are obliged to take special examinations to receive a degree. 20 years ago all Americans got high school degrees without such exams. Year–by-year the number of the states which implement final examinations is increasing. According to Center for Education Policy estimations many upperclassmen can not pass the examinations. About 70% can not pass their maths exam and about 40% - their English.
No other country but America spends such money (either state or personal) on education. Still according to the Organization for the Economic and Development report such expenses do not influence the quality of education itself for Americans pupils fall behind their foreign peers. Moreover for some indexes Americans loose in comparison with Europeans.
In 2000 The USA government spent more that $10.2 thousand on every petty. In other developing countries this sum does not exceed $6 thousands. The USA has become the second “generous” country to spend about 7% of GDP on public education financing. Since Bush became President the expenses on educational development and improvement has considerably grown. But they did not bring about any positive impact for pupils succeeding.
One of the greatest problems in American schools and educational establishments is the high violence level. Since 1996 there were at least 27 incidents connected with heaters usage in which about 46 students and teachers died. National Center for Education Statistics has shown that in 2001 teens of 12-18 have become victims of about 2 million crimes in USA schools. 62% of all the crimes comprise robberies. From July 1999 to June 2000 there were 24 murders and 8 suicide cases. Somehow 71% of all the American public schools faced any kinds of crimes.
The most efficient practice to fight against violence, alcohol and drugs addiction seems to be summary punishments. In each state special programs of troublesome teens reclamation exist. For example in Georgia in detention centers studies are held in small groups by specially trained teachers. These pupils are taught to study in strict discipline and under the poorest conditions, intensive physical trainings are also included. |
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