Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy How to prepare for gradeskip?

I think I've finally made up my mind to have DS skip first grade next year. He sealed the deal for me when he had a developmental spurt this week. Suddenly, he can write 100 word stories in one sitting and skip (not at the same time ) These were two areas that were lacking on his last report card.

Anyway, I'm wondering if we need to do anything to prepare DS to skip to 2nd grade. I'm planning to talk to the principal to make sure we have covered everything he'll need for 2nd grade. I'm not sure how/when to explain it to DS... I want to make sure it's a done deal before I tell him but I also want to give him some time to get used to the idea. What do you think?

Cathy

Cathy A,
What a nice spurt! Amazing how it goes sometimes. I'm sorry to say that I've forgotten if you can get subject acceleration, usually that means Math, now, to smooth the transition. Was there some reason that wouldn't float?
Smiles,
Grinity

Thats interesting, I've been wondering for a while if anyone's elses kids here do it in spurts.
My son seems almost always to do his intelectual growing in spurts. He'll be uninterested in any organized learning for a few months, then all the sudden he'll go through 1-4 weeks of just super interest in learning in one or more areas of interest and grow in huge amounts in his learning. Then he usually slows down again and becomes uninterested in organized learning again. It's frustrating to me during the down times ( for example about 5 months ago DS3 was obsessed with Jigsaw puzzles and would put them together by himself for a few hours every day. He got very good, but now won't do any puzzles, unless I 'm there doing most of it for him) But he seems to make up for it in the couple weeks that he is "spurting". Something like a years worth of growth in an area of interest (reading, math etc) in just a couple weeks. I always am a trying to figure out how to keep him from coming down. Wonder how to keep him interested for more that just a short period of time. I"m worried that in the future if i have him tested at a "non spurt" time period the will really under preform. Anymore of you with "spurters" ...or kids with down times where they seem uninterested in organized learning?

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone! It's hard for me to tell if DS would still be in the top 10% if skipped to 2nd but he is an excellent candidate according to the IAS. Does that mean he will probably still be in the top 10%?

Grinity--the school refuses to do subject acceleration due to "scheduling difficulties". That is my main reason for trying for the grade skip. We are currently afterschooling in math, reading and writing. DS is in Singapore 1B right now but he also did EPGY K-2 over the summer. He reads comfortably ~2nd grade level and really just started writing.

He was not writing much at all two weeks ago, but after working with him a few minutes a day he now writes pages and suddenly spells many sight words. He has also started spelling longer words on his own like "ilustrated" and "atmosfear".

I am wondering if his spurt has something to do with a session he had with the vice-principal. Just before Christmas break, I asked her to do a recommendation for him for the YS program. She told me she wanted to sit down with him one-on-one to get a better idea what he's like. I told her that he likes money so she had some money activities for him to do. He impressed the heck out of her by counting change and adding two digit numbers in his head. He also talked her out of $2.05 by telling her that if he had $2.05 he would be "just as rich as my sister." Anyway, she praised him lavishly and gave him certificates saying he was a "super reader" and a "math wizard."

He has been feeling very confident ever since...

Cathy

My DS was a spurter also. I think at his age, there isn't any good in pushing. My guess is that he will test well above average spurt or no spurt. If you relaxedly have a variety of interesting material availible, you have done your job. If you practice believing him when he expresses an interest, that will do the trick. These kids are hard to figure out, but the easiest thing to do is to remember that each human being is special and unique, and that if you expect him to change and to keep needing to be figured out, you'll never be wrong. Best Wishes and Happy New Year,
Grinity