Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Dd just shared something with me

My daughter had the same teacher for 1st and 2nd, and it wasn't until the end of 2nd that it came out that she hadn't had direct reading instruction since early in 1st grade.

That being said, I take these reports from young kids with caution. My kids, at least, have a limited sense of the different possible forms of their instruction. DS also reported not meeting with his reading group this year more than 3-4 times. However, the teacher was doing much more individualized teaching with him, where she was giving DS particular books to read during silent reading time, then having a conversation with him about it during free work time. He was getting just the reading instruction he needed, but it didn't look to him like reading instruction.

If DD's previous experience in this class was any indication, drawing pie charts and bar graphs.

She brought home another she'd done in class yesterday, only the second day of the new school year, and I died a little inside.

Good point, geofizz. I do think that matters.

Again, this is why others have trouble understanding that no, DD really doesn't get any instruction in some subjects. I know because I see what she does for school (full-time) as part of the model.

To me, once you can read, you can read -- as long as they give you some decent books to read, I wouldn't worry about "instruction". My first grade teacher knew I could read, and she got books from the other classes for me, and while I remember being in the highest reading group, I can't recall anything that we might have done there. It would have bothered me (and my mother) if they had insisted that I read Dick and Jane. It never bothered me to do worksheets of any sort, though some probably should have, and it never bothered me to be the one who read to the class.

True, I'm only guessing here but based on the fact that the teacher flat out refused to differentiate in math I'm not really surprised. I just had no idea it was the same lack of differentiation for reading.

The teacher has only been teaching in the classroom for a few years. Prior to this she was a reading recovery teacher so reading is her specialty, her love, her passion... etc... I had high hopes at the beginning of the school year that she would take my dd's current (at that time) reading ability and stretch her. I realize that my dd can read but there is more to reading than just reading the text, imo. There were things she could have improved upon or worked on instead of memorizing fact families.

And I did ask dd if she was certain that her reading group got less time with the teacher and she was pretty sure about it. They did reading groups in kindergarten and she said it wasn't like that where they rotated each time.

mountainmom,

I feel sorry about your situation but You can't just blame it on the teacher only. It's the system and NCLB Act. Unless the politicians change the requirements, the educators will concentrate and spend manpower and resources on students who are behind.

That's why we need to make sure TALENT act is made into law.

http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=7804

May be you can talk to principal about differentiation. AR (accelerated reader) program from renaissance learning is used by many schools. The students read any (most of the books are on their lists) books they want and answer questions to earn AR points. They have small chapter book (like magic tree house) to college level books on their list. That program help kids with their comprehension.

http://www.renlearn.com/ar/

When my DD was in 2nd grade, she would read whatever she was assigned and she would read her HP books. She probably got the highest AR points too because HP books are assigned pretty high AR points.

Life is like a poker game. You can wish for the best cards possible but in reality, you have to play with what you are dealt. I gave up on my DD's old school and move to a better school with structured gifted program. But looks like she is growing out of it and I need to start advocating again.

I like analogies, my variant of "Life is like a poker game"... Success isn't measured one hand at a time but through an accumulation of hands. A winning player maximizes winnings on good hands and minimizes losses on bad ones.

AR was pretty important for DS, but not really all that instructional.

Slightly off-topic, this, but--


what in the name of all that is holy is a "fact family??"

(Has my education been horrifically deficient? Was I not adequately educated as a reader??)

1+2=3, and ALSO 3-1=2 and 3-2=1. Sometimes 2+1=3 is also explicitly included. Multiplication/division families also exist, of course.

This is intended to strengthen the connection between addition and subtraction for those who don't just see it. I apparently comprehend backwards, since it is beyond obvious to me and always has been, and just look confused at them when they offer this to my daughters as an example of their new, deep approach to mathematical concepts.

Assuming this is math reference, it is a group of numbers like 5, 8 and 3 that relate to each other 5+3=8, 3+5=8, 8-5=3, 8-3=5. It is basically teaching the students the commutative law without teaching it to them.

I was surprised to find them emphasizing the number families in math this last year, they were supposed to memorize all the different families... Isn't it easier to learn basic addition and subtraction? I guess I am getting old, I am starting to sound like my parents ;-)