Of course he should be expected to need instruction at times! Hmm, I suppose I'd want to check with the teacher to see what his/her expectations really are. When he was told to figure it out on his own, the teacher could have simply said something like, "You need to go back, read through it and see if you can figure it out." At least I know often there are more nuances to the conversation than I get!
DS6 works a few grades ahead in math and has his own work, with his whole curriculum broken into assignments for him so he can go at his own pace. He is expected to move to the next section with no direction, BUT if he can't figure it out or needs clarification and the teacher is busy, he puts a little stop sign on his desk and moves on to the next section. If he can't figure that next section out, he pulls out some reading or other work. Either way, the teacher comes over when he's free (or DS approaches if he notices that), then DS gets individual assistance and moves along.
