As of today, Frannie has been moved into second grade math! I am hoping this is a permanent move.


any thoughts?

Thanks
Sheila

Yippee!
I would try and keep in touch with the 2nd grade math teacher, without being too much of a pain. I think once a week with a positive is ok:
(possible example)
"Frannie was singing today at dinner - said it's because Fractions are so exciting - Isn't that cute?!?
We have a family tradition of sharing a story that makes us proud of each child on Sunday night dinner. If you have any Frannie stories we'd be very apprecitive.
Have a good evening,
Sheila"

Grinity.. she is in a 1st/2nd multi age class. Her math teacher is actually her regular teacher! She switched classes for math. I have been in contact with her teacher via email since I knew she was in this class last June! I help out in her classroom once a week. I absolutely LOVE her. I am saddened that next year with the entire school going to multi age... she wont have this teacher again as she is moving to 5/6

Opps! But that is good to hear that she gets to do 2nd grade math with her wonderful regular teacher.

So is it going to be documented so that next year DD can do 3rd grade math?

Grinity

I dont know, I hope so ! I didnt even know this was happening. There are 6 kids that were moved from what Frannie told me. It is the enrichment group I (and a few other moms) have been working with. I am sure I will hear back from her teacher in the morning when she checks email.
After getting the CogAT results I have been worried the enrichment would be non-existant next year

Mrs X,

Hope you had a good day today Frannie came home from school and said she and a few others have moved into your math class?

Just curious
thanks
Sheila

Hi,

Sort of.
Ms. B has a huge 1st grade math class with some behavior and learning issues. I have a much smaller 2nd grade group with less issues. We have spent a lot of time coming up with both enrichment and remediation for the 1st graders. This is our latest attempt. We decided to take the enrichment group and put them in my classroom so Ms. B can focus on the others who need more help.
I'll be doing a variety of activities with these 1st graders to prepare them for 2nd grade as well as enrich. They will not be doing end of the year 2nd grade math with us. It just happened that we were working out of the math book this week, so I just had them work with us for Wednesday and Thursday.
We'll send out a letter explaining it next week. :-)

Have a good one!
Mrs. X

Not sure how to make this out other than they arent doing second grade math.. wonder if I can ask her to give her the work... and maybe give her the end of year test.

It sounds like they may be giving 'enrichment math' - specially designed to be more interesting to advanced students without opening the door to a subject acceleration. How such Math exists at the 1st grade level is a puzzle to me, but that's another story.

It may be 'better than what was' but will it be enough? Time will tell.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

Grinity...
I think this will be the response .
Mrs. X,
Can you give Frannie the second grade math work on top of any other work she may be getting? The reality is, she is finding the work very easy. I would rather have her challenged than bored. I will be more then happy to work with her at home if need be. As we found at the beginning of the year when she took the end of first grade test and thru MAP testing, she knows most of the material.

Thanks for your time
Sheila

here's some suggestions - hopefully good ones!

Ok - never use the b-word (bored)
It's not about what you want, it's about what's best for the child.
Every child deserves a chance to develop good work ethic.

Anyone go a link to the article 'What a child doesn't learn?'

Good luck!
Grinity

http://www.wku.edu/academy/?p=430

Sheila- great news!!
And Grinity, your letter is wonderful...I want to print it out and save it. Good rule on not using the 'B" word...

I'm wondering if this article is offered as a tatoo, so that next time I can just turn around and show the schoolies my ..... Ok - just kidding. I still wake up in a cold sweat after similar nightmares.

Hilarious! I'd totally get that tatoo -- and I've got plenty of room for it, too!

Okay... this made me cry.

Ouch. I'm pretty sure that my 11yo hasn't learned most of that, and we've been desperately trying for the last seven years... but she (like a lot of kids) isn't too happy about learning some of those things. We hear endlessly about "letting her be a kid" and the like, without any apparent understanding that we are just hoping for her to learn the relationships between her character and actions-- and results.

Instead, she's learned:

a) if it isn't easy, I must not be good at it, so I won't try and you can't make me

b) I can't look less than perfect, because that might mean that I'm not really as smart as everyone seems to think that I am

c) Education is about showing off what you know

d) Education isn't about novelty

e) school is about not getting tripped up so that you don't get less than 100%

f) "not knowing" makes me feel stupid, and I don't like that feeling. Ergo, I don't like it when I don't already know something

g) I should avoid risks, since that is what leads to feeling stupid after I make mistakes,

e) most of life is about busywork.


Sad.

Wow, that is so me.

So, is it a personality thing?

When I look at the What a Child Doesn't Learn list I just see the consequences of a poor school fit. This seems to me like a list of why people homeschool. Are you saying though that this is not a product of schooling?

If it's any consolation, HK, my DS14 could have written the above rule, and yet, magically, he has just returned home on break and is playing basketball. And when he loses he says: 'Good Game' in a confident calm voice.

I think it's part a great fit at his school and part due to the last 2 years of Nurtured Heart Approach, but whatever it is, it's like that credit card commercial......priceless.

Even homeschooling can't meet the needs of some 'far edge of the curve' learners, unless the child is all around ready for college, at a very early age and the parents are willing. Asynchrony can be a very bitter pill.

I actually used these 'symptoms' as a guide to which direction to take with my DS. If the symptoms decreased, I'd do more of that, if they increased then I knew I had to change course.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

^^^^^^^^^
oh nooo....
I just read that. I lol'd too much.

I emailed the principal ... here are the emails...



Mr. M,

We are looking at the early entrance to kinder guidelines. I think this may be a good fit for our son E (EJ). I do have a few questions regarding the process. When will the MAP test be administered? If he doesn't score a 90% but lets say scores in the 80th percentile.. will there be subject acceleration available? I have little doubt regarding him scoring that high if not higher in math. I am not sure where a 90% (RIT 170) would be. He currently attends kindergarten at the Academy of Early Learning.

Thank you for your time

Sheila


Mrs. D,

I'm inquiring as to when the test will be administered. When I hear back I'll be sure to let you know.

If EJ doesn't make the 90th percentile we would differentiate as needed. For example, we have many students who come to us being able to read in kindergarten and some who still don't know the entire alphabet.

I'll be in touch with the testing dates.

Chris M

Mr. M,
Thank you for your response! I didn't quite finish a thought in there .. I have no doubt about him scoring high enough in math. Would there be acceleration there? He completes quite a bit of Frannie's first grade math. I am not sure about where he would fall on reading. He does read. We are currently reading Biscuit books. We will be attending the kindergarten round up on Wednesday with Ms. P.

Thank you again
Sheila D


Yes...we would differentiate for math just as we would for reading. If he's capable of doing more challenging math...we can always provide him with work that will challenge his ability level.

Chris M

Sounds promising.

Please be careful about differentiation being 'on top of' or after he completes the regular coursework. This can be the same as no differentiation; my ds is allowed to work on an extension packet after he finishes his regular work in math, however the regular/boring/repetitve stuff is just a mental roadblock and he rarely if ever gets to the math that would be of greater interest. It is very enervating for him.

In reading, a child is rarely asked to read Johnny's book first and then move on to their assigned harder book. The kids are just moved to a higher reading level book (thankfully), and a different reading group/discussion group is created. I am not sure why I have NEVER seen this done in math. Anyone seen this?

Two reasons I can see:

1. In math they are worried about "gaps." In reading less so.

2. Each new math technique requires direct instruction.

#2 has been the issue for us. DS had 2 years of in-class "differentiation." In the first year, he got most of a year of instruction (dedicated teacher). In the second year, he got less than a third of a year of instruction (they didn't care as much).

DeeDee

I turned in the paperwork yesterday for the early entrance (skip of kinder) to first grade. Now we wait for a testing date . The kinder teacher said the test given to her class is teaken over a 4 day period. I will expect the same. I don't see EJ taking hours worth of this type of testing in one shot. For the record my first grader took the MAP over 3 days.

The wait has begun