How are the 4th & 5th graders doing so far this school year?

DD10 (5th grade) came home today thrilled that she had been given a math problem that stumped her. Admittedly, it was just something extra she was given to do while waiting for others to finish their math assessment packet, but I'm glad her teacher had something challenging for her.

DS8 is doing ok (4th)...this years teacher is big on writing which he is very not fond of (and his teacher last year did very little of) so its made for some large headaches at school/home but hes loving math as usual and is making more friends this year so he is surviving and I haven't lost my mind quite yet.

DS10 is doing well in 5th grade. Doesn't want to do HW. I don't blame him, they work hard during the day! He has a triple acceleration for Math but is with 6th graders that have a double acceleration. That's what I like about the school, they can accelerate but still be with age peers. He is doing pre-algebra, getting ready for next year's Algebra I Honors class. He really absolutely loves the class & teacher, it's a good level for him. In Goldilocks-speak it's "just right" His first Unit Test is today, his final period of the day and I hope he isn't too tired! It's not a PE day and it's rainy so he won't be wiped out from recess.

Everything else is 1 yr ahead. Seems like he's got QUITE a load of work for his reading class with Power Point presentations and lots of on-his-level but above-grade-level reading to do. They use the Lexile levels and Accelerated Reader programs so the kids have to read books that are on or above their own Lexile score, books have to be approved by the teacher. He's reading Dragonhaven and The Hobbit this quarter while in class they are studying Walk Two Moons, which is on grade level (5th-6th).

Science Fair projects will probably start in October. They have been working on really using the Scientific Method in their labs.

SS looks like there will be a lot of research projects and he hates writing, so we'll see how that goes. I hope it's mostly in class and not HW. That's what he really hates, HW writing assignments!

3rd quarter he starts French, which I think he is dreading. He had a little exposure to French in his preschool (that was CUTE!) but has done Spanish in school for K-4. This school offers a different language each grade until middle then they can choose. (DD8 had Chinese last year and Arabic this year)

Met all the teachers at Open House last night, they seem like great teachers - no nonsense, organized & strict but still make it fun. (They had a Chocolate Fountain in class for a party after reading The Chocolate Touch, how fun is that? They all brought different treats to dip) He likes them all and that's the important thing!

Hope everyone else is having a great Back-To-School!

Antsy...it sounds like your son has a fabulous school! I really wish DS8 school offered a language...I'd take ANY language at this point. And the chocolate fountain is a nice touch to an end of reading that book, its been one of my DS favorites for years, and a favorite of DH's as well.

DD8 is having a rough start to 4th grade. She's not eating lunch, she's not finishing her classwork, she cries at the drop of the hat, she walks into immobile objects, she's incapable of picking out her own library books, she spends hours listening to the same audio book over and over again, she's having some disturbing unwanted / intrusive thoughts that are scaring her.

On the plus side, her teacher has kindly agreed to let DD eat a snack in the afternoon until we figure out the lunch thing. DD reports that she's been playing with her friends at recess the last few days, rather than sitting alone in a corner. She's being challenged by her spelling words, and is enjoying the challenge. She likes her teacher, and her teacher likes her.

After we've been in school for a month, she ought to be settled into the routine, and then things will go better. She is just not a kid who likes change, particularly when the change is not clearly laid out well in advance, and back-to-school is a big chaotic change.

i think this part is pretty important and it sounds like the teacher is trying to make her feel more comfortable. I hope she feels better about it soon

DD9 just finished her first week of grade four at a new school. It is hard to get any information out of her, but it seems to be going okay. DD did move to this school for the last three weeks of school in grade three. Unfortunately, they put her in a 3/4 split in which all the grade three students were boys. She met a few girls in grade four, but now they are all in a different class. Her teacher is young and new to the school. I don't know anything about her. DD hasn't decided if she is a good teacher yet, "I need more time to decide" she told me when I asked. On a positive note, the complaining hasn't started yet. But, this IS only the first week.

She said that she wanders around at recess and lunch, mostly trying to avoid an uber-annoying girl who just moved onto our street and has decided DD is her BFF. Poor DD is having a hard time negotiating the act of extricating herself from this leech without hurting her feelings. She defended her from a nasty bully on Friday and is now further ingratiated in the girl's mind as her friend. I'm trying to stay out of it, but I do feel bad for her. The kid even gets on MY nerves!

DD saw her psychologist for a handwriting assessment to begin investigating for dyslexia/dysgraphia. We are putting off our meeting at the school until we get those results, so for now I am sitting on my hands and begging DD for details about her day.

DS9 is doing ok in 4th grade so far, although he's heavily into the "school is boring" thing already. He is in a math class of one, with his own teacher who takes him when his class is doing math; he's finished the placement testing and is somewhere in the 7th grade curriculum with her, which I will need to clarify with his teacher this week -- it's hard to get information out of him as to what exactly he's doing in math. He still brings home the 4th grade math sheets for homework and does them because he can earn "scholar dollars" for the bonus side -- another thing I'll have to find out about at the open house. I haven't seen any homework for his 7th grade class yet.

He swears he's not learning anything in the rest of school, but then I did get a whole list out of him yesterday by making him go back through each day, so it's more wishful thinking on his part. He's very melodramatic that way.

Nautigal, that sounds a lot like DS10. Always says he's bored too. I would get very irritated last year when he would do the class math worksheet when he had his own "real math" to do for another class. They take those class points/tickets/etc pretty seriously though,huh?

Things usually get ugly in November so I guess this year we'll see how things are at that point!

DD10 came home very unhappy today. Apparently her reading group is way too easy and she spent math time with the fifth graders (she was in fifth grade math last year). She's currently discouraged about school and doesn't want to do anything. *sigh* We're meeting with her teacher later this week, so hopefully we can get something worked out.

One of DD10's goals for the year is to become "perfect" at math. I definitely need to step up my efforts to find more challenging work for her.

Second week of school and the principal has already contacted us to review her CUME file and adaptations, to get our input before he has a phone conference with her psychologist. He also wanted our permission to involve the school psychologist, so she could help the classroom teacher understand DD's strengths and weaknesses more fully. He is arranging for DD to have a personal mini-typer this week and promises to set up a meeting with us as soon as the handwriting assesment report is complete. We met the teacher tonight at curriculum night and she is 'in love' with DD. She is planning for homework to be given in a monthly packet and wants to individualize DD's, not sure how that will look yet but happy to hear it. She also wants to sit down with DD one-on-one and get her opinions on the existing adapations before we review them this year.

Baby steps, but we are happy that the new school is working hard to get to know her. I think I am more impressed that they want DD involved in the process... this is the only way to get her buy-in on anything. Bonus points!

Just have to say just over a month into school and DS8 who went into the school year hating writing, is growing in leaps and bounds ( at least I think for it only being a month - 3 word answers to 2-3 sentence answers ) and his attitude towards it is no longer a complete refusal, homework in writing doesn't take him 500 years to complete because " he can't do it ". I'm just thrilled...its the only thing hes found " hard " which is why he resisted it and I'm seeing his block slowly melt away! Maybe this will be a good year afterall <knock on wood>

DD10 is in 5th grade in a magnet (but not accelerated) classroom. So far this year:

1. We're homeschooling math because the district refuses to work with us on any other options to get her appropriate level work. Programs like online classes are not available to elementary school students, and teachers are not allowed to teach above their grade level.
2. She brought home a phonics(!!!) worksheet as part of her week's literacy work. Apparently, in 5th grade, they need to spend time on the difference between a hard "g" and a soft "g". Oh, and the other side of the worksheet was a lesson about nouns (did you know that you capitalize proper nouns?)
3. Her teacher prepared an insert to be pasted in her spelling/vocabulary notebook. It contained 2 typos--and one of them was the word 'misspelled'!

We just had our school open house tonight and the teacher kept talking about how our district's standards are so much higher than others in our state. Seriously?

Sorry, just had to rant after tonight's meeting and this week's homework. At least we're having fun with math. I may turn into a full time homeschooler yet.

Frustration 1 & 2...

#1: Summer reading = 2 books. DS read them in June. Having a test on one of the books today. WTF? Aside from rereading a book you read 3 months ago (and didn't like) how do you prep for that? Besides, DS insists he "knows the book" but I know his teacher is a tough grader and the child with the amazing comprehension and 15th grade reading level in 4th gr could end up with a "C" in reading class. how annoying.

#2: Cover Unit 1 science. Prepare for big Unit 1 test. Get a 99% on the pre-test. Have test postponed 2 weeks because other students are not ready for the test yet. 2 weeks later and guess who's moved on? DS of course. ggggrumble. Wish she let him take the test when he was obviously ready for it.

I have my fingers crossed that things will improve when DD10's school is done with their assessments this month. She's working on things that would be great for a typical 5th grader, but she's not typical. *sigh* My goal for the year is to find one subject in which DD can be challenged and hopefully placed in a class where she's not the top student.

Gah, still rough. Two "conduct marks" today, for talking. The first after a reminder that there was no talking during the test, and the second for talking after she was already in trouble for the first time! (DD says, "I wasn't talking! I was just moving my mouth like this!" And then demonstrated exaggeratedly mouthing words to someone across the room.)

DD has never gotten so much as a warning in the 3 years of school prior to this. The attitude we're seeing at home is apparently not confined to home.

Ah, yes. I sympathize! The thought crossed my mind today that if DD rolled her eyes at me just one more time I might sew her lids shut. Sadly, I would almost be glad if she shared the attitude with someone besides DH and myself.. it would make it easier to take and feel less like a personal attack. No one believes us when we say that our sweet lil darling is becoming a snot bag.

Hi Midwest Mom, thanks for starting this topic.

I have a DD (4th gr) and we homeschool. We're doing nicely with approx. middle school level science material, and above grade level math, keeping it on the edge of challenging. We also do above grade for language arts reading/spelling. I think we're probably grade level for writing output, not actually a problem, just that DD is very methodical. We have extracurricular activities "after school".

We struggle a lot with finding like minded peers at the appropriate age level (not too old, not too young) and finding ways to have common ground, and thus have a connection.

Are your DDs/DSs finding like minded peers in their 4th/5th grades? How are your gifted kids finding similar interests at these grade levels? What are the girls into at this age level?

One nice thing about DD's 4th grade teacher is that she seems to be ability-grouping kids, which usually results in DD being paired with one particular girl, and the two of them are getting along. I'd say that 4th is starting off better socially than 3rd did.

But it's still hard to find kids who want to sit and quietly work math problems at recess. (One of the solutions we came up with for DD's recess woes was to give her a pocket-sized packet of long division problems, and a pencil stub, so that when she chooses to sit recess out, she has something to do.)

My girl is into BOYS-ARE-ANNOYING, Rick Riordan books, skimpy tops, flip-flops, hair-and-nails, and designing her own dresses out of two enormous scarves. Also, refining her plans for personal hovercraft, playing hide-and-seek in Jumpstart with her cousin (assisted by Skype), and learning how to do a jump dive from the low board.

Thanks for sharing, Alexsmom.

Since you asked, here is the situation for my 5th grade DD10. Her situation this year is why I couldn't sleep at 4 a.m.!

After a fabulous 4th grade year, 5th grade is starting off horribly for my DD. She was in the lower grade of a combination class in both 3rd and 4th, being differentiated to the higher grade level in both reading and math. Now that she is in 5th, not only is she not getting challenged, she is being set up for failure. (And to make matters worse, her homeroom/math/science teacher just went on maternity leave for 2 months.)

First, the teachers have set up small groups within the classroom to compete against each other. Because of the makeup of these "teams", there is no way my daughter will ever be in the successful group, and the teams are to be in place, as is, until the end of the school year.

Second, she is no longer being challenged in reading. Her previous 2 teachers used a "literary circle" model for reading where they were taught from novels. The 5th grade teacher is putting no effort into the curriculum and is using an on grade-level reading book. Then, on the other had, the teacher is trying to strictly follow the STAR reading guidelines and tell my DD10 she cannot read below a 6.5 grade level for Accelerated Reader. The problem with limiting her AR reading is that many of the books in her interest level (including ALL of the books for Battle of the Books competition) are below her STAR reading level. My DD feels like she just can't win.

Well, that's enough venting although I could go on further.

On the flip side, the long-term sub for the math teacher came in for the first day, looked at the math enrichment curriculum and said "This is too easy. I'm going to have to get harder material." Then, she finished the lesson early and taught them something above grade-level. Can't we keep her the rest of the year?

Hope it's OK for me to post on this thread - my son is in 3rd grade, but goes to 4th for math. Last week he only went one day - they are still reviewing - and because he had mastered whatever they were reviewing, the teacher said he didn't need to be there the rest of the week. He has to miss afternoon recess in order to go to math, so I guess the teacher was being nice I asked ds8 who he sat with in 4th grade, and 2 out of the 3 are also in the gifted program with him, which means he's with the top performing 4th graders, which can only help push him further

((pat, pat)) Good for you for keeping the part about young for 5th to yourself! Why should school be so much like a spy novel?

But it is great when we hear that the teacher doesn't even know!
Grinity

Our DD8 survived the 1st 6 weeks of 4th Grade and is still on the �A� Honor Roll. However, this is the first year EVER that she absolutely does not like school. She was placed in a class with all the children who failed prior grades and with no real academic peers. There are several gifted children in the class, but they are gifted in other areas or not really gifted (but somehow managed to get in the program gifted). She is so sad that all of her friends were placed in another class. On the bright side, she just tested out of 4th Grade Math and has the option to telescope into 5th Grade for Math. We are hoping that will lift her spirits about school.

The teachers this year are brutal with the red pens. DD�s biggest challenge is putting her class number on the paper along with her name. It doesn�t matter if you make no mistakes�forget to put your class number and it�s an automatic 90. When she forgets to circle her answer she just solved for, there is no partial credit, it�s just wrong. If you answer a question right, but don�t put a page number down where you found the answer, it�s wrong. All of this is just killing DD�s passion for learning. We�ve talked to her teachers and they just say that 4th Grade is a year for responsibility and the kids have to learn to follow instructions! This just seems crazy!

Parent teacher conferences were tonight!

Her teacher likes DD very much, and agrees with us regarding the most-glaring problems she's having (doesn't read / follow directions, doesn't read the problem, doesn't show / check her work). She also reports that DD isn't talking in class (which we knew), including not participating in group discussions (which we didn't know).

She appreciates, rather than being offended by, my modified directions on DD's spelling homework. (DD has really obscure spelling words, which don't suit themselves well to the spelling assignments. I put a note at the head of DD's paper suggesting how she complete the assignment, so that DD can work on it if I'm not home.)

STAR reading came in at 12.2 GE, which we all got a chuckle out of. Our district is doing Literacy First this year, and the teacher started DD out with 5th grade, then gave her the 6th grade passage even though she didn't technically meet the cutoff to be tested against the higher material. DD unsurprisingly did better - faster and fewer errors - on the harder material. (I also suspect that she reads aloud slower than she could, because she sees the point of it as telling a story, rather than reading quickly. She reads aloud at the slow end of audiobook speed, and is an audiobook fan.)

Also, she has taken up reading a book under her desk when material is presented more than once. I have no idea where she could have gotten that from.

The lunch problem from earlier in the year has been resolved, and DD is on track to have a good year.

We're still struggling. The school is doing some differentiating, but it's not enough. DD10's spelling words are easier this year than last and her math is still review. My current plan is to keep trying to work with the school to get harder material for DD until parent-teacher conferences. If I haven't had success at that point, we'll start partial homeschooling.

DD9 was diagnosed with dyslexia two weeks ago. We are stuck in limbo waiting for the psychologist's full report and suggestions for accomodations. The school is biting at the bit to get things in place. The principle emailed me yesterday to see if I could get our psychologist to call the school pysch for a verbal report so they can get the ball rolling. She now has a Fusion writer for her own personal use and it is amazing the difference it makes! More than any other accomodation in the history of her school career. It makes her smile when she talks about it. She no longer feels 'dumb' and does not have to make sentences only using words that she knows how to spell (her inventive spelling is often indiscipherable).

I am impressed with the school's eagerness to help. I figure we will get this sorted out before we go after them for enrichment. Hopefully, their attitude won't change!

that's really interesting, i never heard of a fusion before! My BFF's younger brother has dylexia and in the 70s/early 80s this was just not diagnosed. My BFF was a great sister! helped him with his reading and reading his assignments to him, he typed his homework when he could but he was labeled in so many negative ways. It was a shame! It's so great that you are sorting this out and that the school is helping!

Interesting story... in our old school, a gifted private school, a young student was diagnosed with a kind of double vision problem. This child still managed to do math, learn to read, etc. and was doing pretty well! Wild!she said she just thought that was how everyone saw and it's much easier now! lol

I may look more into the Fusion to see if it could help DD8 who struggles because of processing speed and motor incoordination issues and does much better on the keyboard at home.

On the 5th grade front...just had to email DS's teacher. He has a high reading level and when i peaked into the back of the book he is finishing for his project I found details of a character's newly realized homosexuality and first kiss with another boy. It's just too mature for DS right now. So, that came from a school book list. His next book is just one i haven't read so I told her i want him to read something i am familiar with and suggested the new book he will start instead. this is only for his 'personal reading booK' for the quarter so hopefully she doesn't mind the change even though the selections are made by the students at the start of the quarter. I said i will be very involved in the next selection and previewing books. It's hard when the student has such a high reading level and is expected to read on that level but is not mature or worldy enough for all the content that may come with teenage books. My DD8 has books like "Twilight" in her reading level! nooooo!

Here is a link with info about the Fusion. It is working a minor miracle with DD! She wrote an autobiography the other day and, not only did she not complain, she was excited to do it.

http://www.writerlearning.com/special-needs/fusion.php

thanks for the info! I have tried Dragon Speak Naturally for DS10, he hates writing and doesn't like typing either!

I'm feeling much better about DD10. The school has worked out a plan that will give her math closer to her level, but will also keep her paired with her BFF and won't require transportation (she gets carsick easily). Now onto reading advocacy.

DD10 finally got reasonably challenging vocab words! I could probably only say this here, but I was thrilled when she brought home a spelling test on the new words that she didn't study for and didn't get 100% on.

We had a meeting with DD9's school yesterday to ammend her accomodations (ADHD, dyslexia). The principal, VP, resource teacher and her classroom teacher had some really great ideas about introducing technology... from SOLO suite to audio books on the school's iPad. They were also keen to keep the enrichment accomodations and plan to meet again after Christmas to come up with more ideas. Super encouraged!

Hi all!
New to the forum so we missed the start of school info.
I noticed some parents struggling with age appropriate
books. My DS10, 5th grade is re-reading the Warrior
Cat series by Erin Hunter. He's already read the
Harry Potter series (in 4th grade) and we struggle
for book appropriate too.
There is also "kingdom Keepers" a mystery type of book
That takes place in Disney world.

As for how school is going.. Well... His father and I
Were informed DS took NWEA math test and got
A 249 at the beginning of year (as we just now hear
About it!?). I know nothing about this test or score
It was the highest the teachers had ever seen in her
20 yrs of 5th gr. The school put him with the
other top 11 kids for math enrichment for the last hour
of school. However, the other kids are still writing
the problem off the board and he has it solved.

The teacher used the word "prodigy"
regarding math when describing it to us. She stated
DS is using Algebra without being taught the formulas.
So now, the school has no idea what to do with him.
They already skipped him a grade and he's already
in the gifted and talented program.
6th grade is in another school, so bringing him up
For just that one class... And then he JUST turned
10 a week ago so he's a head shorter than his classmates.
I can't imagine him being put in with 7th graders!
I just know he's utterly bored now and he needs
A challenge! Any suggestions appreciated

Cindy
Maine Mom of DS10, DD7, DD2 and expecting DS in 3wks