We have a parent-teacher conference next week regarding DD5 in first grade. As I've detailed in another thread, the teacher seems to be trying to accommodate DD as best she can within the system.
However, the only things being done so far are in Reading. DD has 5th grade level reading homework. She also works individually with a para-pro (not sure how often, maybe several days a week) where she reads aloud from a chapter book and the para-pro asks questions to see if DD understands what she's reading. So far they've only read "Magic Tree House" books, which are fairly easy for DD, so I'm not sure how much benefit this is. I've talked to the para-pro directly and it sounds like she's not really sure what to do with DD. She said DD's comprehension is fabulous, and that if I think they should be working with harder books, to let her know.
The teacher mentioned that DD took one Accelerated Reader test so far, and she wants to have her do more with AR.
She also said she wants to get DD started on Accelerated Math but that hasn't happened yet. Note that all of this is "extra" stuff, when time allows, in addition to having DD do the regular 1st grade curriculum.
My question is this: since reading is already such a strong area for DD, and we do a ton of reading at home should I be asking for her to do something different during her time with the para-pro? If so, what?
I'm thinking Math or Writing might be good. I do not have a good idea of her exact Math capabilities right now; I'm guessing around 2nd grade level. As for writing, she writes like the typical first grader. I'm thinking it might be good for her to have more practice (both for the handwriting/fine motor aspect and the composition/grammar skills) in case we want to ask for further acceleration down the road. I don't want "poor writing skills" to be used as a reason not to accelerate her, as it was in the past.
Any suggestions? If we had to pick one, Math or Writing, for her to do during her time with the para-pro, which is better?
