Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School 4th/5th grade 2011-2012

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