Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy grade skip preparation

I'm curious how those of you've who've skipped your kid a grade prepared the child for the skip and how you handle the knowledge gaps. Mite will probably be skipping 4th grade and heading into 5th next year. We are hearing lots of agreement on that at the IEP table. So, for the most part I'm not too worried about knowledge gaps yet. I just want to make sure he's prepared.

That's a great question -
here are some random thoughts -
1) are you and he prepared for the experience of having to work to "get" new concepts? It can be tough on a family that isn't used to it. You may want to practice on some non-adademic challenge.
2) Aleks.com - buy a month's subscription and run through it, just to see where the "needs more practice" places are.
3) Touchtyping (bet ya' knew I'd say that!)
4) Will he have missed the school music program?

Best Wishes - I'm so happy for you!
Trinity

Hi Willa!
I�m glad Mite will be more challenged next year. Congratulations to you for your tireless effort on behalf of your son!

My son skipped K and my daughter skipped 2nd. 4th grade may be the last easy grade to skip. I wish my son had.

The only issue that I can think of off-hand is there may be more long term projects starting in 5th grade. At our school things really heat up beginning in sixth grade. Do you remember when it begins at yours?

ah you guys are great....you've jostled me into processing this...thank you...

here are my meanderings...

I remember the high cluster in 5th grade being very intense in writing and research. Mite loves to research; so, I don't think that aspect will be a problem, but, of course, the organization and writing will need lots of support, accomodations and modifications. He's not going to be in the high cluster, though; so, it might not be so intense. Rite actually wrote over 200 pages on history research that they comglomerated at the end of the year and made into a book. It was an EXCELLENT class, but the teacher is different; so, I don't know if Mite would miss out on it even if he were in the gifted cluster.

Yes Trinity TOUCH TYPING!!!8^) The vultures do not want to teach him keyboarding, but that's not stopping either of us. The AT person keeps claiming Mite's not "developmentally ready". When I've asked for scientific information to support her claim she states that SHE is an EXPERT capable of deciding that for MITE. She feels children can't learn keyboarding until 5th to 6th grade.

um. NOT!!!

We have even arranged to have him tutored in keyboarding when he's in his choir program this summer. They offer tutoring services if the choir activities interfere with schooling and they decided it did in keyboarding because it interfered with practice time. So, they are going to take that on this summer. Gosh! I would love to prove the AT person wrong both for Mite's sake and just because I like to say "nannananabooboo"!! 8^P

That leads me to music. He's very, very, very advanced both in theory and in voice. His music teacher is thrilled to have him moving up to 5th because she feels he's even further than that. She told us at the last PT conference that in her 30+ years of teaching music at this school she counts Mite as one of her 4 TOP students. Given that she teaches 450 students a year at least the past 5 years and probably 100-200 per year prior to that, that's really saying something.

He will miss the introduction to the recorder, but I can easil work with him on that.

Anyhow, I've digressed, but it was fun:^)

I'll get Aleks, tonight. That should help me with math. I am most scared of math. He GETS the concepts and is already, since starting to work with him at home, doing some algebraic concepts, but needs a calculator or a addition/multiplication chart to do those tasks. HE has NO ROTE MEMORY at all in this and it makes me NUTS> It shouldn't because I am just like that. I can get up to 6x6 and the rest I have to stop and think about. I never mastered them in school. I'm worried though that it will be hard for him to deal socially with that and I am even processing the point of homeschooling in math.

We are pretty good at being intense in studying. While I am sure it's going to be a LOT more, I think Mite will enjoy our one-on-one and Rite has volunteered to tutor him also.

deb, I actually think things might get easier to move around in middle school and high school. When it becomes more of a class-by-class thing, it is easier to accelerate at least in this school district.

However, things heat up in 5th, 6th tends to be a "blow off year", 7th becomes a bit intense again. Here 6th grade is the transition year into jr. high and the focus seems to be to get all the kids from the various schools onto the same page.

how to handle gym....he has so many difficulties in gym. I wonder if there is a way he can move to the 4th grade for that. I'm still waiting on the DAPE results.

sooooooooooooo...ok....help me keep processing. you are giving me GReAT things to think about.

sorry for the book!!! sheesh!!

Willa:
congrats on the good news. I hope that Mite is excited about the skip!

My only thought is to ask whether there are any 4th grade curriculum based assessments that you can have a copy of, for any subject. That way you can skim through for content that he would have covered to make sure he is missing anything that WON'T be repeated in 5th grade. We are doing that with math, referring back to the 2nd grade Saxon assessments to make sure we cover what our school expects, since we are using a different curriculum for the home math. We are covering much more than the school curriculum, but this way we don't leave out specific concepts he will need next year.

that's a good suggestion. I'll ask them for that or get some myself from somewhere.

I also wanted to mention the social aspects of skipping. When I skipped 1st grade (many many moons ago and with minimal planning or prep on anyone's part), I didn't have much trouble adjusting to the academics; I was at top of the class within a month.

But I had a really hard time feeling like I belonged socially--there were already friendship groups formed and I had trouble fitting into them. This is probably very similar to what happens when a child moves or switches schools. And I'm guessing it is harder on girls who seem to be more political and cliqueish than boys. At any rate, I would suggest planning ways to stay in touch with his old friends and ways of connecting with his new classmates before he starts school next year. If you have a friendly face greeting you in your new class, I think that can help ease some of the first day jitters.

Good Luck!

Hi Willa Gayle,

Congradulations on the vote of confidence from the music teacher! Wow!

I'm not sure a child really can be good at touchtyping until age 9, but I still like the idea of teaching it in a "Zen - not attached to the outcome, only determined to do the process" way.

I like the idea of Gym with the 4ths, and maybe even recorder with them if there is no instrument program in the 5th, just for the fun/fine motor of it. If there is a music program, then spend some time with someone who can help him pick an instument that will work well for him.

Now on to Math facts. I recently read an article suggesting that we don't push for memorization of math facts until age 10 for kids following the typical developmental path. Lucky you, the window is still open and I can paste you a link:

http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/research_on_teaching_math.php

See what you think.

Also checkout hoagiesgifted.org for games you can play with him to get some "automatisity" going, and there are a few electronic games. Anyone know of any fun "drill and kill" websites?

One thing I like to keep my eyes open for is that growing up gifted I though there was something wrong with my ability to memorize words or math facts because it required days, hours, and weeks of practice. Was I used to that? No. Was there anything wrong with me? No. Did I need a confident parent to reach into my heart and see my secret fear and assure me to "keep going - it will come - not every kind of learning feels good - some feels just like you feel now." YES.

With DS10 I talk about the rubber tree, about my own experience, and about how there are many, many kinds of learning - each it's own experience. My husband tells him, "You know what's the hardest Math in the world? The math in front of you, right before you learn it! You know what's the easist Math in the world? The math you just learned!"

So be a little skiptical if you hear yourself doubting your own ability to do rote memory tasks - a little bit, anyway, ok?

Love and More Love,
Trinity

Great Idea ACS!
Arrange some playdate with the big boys. My Principal always shared the classlist early so I could set up some social events during the summer - complete with her reccomendations of boys who might get along well with DS.

I've Mite would be embarrassed with you arragning the playdates, you can try calling the other Mom's and suggesting that you both "just happen" to met at the school playground at the same time.

Trin