The Rights of Students Book

Brief Plot Summary:

Davey wants more than anything to win the Roman Prize at the Roman feast that his class are having this term, but there are several problems he has to overcome before he does so. First, his next door neighbour Molly. Turning up every day at his door patronizingly asking him whether he has his lunch box and whether he has handed in the permission slip for the trip to the Roman fort, Molly is always there. Davey can’t get away from her, and feels like he is constantly being shown up on purpose by her. The second problem he has to face is the fact he has to make something in order to win the Roman Prize. He has to make something original. This proves to be difficult especially when Molly is always around stealing his ideas, and then taking them to class before him so she looks better. With his Dad away in India and his Mum busy looking after the twins, Davey has no one to turn to but himself. After several attempts at the Roman Prize, Davey finally manages to put something together without Molly interfering or catching on what he is making. In the end his Dad returns from India, and helps him get his project to school without the prying eyes of Molly. Despite Molly’s protests, Davey’s class declare him the winner of the Roman Prize with the dummy Roman he made called ‘Julius Sneezer’. Instead of ignoring Molly and letting the rest of the class turn on her, Davey tells everyone that he ‘“couldn’t have done it without you, Molly”’. By then giving her a biscuit that his Dad made for the occasion as well, he demonstrates just how kind and forgiving he is as a person.

Why I do, or don’t like the book:

I found this book an interesting read, as it incorporated comedy, history and real life situations. About a boy and his class project ,this book brought home real life issues that children face in relation to travelling parents who have to go away on business trips and leave their family’s behind, Mum’s having to cope with the house whilst Dad is away on business, friendships and unhealthy competition. The range of subjects which it addresses appealed to me and made me think that this would be an extremely appropriate book to use in the classroom, particularly in the years the Romans are studied.

Outline appropriate age range:

This book would be most beneficial to children aged between 7 – 10 years.

Say how it can be used in the classroom:

As this book involves a range of subject matters, a lot of material can be drawn from it when teaching. Literacy, PSHE and history are all lessons in which this book can be used in association. Here are some examples of how this book can be used in these various lessons:
- In literacy lessons this book can be used to inspire creative writing, and to inform children about the structure of stories (the use of speech marks in particular). The story could be used to motivate children to think about what they would make for the Roman prize if they were apart of Davey’s class. They could then write an account, or instructions about what and how they would make their prize. The story could also be employed in persuasive writing lessons: the children have to write a letter to their head teacher in order to persuade her to let them go on a school trip to a Roman fort.
- The several illustrations in this book make it easy to follow, and therefore could be used as a tool when children are trying to construct their own story. With the use of some illustrations it could make it easier for them to describe what, when and how things are happening in their own stories.
- This book can also be used in guided reading for knowledge retrieval skills, or could be employed in comprehension tasks. The comicality and short simple structure of this book lends to it an interest that I feel will engage children and would therefore be a useful resource when reading as a group during guided reading time.
- As Davey’s family have a long distance relationship in the book, and he has friendship problems with Molly, this book can be used in PSHE when discussing family units, how family’s are all different, how friendships are different, sharing and being kind to one another is important, competition amongst one another is wrong when it makes other people upset, helping others out is essential.
- Underlying the friendship and family issues Davey has to face, is the historical topic of the Romans. Even though there are some incorrect facts and figures used in the book, this makes it all the more appropriate for usage in the classroom. What Davey gets wrong can be explained and corrected. The time line he creates, the catapult he makes and his description of the class trip to the Roman fort are all things that can be discussed and then attributed to a history lesson about the Romans. Does Davey call his Roman an appropriate name? Is it connected to anyone famous in history, or is it made up? These questions once answered can then lead onto an activity where the children research and make a profile of the famous Julius Caesar. The extensive research Davey conducts so that he can make his timeline as accurate as possible can be used as an example of how research is essential when wanting to find out about history.