A question from a newbie...
My 6yo first grader is having motivation problems in school, e.g. he would rather talk/joke with the other kids than do his work. He's an advanced reader and a fast learner, and he often complains that school work is too easy or that he doesn't like drilling on things he already knows how to do.
His teacher sends home work from time to time that he has not been able to complete in class, and it's really easy for him... when he does it at home, it's completed in a jiffy.
We've talked to her about giving him more challenging work, but she has only suggested giving him extra projects to do at home later in the year. She also seems reluctant about our request to have him tested through the school, which has gone nowhere so far. She's acknowledged that he's "very bright" but I really don't think she has seen just *how* bright... in addition to not being challenged academically in class, he has this thing about not showing off.
A teacher friend recommended that I look at the curriculum for second grade and come up with my own accelerated lesson plans for him, and then approach his teacher with them. She said if I volunteered to do that extra work for my son, I would probably have better luck with the teacher, who would then only have to implement them.
As a preparation for discussing this with the teacher, I copied some of the sample 2nd grade math questions out of the curriculum... I'm just going to leave them lying around the house... DS won't be able to resist doing them, I'm sure.
But I am curious to see how he does on these without any formal instruction or help from me.
What do you think about this? Has anyone done anything like this with their school -- preparing their own advanced lesson plans, that is? I would love to hear from you...
- Virginia
