Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Big ideas= Easy, Details=Lost

Correct spelling, correct punctuation, and simple computation are skills that are improved by practice and repetition. Since she's only in K, I wouldn't worry.

On a side note, I'm really disappointed with the way they have kids writing these days before they've mastered the basics, since they're basically inviting the children to practice doing it the wrong way. There was no such thing as "inventive spelling" when I was a kid... you spelled it right, or you got marked down. And this is why you did simple sentences until you had enough of a spelling vocabulary and grammar background to write more.

Hi Dude,

While I admit that is can be frustrating for me to read stories with misspelled words, I understand the theory behind inventive spelling. First, it helps to liberate the child to express him or herself without being bogged down by the mechanics. This way, he or she focuses on the true purpose of writing: communication and expression! The other useful aspect of inventive spelling is that children use their knowledge of letter sounds to work out words which can solidify their phonemic awareness etc. I know all this, but I guess I think my child is ready to move beyond this stage, and was wondering if other kids showed a gap between reading skills and spelling / punctuation skills. She knows all the rules, but forgets them in the "heat" of writing a story. She can spell words that are easily sounded out like "acrobat" or ones that follow rules she already knows,and all the basic words, but she sometimes makes surprising errors because she is rushing through her story. I know substance is more important than mechanics, and that there will be plenty of time to master the details, but I do think she is ready to move to the next step and I do worry about her patterns of kipping the small stuff. Some kids learn grammar and spelling almost by osmosis just like they learn to read simply by being read to, but it does seem that spelling often takes more work for reading even among kids who are very verbally gifted. Maybe I think there is more of an issue than there is because she learned to read by two with no formal lessons and so I expect her spelling mastery to be as effortless.

My DS8 taught himself to read at a very early age. His reading and comprehension scores are incredibly high, and have been since he was first tested. His spelling, not so much. At his current school for HG kids, the spelling is incredibly challenging. That was the first time we had to try to teach study habits, so we were happy to find a challenge. (And I had to learn how to help him learn spelling too, since spelling always came easily to me - I can look at a word once and remember how to spell it.)

Grammar is also not as high for DS8, but I'm not exactly sure what he's learning in school. He just finished 3rd. Not something we've ever taught at home. He's always gotten good grades in everything anyway, so I'm not worried about it. If it was getting in his way somehow, I might change my tune.

It all sounds perfectly normal, particularly for a bright kid. I have rising 4th graders and one of them still has problems with correct spelling and grammar usage. It really only became as issue for DS in third grade. In his case, he wasn't taking the time to revise/edit. Also keep in mind that it is not uncommon even for excellent spellers to spell incorrectly in the context of writing an extended complex response.

My teenage D never truly mastered all of her math facts in lower or middle school... but is taking an online statistics course for fun this summer, and is very excited about AP Calculus for this fall ("I love derivatives!", she announced the other day). Honestly, I think kids who have some weakness in math facts (or slow math processing speed) never really get them nailed these days because of the use of the calculator. They have a lot less repetition than we had 30 years ago. My D is headed for engineering camp this summer, too. I noticed this last year that she was finally pretty much on top of multiplication facts when we were working on SAT prep, so somewhere along the way she has gained ground on them during high school. I honestly would not sweat it too much.

thanks everyone. I've noticed that her spelling and math facts have improved lately. Perhaps I was just expecting too much too soon.