If you were beginning home schooling with a highly gifted child...

[StaceyinLA]

what would you use??

 

Scenario:

 

Sister's granddaughter is in 1st grade. She missed the age cutoff by 2 weeks so she is nearly 7. Not only is she nearly 7 but she is extremely gifted. The district they are in has horrible public schools with NO gifted programs at all, and not much better Catholic schools (due to the overcrowding).

 

My sister is going to home school her. She is asking me for help with suggestions. She would love some programs that she could do placement tests in so she'd know where to put her.

 

So far, I have suggested Singapore Math and either A Beka or Rod & Staff English. If she goes with R&S, I think I'll suggest grade 2 because the child needs no phonics instruction at all. She is reading, and comprehending on at least a middle school level.

 

Any other/better ideas for math/english? What about science/history, etc.? Suggestions??

[zaichiki]

You might Xpost this in the accelerated learner forum. And check out what people use over there (many post in their signatures). I think a lot of classical education, in general, is great for challenging gifted learners. The mom/dad also needs to be open-minded about moving along at a quicker pace and/or casting a wider net.

[Mesa]

R&S doesn't have a 1st grade Language program.

Both Abeka and R&S are great programs. I used Abeka for the first 3 years with my oldest and switched to R&S last year.

[....]

One of my kids scores in the 99th percentile on national standardized testing. I also have no idea what reading level she's really at (adult reading level - LOL). She just started 2nd grade this year and she's 7.

 

To tell you the truth, I'm using the same curricula that I use with the 1st grader. We're doing Sonlight Core 1, she's reading the Sonlight Readers 2 int and adv, she's in CLE LA 200, we're doing Singapore Math... We're working on BJU Spelling, lots of lapbooks, HWOT cursive, some creative writing (she writes a ton of songs), and she plays violin and piano.

 

She flies through stuff really fast. I explain something to her once and she understands it instantly. I just didn't want to start too high with curricula because I noticed that there were gaps in her knowledge. Even though she could expertly read passages from an adult novel, she didn't know what a vowel was.

 

I also noticed (this might be your case also), that my daughter HATES hands-on activities. I thought this was fascinating...

 

I realized that although she is amazing academically, she's still only 7. She can read anything I hand to her, but she prefers Commander Toad and stories about talking animals. :D She also cries when she gets frustrated. The more difficult reading material also had a lot of content that was too mature for her.

 

Our school district didn't have much for her, either. Her teacher told me that she was the only student in 20 years that she's seen that could pass the creativity portion of the gifted student testing. That's another reason we're homeschooling right now. She can really stretch out her legs and finish a reading curriculum in 7 weeks (like she did over the summer - to show me how I wasted 50 bucks - LOL!). :D

 

She's playing her violin right now...and probably consulting with the President about the State of the Union, right after she runs out and disarms a nuclear warhead which was found near the police station. :auto:

 

My son...on the other hand... :biggrinjester:

[Night Elf]

BTDT! If I knew then what I know now...

 

Don't do placement tests just yet. Have fun. I placed my ds6 into 3rd/4th grade materials and he was just too young to handle them. While he could handle all the material on a mental level, he was so not ready to do the writing. I am not only talking about the handwriting skills, but fill-in-the-blank answers, short answer, and small compositions. It was pure torture for him and I really had no idea. I just assumed he was having fits because he'd rather play. He was reading on a middle school level but absolutely hated the reading material he had. It was just too old for him.

 

I then made the same mistake again with my youngest dd. Only instead of fits, she'd break down into tears.

 

If I could do it over again, I'd get a huge stack of books of all types from the library every week. I'd spend lots of time reading aloud, both me and the child. I'd stick to fun colorful math and vocabulary workbooks, with no pressure to fill in all the blanks. I think Kumon makes a series of workbooks for young gifted students. I love RightStart Math and think it's a remarkable program for young gifted kids. My dd loved the math card games and using the abacus. I'd spend more time exploring the world and less on academics. I'd buy lots of fun games like Boggle, Yahtzee, pattern blocks (you can find intricate patterns to make which takes creativity), dominoes, Rush Hour, and oh so much more. There are gobs of educational games. I am actually getting rid of 2 huge stacks of games my kids have outgrown.

 

Just MHO. I burned my kids out on academics much too early. I could just kick myself in the rear for not listening to them but forcing them to fit in a box that I created.

[ereks mom]

BTDT! If I knew then what I know now...

 

Don't do placement tests just yet. Have fun.

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If I could do it over again, I'd get a huge stack of books of all types from the library every week. I'd spend lots of time reading aloud, both me and the child. I'd stick to fun colorful math and vocabulary workbooks, with no pressure to fill in all the blanks.

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I'd spend more time exploring the world and less on academics. I'd buy lots of fun games like Boggle, Yahtzee, pattern blocks (you can find intricate patterns to make which takes creativity), dominoes, Rush Hour, and oh so much more. There are gobs of educational games.

 

 

:iagree:

[Orthodox6]

Miscellaneous thinking. . .

 

Were the child in the original post mine, I would just select an "all-round solid" program for this, her first year of homeschooling. Watching the child as the year goes by would yield ample clues to which areas need "heftier" materials, and which need a slower pace.

 

I also would turn the girl loose in the library to range her way across all subject matter (subject matter which is, of course, suitable for her family's worldview).

 

My mother consulted the local librarian after I taught myself to read when barely four. The wise librarian told her just to turn me loose in the library, and to encourage me to read as much as I wished. One of my early memories is being around five years old, and falling in love with a [probably high school level] encyclopedia of zoology. I checked that out repeatedly, and devoured it from cover-to-cover.

 

Although the public schools labelled me "gifted" from kindergarten on, I don't know whether I really was or not. (Nor does it matter.) Now that I realize I probably have Asperger's, my alleged "giftedness" may well have been simple Asperger's.

 

This will come across as "bubble bursting"; however, there is a significant difference between being to decode advanced texts as a reader, and actually understanding what is in the text. Reading comprehension draws on higher level abstract skills which don't develop until older ages. (That is what I have read always, at any rate.) My dd read The Lord of the Rings at age nine; however, I know (from being her teacher) that the deeper, more abstract understanding of a text has not yet developed in her.

 

There does seem to be a big danger of "burn out" for a student when people place gifted (if they really are) or quick learners on a rapidly-spinning academic treadmill. Parents do need to monitor their own impulses to make sure that the child is receiving what the child needs, rather than that the child is being pushed into some "dream mold" to please the parents' egos. That's a level of adult introspection which I know I have found difficult throughout these many years of homeschooling.

 

I hope the little girl also will have a friendly homeschooling group for making friends and for exploring enjoyable activities.

[ElizabethB]

The Singapore IP books are a great supplement even if she goes with another math program, my daughter loves the puzzle type challenging math problems in them.

 

It is hard to find age appropriate material for a young child who reads well. My daughter read mostly board books in K, she still reads a few (They are actually written at a fairly high grade level, they're written for an adult to read to a child.) She likes non-fiction best, anyway, so that's pretty easy to find things that aren't emotionally overwhelming yet are interesting to her.

 

She also really enjoyed Real Science for Kids Chemistry. You can view the whole book online and see how it will work for you before purchasing. For the rest of our science, we just used library books, but there are not many good library chemistry books out there, the RS4K Chemistry is great.

[melmichigan]

I would second the earlier recommendation that you remember to let them move at their pace at this age. My oldest DD is 9 and by choice is now doing junior and high school classes. My younger girls are doing Sonlight Core 1 with SOTW, Singapore Math, VE, HTW, heavy science with Neo and Pearson grades 1-3 life science with lots of experiments because they love science. They have access to Unique Reader, and EPGY math and ELA online. I use my local library a ton and always have lots of books around for them to read. They each have well used library cards. I follow their lead with any higher reading, science or any interest that they have. They will lead if you let them, remind her to enjoy the ride because it can be fast and furious!:lol: And then you wonder, what will we do for high school? Luckily there is always more you can study.;)

 

My girls love the local YMCA homeschool gym and swim program and look forward to it every week. Please remember these things in the curriculum too.

Edited August 20, 2009 by melmichigan

[Mandy in TN]

What I am using with Doodle is in my signature.

 

OTOH- the accelerated board responses seem to indicate that a large group of those families like Singapore math and Michael Clay Thompson LA.

 

My thoughts on history/ social studies and science would be to keep them at grade level for the time being and go broader if she shows an interest in a particular topic.

 

Later if she is doing high school math or if she shows an interest in something particular I would then accelerate/ use a higher level of science. Also, history is a survey subject. I mean you could spend many years studying the founding fathers and still not know everything about them. So, stick to a spine that is grade level and allow her to read additional books on topics of interest that are appropriate for her level of reading and maturity. Don't discount the maturity factor. She may be able to read detailed accounts of the holocaust or the s*x lives of royalty, but does really need to at 7? And these are certainly topics that would be covered in a higher level text.

 

Oh, but I also agree that you should x-post this on the accelerated board?

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Amber in AUS]

I'd like to echo what a PP has said to enjoy the time and not burn them out academically. My DD is bright, reads almost at a adult level, spells well, maths well but will break down if frustrated.

 

We enjoy working through AAS at her pace, we enjoy Right start math at her pace. I am mindful of changing things up alot because she is easily bored but by presenting the information in a number of different ways she will continue to engage. She loves reading anything and everything and i let her go but don't push adults reads on her. Mostly her choosing is fun engaging childrens literature.

 

She writes well and can tell me long stories. We work on verbal narration where she excels.

 

She does not enjoy anything workbook based. Whilst she is more than capable of completing the work she gets bored and doesn't need the repetition.

 

So i guess after all that it is important to watch the child and they way they respond. Move along at their pace providing the appropriate challenge without pushing hard. Building their knowledge base and let them enjoy being a little kiddo. Just my 0.02c.

[StaceyinLA]

I appreciate all the input. Here is what I suggested to her.

 

Singapore math

R&S English (she's gonna do the 2nd grade grammar book b/c of the phonics)

R&S Spelling (again, 2nd)

R&S Penmanship

R&S's little science book just for fun reading (she's gonna do some fun experiments with her too)

SOTW book 1 with the audio for breaking things up a bit

 

She will still be reading her fun chapter books, but add some fun little history readers as well - I'm gonna help her find some good Ancient stuff by checking out TOG books for that level and/or the Veritas books for that level.

 

I'll certainly encourage her to do the R&S grammar orally.

 

Does this sound reasonable?

 

This child is correcting her father's mistakes when he's reading or spelling, and he's no dummy! I think she will really thrive in the home school atmosphere.

[LibraryLover]

I

[Orthodox6]

I would add, nonetheless, that the teacher for this child should watch to see whether Singapore math fits the child's learning style, and also fits the teacher's learning/teaching style. The first math program selected often is not the best "fit" for the student. Posts scattered around the WTM boards confirm that there are multiple strong allegiances to a variety of math programs. In my own teaching years, I have had to use different math programs according to the particular child. Learning math is, well, idiosyncratic.

[Lolly]

I appreciate all the input. Here is what I suggested to her.

 

Singapore math

R&S English (she's gonna do the 2nd grade grammar book b/c of the phonics)

R&S Spelling (again, 2nd)

R&S Penmanship

R&S's little science book just for fun reading (she's gonna do some fun experiments with her too)

SOTW book 1 with the audio for breaking things up a bit

 

She will still be reading her fun chapter books, but add some fun little history readers as well - I'm gonna help her find some good Ancient stuff by checking out TOG books for that level and/or the Veritas books for that level.

 

I'll certainly encourage her to do the R&S grammar orally.

 

Does this sound reasonable?

 

This child is correcting her father's mistakes when he's reading or spelling, and he's no dummy! I think she will really thrive in the home school atmosphere.

 

Sounds great, but I would do the grammar as it is suggested. It really is not too much. Then, just let her have plenty of access to pens, pencils, markers, crayons, and paper!

 

Maybe something for music? Let her take up an instrument or add in a bit of music appreciation? Maybe something like Color the Classics?

[katilac]

A foreign language is a great way to interest and challenge academically gifted children.

[hsmamainva]

Story of the World is a great suggestion!

 

My 9yo also works above his grade level. We used all 4 of the SOTW books for history, and supplemented with Sonlight cores.

 

For science, I followed his interests and let him dabble in a little of this and a little of that. This year, he's using a high school Biology text and doing very well with it.

 

We used Singapore for a little bit, but it wasn't his "style". He uses Teaching Textbooks for math and works a grade level ahead in that.

[StaceyinLA]

adding a foreign language. I just think she wants to give herself a little time to adjust to what they get started with before adding.

 

I also think they will have her in some type of dance or music classes as well, after school, so she can keep up with some friends.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

what would you use??

 

 

So far, I have suggested Singapore Math and either A Beka or Rod & Staff English. If she goes with R&S, I think I'll suggest grade 2 because the child needs no phonics instruction at all. She is reading, and comprehending on at least a middle school level.

 

Any other/better ideas for math/english? What about science/history, etc.? Suggestions??

 

Are you certain about no phonics instructions? My ds reads at a 7.5 grade at the age of 7, but we still reviewed phonics. I did phonics in such a way as to teach/re-enforce spelling. I would consider checking out ElizabethB's posts on Webster's Speller and her phonics program or others. I and my ds enjoy using the 1908 Webster's Speller with my ds for spelling and dictation. It is free on Google Books.

 

Just my 2 cents:)

[melmichigan]

I would definately recommend the IG that goes with SOTW as well, especially at that age. My oldest DD even does some of the coloring to keep her hands busy when I'm reading.