Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2007 23:01:48 GMT -5
What I found interesting is the fact that, arguably, Nancy Drew may be a little more advanced, reading level-wise than Mr. Popper's Penguins...
Or maybe its just been too long since I've leafed through one of those books...
It just blows my mind that quite possibly Claudia may only be at a third grade reading level...thats a little absurd, and speaks to problems way beyond laziness.
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ktag
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Post by ktag on Jan 23, 2007 23:57:27 GMT -5
Well, Claudia does bond with 9 year old Corrie Addison because they both love Nancy Drew. Do you think Claudia could be tricked into reading other books if all the names were changed to "Nancy Drew"?
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Post by booboobrewer on Jan 24, 2007 18:20:00 GMT -5
I think that was just Dawn being b*tchy Anytime Dawn says something bitchy in a book, I think of her saying it with the same face she has on the cover of Dawn's Big Date.
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Post by baseballchica03 on Jan 24, 2007 18:26:20 GMT -5
I just finished up Claudia's Freind Friend. I don't think I read it the first time around when I was a kid. I was horrified that she, the babysitter, was getting help with her homework from Shea! I'm glad it helped him with his self-confidence, but seriously, what a mess. I can't believe they decided to make her not have a learning disability. It doesn't make any sense at all.
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Post by hitzpink on Jan 24, 2007 20:18:39 GMT -5
What I found interesting is the fact that, arguably, Nancy Drew may be a little more advanced, reading level-wise than Mr. Popper's Penguins... Yeah, that's what I was getting at. It's not that the Nancy Drews are difficult books to read, but they're at least more difficult than Mr. Popper's Penguins. So if she can't make it through MPP, what is supposed to make me believe she is regularly reading Nancy Drew against her parents' wishes? It's been awhile since I read that book, but you have to wonder what it was doing to HER self-confidence! Did she actually need the help from him, or was she just pretending to make him feel better? Because if I was 13 and needed homework help from a 9 year old, I would be depressed!
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Post by baseballchica03 on Jan 24, 2007 21:52:46 GMT -5
It started off kind of sweet. "You know, I needed to go to the resource room for a while there, too. I work really hard but feel stupid. And I'm good at art, just like you're good at sports, but stuff like spelling is really hard!" Then it took a turn for the absurd.
She actually needed his help. She couldn't even spell the words on his list and needed it in front of her when she was helping him study. And then he told her that "e almost always comes before a" in words like peace. And he taught her "i before e, except after c." At the end, she showed him her grade on the test she was studying for and how she got a nearly perfect score on the spelling section, and thanked him so much for all of his help. He even read off vocab words for her to spell. It was crazy. I like to think that he was learning something while playing teacher, but I can't imagine how stupid Claudia must have felt needing help from a kid.
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jen
Sitting For The Johanssens
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Post by jen on Jan 25, 2007 2:02:49 GMT -5
He was testing her and helping her! Like how to spell "peach". She tried using two "e"s, and then Shea told her to think of other words that sound like peach. Did she actually teach Shea anything? Or was she just there to make sure he did his homework? And make him feel smart? Because Shea was good with numbers, and he could spell, he just couldn't write things down properly. Whereas Claudia couldn't do *anything*.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2007 9:12:15 GMT -5
I think it's more that Claudia WOULDN'T do anything. I remember when I did Art in school, something like 30% of the subject was Art History, which involved essay writing. Has Claudia ever mentioned Art History, or at least an appreciation of it? Do they touch on it as part of the subject in US schools?
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Post by hitzpink on Jan 25, 2007 19:26:41 GMT -5
I think it's more that Claudia WOULDN'T do anything. Noooo, don't tell me you buy into the "Claudia's really smart, she's just lazy" thing! I can't believe Shea had to help her that much! I can't believe I don't remember that from the book - Claudia's dumbness really bugs me so you'd think that would have stuck out at me. If he was just holding up flashcards for her or reading off a list of words for her to spell back to him, that would be one thing. But to actually have to teach her things? No way. And Claudia didn't know the "i before e, except after c" thing? Geesh. Did she not attend elementary school?
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ktag
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Post by ktag on Jan 25, 2007 22:34:10 GMT -5
I remember that from Talespin when Kit taught Baloo how to spell. Umm, anyway...
Would it be mean for me to think Claudia's lazy, dumb and has a learning disorder? With how inconsistent the books are, any and all of the above could probably apply.
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lilafowler
Sitting For The Johanssens
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Post by lilafowler on Jan 27, 2007 19:27:12 GMT -5
^Talespin!!! I used to insist to my mother that Baloo was in Talespin first and then The Jungle Book. I also thought crepes Suzette were named after Cape Suzette.
Topic? Got nothing.
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Post by liss31d on Jan 28, 2007 3:47:19 GMT -5
I can't believe they wouldn't admit she had a learning disorder. As Ashley Wreyth said, her spelling was "atrocious" and even the kids they sat for could spell better than her.
Although it's ridiculous in Claudia's Portrait when her parents send her to that school that specialises in creative learning, which sounds great for someone like Claudia and she instantly hates it on site just to be contrary. What kind of a kid, especially one as seemingly outgoing as Claudia, goes into a severe depression about changing schools? I changed schools when I was a kid, and the first time was to a different continent! But I didn't go into a major depression about it, I got on with it and eventually adapted, 'cause that's what kids generally do. It was her own fault she went into depression as she didn't even try to like the school or make friends.
Regarding her starting to 'dislike' art, I bet it was just her way of attention seeking to be honest. I think the school seemed really good for her if she'd tried to adapt and make friends. Shouldn't she have been happy at least that she'd get to do art much more in school and focus on arty subjects and methods as opposed to looking like an idiot at Stoneybrook Elementary? I think she would have had less trouble with school if she had tried to fit in and stayed there at least for primary school.
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wanderingfrog
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Post by wanderingfrog on Jan 28, 2007 12:35:24 GMT -5
Off-topic: I like TaleSpin, but I am more of a DuckTales girl. (I guess this means I'm probably a few years older than ktag and lilafowler. I even have the two DuckTales DVD sets that have been released so far.
On-topic: Claudia so has an LD. And is usually lazy, too.
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ktag
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Post by ktag on Jan 28, 2007 18:13:27 GMT -5
Oh, believe me, wanderingfrog, I have Ducktales on dvd too. And Rescue Rangers, which was my favorite. But to keep it on topic...umm...Dale and Launchpad weren't the sharpest tools in the shed either...
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Post by supernatural babe on Jan 31, 2007 7:10:39 GMT -5
I think it's more of inconsistency than anything! Isn't this the lass whose average grade is C- AS THAT is only how she can stay in the BSC? I wouldn't call her dumb per se (as I don't believe it to be true)but I would say she has some sort disorder/problem...that level of laziness/lack of attention/forgetfulness isn't normal is it? She does sometimes seem to up her game when she needs to pass a test! (bar when she got sent back) Her problems seem to lack realism! Maybe lazy writing on the authors part...dunno!!
Or maybe she secretly knows that stoneybrook is stuck in some timewarp and stopped bothering to try and gave up hope.
Also wasnt it mentioned that Claudia reads other books- Kristy said Claudia read some of the books she was told to read by her parents and liked some of them...but ND was her favourite books. And she mentions reading one of John Brookes books in Stacey- match maker!
Speaking of Nancy Drew- I've looked through this book...I refuse to buy the fact that this is targeted at 8/9 year olds- surely it's too hard for them to read?
But then I'm speaking as someone who has had to look in the dictionary when reading H.Potter and apparently thats targeted at 10 yr olds.
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