Need some suggestions - 2nd grade

[parias1126]

My head is about to spin off! I was so excited to receive McRuffy Phonics and Math for my K'er and 2nd grader and start using it. Both children loved it when we started it. My K'er is still doing wonderful with the phonics. With Math, I find myself skipping a lot of lessons because it is just too easy for him.

 

Ill start with my 2nd grader because this is really the most important to me at the moment. It is taking us three hours or more to complete Math and Phonics (she is using 1st grade phonics because I felt we needed review so it is definitely not too difficult for her). By the time we finish, my head feels like it is going to spin off. I have a splitting headache today and dread doing schoolwork every morning. I am thinking that McRuffy is way too much busy work. I went and picked up a copy of FLL and WWE and started using those and she is doing WONDERFUL! They are so quick and get done with a SMILE! I spent so much on the McRuffy that I really didn't want to put it aside. I would love to be able to do History, Art and other things, but by the time we have spent four hours doing schoolwork, I am ready for a BREAK!

 

I am really just thinking aloud here because I have a huge headache! :confused: We used Math U See last year and it worked for a while, but then got a little too difficult for her and I felt she needed the repetition, not a mastery program which is why I went to McRuffy. But now the only way she is understanding the McRuffy "busy" work (workbook pages and such) is for me to pull out the Math U See blocks. I even toned down the McRuffy Math today and skipped some things (the response book you do before every lesson and didn't make her do all the skip counting). It still took an hour to complete! When we did Math U See, I don't remember it ever taking more then 30 minutes to complete one full lesson.

 

As far as the phonics goes, she is still not reading very well and the McRuffy phonics readers she absoultely loves! I am ready to scream though because it is taking forever to finish the busy work that is usually the same thing over and over each week. She will say, "ooooooo, not THIS again!" We are only on Lesson 20 and I am already hearing this. By the time we finish with her reading and phonics, she is so burnt out that I can't even get her to read a book to me. She will just get very frustrated and say, "I don't want to do this!" She has learned a lot from the McRuffy and is even getting 100% on her spelling tests which I am very suprised with because she doesn't do very well with spelling. She still can't remember how to spell the word, "was" when she needs to write it in a sentence. I finally told her this morning to just remember that "was" doesn't sound like "was" and sounds like "waaaas" (with a short "a" and "s" like snake). After that she says, "Before we start FLL, I am going to write you a sentence". She writes on her paper, "A boat was sicing." (Sicing is, of course, sinking) :D I think if she was concentrating, it would had been spelled correctly, but I was proud that she wrote "was" correctly and praised her for what she did do correctly. She has been taking the ETC book 2 with her everywhere she goes and has almost finished it in a week. She feels so smart because, of course, the book is way too easy for her and below her level...but, whatever works, right? ;)

 

I just want to scream and don't know what to change!

 

I think my K'er is doing just fine. I dont usually do a full curriculum for K. I usually just review the numbers 1-100, do a bit of addition, work with number lines, practice writing numbers, some work on shapes, etc. I bought a curriculum for him because he was already so far ahead just from sitting around playing listening to me do Math U See last year with my daughter, but now at the K level, it is too easy! :D He is an auditory learner. He learns so much just from listening while doing something else. Usually for K, I will just concentrate on reading, but he picked up a book and just started reading it on his own and pretty much taught himself all his letters and sounds.

 

It is so difficult working with children that are so different, especially when they are working together. I have a 2nd grader getting upset when I write 11 + 2 up on the whiteboard for her to answer me and the K'er is yelling, "its 13!! its 13!!" Ugh!

 

What to do ....

 

I would love any suggestions on what to do with my 2nd grader. As I said, she is doing fabulous with FLL 1&2 and WWE Level 1. FLL is amazing. She is so proud of herself when she is able to memorize a poem and runs around saying it over and over again. What can I add to this if I were to take away the McRuffy Spelling and Phonics? I really didn't want to do this as I spent over $500 on it becuase I ordered two subjects for two children. When I received the 2nd grade, I realized it was going to be too difficult for her so I went back and ordered 1st grade! :eek:

[Laurel]

I am ready to scream though because it is taking forever to finish the busy work that is usually the same thing over and over each week.

 

What do you mean by busy work? Is it boring worksheet work that is necessary for the repitition and review, or is it truly busy work, in the sense that it is not accomplishing anything, not teaching her anything? If it's true busy work, then why are you doing it? If she understands the concepts taught in the lessons, let her prove it to you, and then skip the busy work. If a certain part of a program is not helping you reach your goals, then don't use it.

 

Can you have your daughter read to you at a different time during the day? I could tell my beginning reader was exhausted at the end of phonics lessons, so I had her read to me at a different time. (For us, it was after lunch, right before quiet time.)

 

Also, would it be possible for you to do the lessons separately, away from each other, if your son is overshadowing your daughter. Maybe give her some individualized time while your son is in another room.

[parias1126]

What do you mean by busy work? Is it boring worksheet work that is necessary for the repitition and review, or is it truly busy work, in the sense that it is not accomplishing anything, not teaching her anything? If it's true busy work, then why are you doing it? If she understands the concepts taught in the lessons, let her prove it to you, and then skip the busy work. If a certain part of a program is not helping you reach your goals, then don't use it.

 

Can you have your daughter read to you at a different time during the day? I could tell my beginning reader was exhausted at the end of phonics lessons, so I had her read to me at a different time. (For us, it was after lunch, right before quiet time.)

 

Also, would it be possible for you to do the lessons separately, away from each other, if your son is overshadowing your daughter. Maybe give her some individualized time while your son is in another room.

 

Maybe I was wrong in calling it "busy work". It is the workbook pages that are required for each lesson. The way it is set up is that they do the same type of "worksheet" each week for each reader. There is a worksheet they have to do for each reader that has a sentence and they have to make "yes" or "no" as to whether it happened in the story or not. Then there are sentences that are in the reader that they have to find in the reader, fill in the blank and mark the page they found it on.

 

It is taking her forever to do these pages because she just doesn't want to do them. If I have her skip the workbook pages, then she really wouldn't have anything to do. The lessons consist of a bit of verbal teaching/instruction, then they do the workbook pages and handwriting workbook.

[Another Lynn]

I haven't used McRuffy - but is there some way you could use it differently without having to spend more money. What if you used the readers (since she likes them) and then figure out something besides the worksheet for reinforcement: narration? copywork from the reader? dictation of a simple sentence from the reader? dictation of new words from the reader? other?

[Laurel]

I haven't used McRuffy - but is there some way you could use it differently without having to spend more money. What if you used the readers (since she likes them) and then figure out something besides the worksheet for reinforcement: narration? copywork from the reader? dictation of a simple sentence from the reader? dictation of new words from the reader? other?

 

:iagree: It sounds like she just doesn't like worksheets. I'm not familiar with McRuffy, but I think maybe have her do a simple narration - retelling - of the reading would be sufficient. And then a copywork sentence.

 

Which, as I'm writing this, sounds like what you must be doing with WWE - so it may be overkill. What purpose do these worksheets serve? What is she supposed to be learning from them? Reading comprehension? (If so, you've already got that covered with WWE.) Grammar and word usage? (Again, covered with FLL and WWE.) Phonics? The reader must be for reinforcement of phonics rules, but is there anything about the worksheet that deals with phonics? If so, I would probably have her just do those parts. (Reading back over your post, I am assuming there is, as it also covers spelling.)

[brehon]

My head is about to spin off! I was so excited to receive McRuffy Phonics and Math for my K'er and 2nd grader and start using it. Both children loved it when we started it. My K'er is still doing wonderful with the phonics. With Math, I find myself skipping a lot of lessons because it is just too easy for him.

 

Ill start with my 2nd grader because this is really the most important to me at the moment. It is taking us three hours or more to complete Math and Phonics (she is using 1st grade phonics because I felt we needed review so it is definitely not too difficult for her). By the time we finish, my head feels like it is going to spin off. I have a splitting headache today and dread doing schoolwork every morning. I am thinking that McRuffy is way too much busy work. I went and picked up a copy of FLL and WWE and started using those and she is doing WONDERFUL! They are so quick and get done with a SMILE! I spent so much on the McRuffy that I really didn't want to put it aside. I would love to be able to do History, Art and other things, but by the time we have spent four hours doing schoolwork, I am ready for a BREAK!

 

<bolding mine> Seems to me that you have your answer right there. It sounds like that, for whatever reason, the McRuffy programs aren't working for her and FLL and WWE are. Is there any substantive difference between McRuffy & FLL/WWE?

 

I am really just thinking aloud here because I have a huge headache! :confused: We used Math U See last year and it worked for a while, but then got a little too difficult for her and I felt she needed the repetition, not a mastery program which is why I went to McRuffy. But now the only way she is understanding the McRuffy "busy" work (workbook pages and such) is for me to pull out the Math U See blocks. I even toned down the McRuffy Math today and skipped some things (the response book you do before every lesson and didn't make her do all the skip counting). It still took an hour to complete! When we did Math U See, I don't remember it ever taking more then 30 minutes to complete one full lesson.

 

Well, I wouldn't necessarily worry about whether or not your dd is using manipulatives or not. At her age, it's very normal to still need manipulatives with math work. Developmentally, it sounds like she's still in the "concrete" v. "abstract" stage. Does she conceptually understand the ideas when she uses the manipulatives? To me, this is the most important ideal in elementary mathematics. How many worksheets per lesson are there? How many problems per worksheet? Is there a way you could have her do, say, the even numbered problems and only work the odd numbered ones if she makes mistakes?

 

As far as the phonics goes, she is still not reading very well and the McRuffy phonics readers she absoultely loves! I am ready to scream though because it is taking forever to finish the busy work that is usually the same thing over and over each week. She will say, "ooooooo, not THIS again!" We are only on Lesson 20 and I am already hearing this. By the time we finish with her reading and phonics, she is so burnt out that I can't even get her to read a book to me. She will just get very frustrated and say, "I don't want to do this!" She has learned a lot from the McRuffy and is even getting 100% on her spelling tests which I am very suprised with because she doesn't do very well with spelling. She still can't remember how to spell the word, "was" when she needs to write it in a sentence. I finally told her this morning to just remember that "was" doesn't sound like "was" and sounds like "waaaas" (with a short "a" and "s" like snake). After that she says, "Before we start FLL, I am going to write you a sentence". She writes on her paper, "A boat was sicing." (Sicing is, of course, sinking) :D I think if she was concentrating, it would had been spelled correctly, but I was proud that she wrote "was" correctly and praised her for what she did do correctly. She has been taking the ETC book 2 with her everywhere she goes and has almost finished it in a week. She feels so smart because, of course, the book is way too easy for her and below her level...but, whatever works, right? ;)

 

Since your dd is still working on solidifying phonics, I really wouldn't worry about reading comprehension right now (aka those questions about the phonics readers). These are two very different skill sets and it doesn't sound like your dd has mastered the first one (phonics), yet. Just have her practice her phonics and reading. And, like Laurel suggested, break those up into two separate parts of the day.

 

I just want to scream and don't know what to change!

 

I think my K'er is doing just fine. I dont usually do a full curriculum for K. I usually just review the numbers 1-100, do a bit of addition, work with number lines, practice writing numbers, some work on shapes, etc. I bought a curriculum for him because he was already so far ahead just from sitting around playing listening to me do Math U See last year with my daughter, but now at the K level, it is too easy! :D He is an auditory learner. He learns so much just from listening while doing something else. Usually for K, I will just concentrate on reading, but he picked up a book and just started reading it on his own and pretty much taught himself all his letters and sounds.

 

It is so difficult working with children that are so different, especially when they are working together. I have a 2nd grader getting upset when I write 11 + 2 up on the whiteboard for her to answer me and the K'er is yelling, "its 13!! its 13!!" Ugh!

 

What to do ....

 

I would love any suggestions on what to do with my 2nd grader. As I said, she is doing fabulous with FLL 1&2 and WWE Level 1. FLL is amazing. She is so proud of herself when she is able to memorize a poem and runs around saying it over and over again. What can I add to this if I were to take away the McRuffy Spelling and Phonics? I really didn't want to do this as I spent over $500 on it becuase I ordered two subjects for two children. When I received the 2nd grade, I realized it was going to be too difficult for her so I went back and ordered 1st grade! :eek:

 

I don't use FLL, WWE, or McRuffy, so take this with a grain (or two) or salt. Do you really have to replace spelling right now? If you think about it, spelling is the reverse of phonics. Concentrate on phonics using the McRuffy readers/program, but only work on the phonics portions. Don't worry about any type of reading comprehension questions. IIRC, FLL & WWE incorporate narration and dictation excercises which you could use to help with spelling. For both math and phonics make sure your dd has those foundational skills down cold. As you know, everything else builds on those two skill sets.

 

I know you spent a lot of money on the McRuffy programs. Is there any way to return or sell some/all of the programs? It really sounds like your dd is flourishing with the readers and FLL/WWE combination. Stick with what works.

 

As far as your son, send him to another room to read, play legos, color, etc while you work with your dd - especially in math. This will help minimize any potential self-esteem problems she might develop.