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MissKNG

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    Math for fast learner..advice? Part 2

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    Let her fly through it as a confidence builder. A lot of the exercises in those books are fun and colorful, so doing them will just reinforce the concept that school can be fun, and that it's something she is good at. If you are learning another language, you can try doing the counting exercises in the second language for a bit of fun (my DS much prefers counting in Spanish!).

     

     

    Hey, that is a great idea - dd is learning German and already we count to 10 in German when playing hide n seek!!

    Math for fast learner..advice? Part 2

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    So, I bought the Singapore Math Level A and B for my dd to start (August 31st is our first day of school!). She knows most of the material in Level A except for 2 or 3 units (mainly the weights and measure stuff) - which is why I bought it, so she wouldn't miss anything.

     

    What are some suggestions on handling the "easy" stuff? For example, there is a unit for counting/recognizing 0-5. Should I skip it completely? I thought about just doing the tracing exercises since she can't write yet. She is solid on number recognition to about 20 and counting to about 100 (with help). I just don't want to bore her with this stuff that she knows. What would you do? Skip it? Just focus on the tracing?

    Math for fast learner..advice?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    This is our first year of homeschooling. My daughter turned 4 last week and we are on our 10th lesson of Horizons 1. SHE LOVES IT. She can't get enough of it and she has already learned to count by 5s and 2s up to 100 (she could do by 10s and 1s already). She is doing addition on a number line, writing greater than and less than symbols and understands what they mean, and soon the addition gets to be a bit tougher.

    .

     

    Horizons was the next choice if I didn't choose Singapore. I did buy Horizons Reading/Phonics K for her because I do like the Horizons curricula.

     

    Horizons 1 means 1st grade, correct?

    Math for fast learner..advice?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    My advice: Don't use Saxon for a gifted student. You're right, it's too slow.

     

    Take a look at Math Mammoth, too. I've read it's very similar to Singapore. You can get a sample pack and read lots of reviews on their site. I'm using 2nd grade with my 5-1/2 year old, and so far it is just what we needed.

     

     

    Thanks for the tip! I will check out Math Mammoth more after dd completes her Singapore K - MM looks like it starts at 1st grade! I have heard of MM before as a math suggestion!

     

    I already bought Singapore and received it in the mail! I think she will enjoy it as I bought the activity book along with the textbook.

    Math for fast learner..advice?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

     

    I think that's where homeschoolers sometimes get caught up (myself included, especially with my boys.) We tend to think that just because there are three pages in a lesson, we have to do all three (or whatever.) There's no rule that says you MUST do all ten problems in a given lesson just because they are there.

     

    :iagree:

     

    I agree because I get caught up with that too. Like I KNOW she can do something but I feel like she needs to complete every page just because the pages are there! That's what was happening with her Beginning Math Reasoning book (CTC) that we are currently working through. She would do 10 pages or so then I noticed she would only do maybe 3 or 4. I asked why and she basically said she was bored because it was too easy. So I skip stuff now.

    Uneven development

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

     

    So, my question is: Should I slow down on all the other subjects and focus on trying to bring up his spelling and writing to the rest of his level or since he is at grade level in his weak areas, should I just let it be and continue on with what we have been doing?

     

    Thanks!

     

    I wouldn't slow down in the subjects in which he is advanced. Work each subject at his level. My dd is the same - we are doing K math and reading/phonics this coming September in homeschool and tracing/writing are still at a 3 year old level. I would never want to slow down her math and reading. Let them go at their own pace in everything!

    Math for fast learner..advice?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    No, I suspect you get that a lot. I gave my initial suggestions because there are some people who feel they have to do academics with their gifted preschoolers :). But some gifted dc push nonstop for academics. Mine don't fall into that category, but even though it can be exhausting, I would rather have that than very strong willed gifted dc who vehemently loathe certain academic tasks, such as expository writing ;).

     

    Yeah, even though I'm happy she enjoys academic stuff, it does get tiresome and exhausting. Sometimes I don't want to "build words" at 7:30pm or do worksheets at 8pm!

     

    My dd is EXACTLY like my father. He would have been a college-lifer if he could have, just taking all sorts of courses and obtaining all sorts of degrees.

    Math for fast learner..advice?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    Excellent. I wasn't totally sure based on your OP.

     

     

    Ok, I hope I didn't come across as a jerk with my response. I get a "lecture" about doing school with my dd since she is so young often. Like I said, she loves workbooks, seat work and structure and apparently, that must not be normal! :001_huh:

     

    I did go ahead and buy Earlybird B for her. I didn't do the placement test because based on the units they listed for A and B (and the worksheets samples I've found around the net), I could easily place her myself.

    Math for fast learner..advice?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    WEll if you're worried about your ability to teach RS, I don't think Singapore will be much better unless you buy the HIGs. I did RS with two advanced boys and it worked well especially for my 2nd son whom I started in RS level A at 4yrs old. It was perfect for him. He completed it in about 4-5months. He went to PS for K so that slowed him way down b/c he was too tired in the afternoon but at 6yrs old is fourth through RS Level C. I initially chose RS over SM b/c from the looks of just the textbooks of SM, I wasn't confidant I could teach it properly as I wasn't taught math that way. That's why I chose RS. Now, from what I know from teaching RS levels A,B,C,D,andE, I could teach SM easily w/out the HIGs even. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

     

    One caveat is that SM is easier to compact than RS. RS, the way the program is written, you don't realize what things are in preparation for a later topic so it's hard to skip around. WHereas in SM, it's easy to jump around. SOme don't like in SM that you do 2 digit addition in SM1a/b, then 3 digits in 2a/b etc and will combine all the addition units for example similar to how RS goes up to 4 digit addition in level A or level B if that's your entry point.

     

    What are HIGs? I'm not up on the lingo yet!:tongue_smilie:

    Math for fast learner..advice?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    Thanks for the advice but I'm not doing this because my dd is bored in general - she IS interested in academics. She WANTS to do math (and school) but is bored with the level she is doing now. Therefore, I'm looking for something more challenging for PreK coming up. Just because she is at a young age and excelling in math doesn't mean I'm going to put that on hold just so she can get to a more "acceptable" teaching age. Why would I stop the learning that she loves to do just because she's so young? She loves workbooks, she loves seatwork, she loves the structure! I don't know why this is so hard to believe!! LOL! It's normal to me!

     

    With that said, thanks for the advice on Singapore. I'm really considering it over RS right now.

    Math for fast learner..advice?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    Background: My dd will start PreK/K this coming September and she will almost be 3.5. She learns quickly and gets bored with repetition - we believe she's moderately gifted...nothing off the charts. Right now, we are going through Beginning Mathematical Reasoning (3 and 4 year olds) and she is breezing through - she actually told me she was "bored" at one point (that is when I stopped all the repeat exercises after she "got it").

     

    I bought RightStart Math to use but am wary of the way it's taught. I'm worried I won't be able to get used to it myself in order to teach her effectively.

     

    So I've been looking at other curriculum. I was wondering what everyone else thinks in regards to RS and other curriculum.

     

    I think Saxon will be too slow. I'm also looking at Horizons and Singapore early bird. Someone suggested Miquon but that is a 1st grade math.

     

    Should I stick with RS or purchase something else? If we start RS and it doesn't work, how easy is it to transition to something else? Plus if it doesn't work, I guess I'll need a back up - which is another reason that I'm looking for feedback on other curriculum.

     

    THANKS!

    Do you use pre-testing to find what your kids can skip?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    We are going to start RightStart Math Level A in September for PreK/K so I don't think skipping will be an option due to the way they teach math.

     

    Right now, I'm using the Beginning Mathematical Reasoning for 3 and 4 year olds workbook. I don't skip lessons but when the same lesson drags on for 3 or 4 pages, my dd (38 months) gets bored so I'll skip the last page of the lesson. Like we just did the intro section to patterns and after 3 pages of patterns, she was too bored to even want to do the last pattern page because she "got it" on the 1st page.

    Do any of you choose NOT to accelerate your gifted child?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    We believe that our dd is moderately gifted - nothing off the charts but enough that she is whizzing through school...what little school she has been introduced to at least.

     

    She turned 3 in May and will begin PreK/K in September. Her fine motor (writing/tracing) skills are at a normal 3 year old level but her math and phonics are at a K level. I think if I didn't accelerate her to a K level come September, she would become bored and I think it would be an injustice to her education if I kept her doing PreK material. So I would never choose to NOT accelerate her because I think it's important to keep her challenged.

    Why does giftedness or accelerated learning seem to bother some folks so much?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    Um yeah...I get the "oh, you are pushing her right along" bit if I make mention that my dd is going to do Prek/K work this coming Sept since she will only be almost 3.5. I am very new to this and find the term "gifted" gets you the THAT PARENT look from people, so I don't use it. I find it saddening that I can't talk to even closer friends and family about my dd's advancements. And I believe my dd is moderately gifted, so I can't imagine folks with kids with super high IQs!

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