SunshineMom Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 that my 6dd is reading at a 5th grade level (out loud to me) and doing 50 problems of three digit math additon and subtraction (carring/borrowing) daily. I am kind of worried... we are getting out of the box....I want to stick to a math program but she is wanting to do addition/subtraction worksheets. We are using Singapore 2A but we are out of the box so to speak. Do I let her run or pull her back? With reading....she was reading 3rd stuff but now suddendly (overnight) is reading 5th grade materials. She is jumping and I am trying to catch up. I am feeling a little nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 :grouphug: I don't have any good advice but I just want to let you know that I know how you feel. My 6 year old isn't doing math at that level yet (we are about to start 2A) but she reads about the same and I don't know what to do either. I feel unsure of myself almost daily about my abilities to be a good teacher for her. If she's like my dd, you'll have to run just to keep up with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 If she's capable of moving ahead, imo, let her go and run along. We've dropped our formal math program, because ds needed intensive work in some things and no work in others. If you have Standards of Learning for your area, keep those in mind and make sure she doesn't fall behind (it can happen). Make sure she knows the basics, but don't force her to stick with work that is beneath her ability. You risk forcing her to lower herself and eventually stagnating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Why *wouldn't* you teach her at her readiness level? Of course you're doing the right thing! Don't doubt yourself. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 (edited) Just meet her where she is. When my son was 5 and 6, I was struggling to find his level. I would find what I thought was a good program or spot within a program and--zoom--he would race ahead seemingly overnight. Recently when he's done that with math I've had him do just the textbook or workbook problems or we might do several lessons and then a practice exercise. We worked through much of 3A this way. Edited September 30, 2009 by EKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I agree with the other posters so far...meet her where she is. I have gone through times of relative calm where I feel confident in what I am doing with my 7yo dd and times of panic where I am concerned I am not able to keep up. I have come to accept the hills and valleys and expect them rather than worry about them. When she makes those huge leaps, I go along with her. It seems to be working just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Just let her set the pace. I posted about something similar recently, and got some good suggestions. I've been on these boards for a couple of years reading about an inevitable slowdown, or point at which accelerated learners hit a wall..... and I just kept waiting for it to happen. And it hasn't happened yet, so I'm letting dd (also 6) set the pace, especially with math and reading. She's plowing through Singapore 3A and loving it, so I guess it's all good. For reading, I went ahead and got a comprehension workbook at 5th grade level to intersperse with the novels I assign. The selections are all mysteries, which she loves, and she often asks to work on it "for fun." I recommend the Accelerated Reader book finder -- it lets you set reading level and interest level separately so that you get book suggestions that will offer a challenge without introducing lots of middle school themes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I agree with "work on her level." Also, some kids might do what my ds does. Sometimes my son plateaus for a while in an area. He doesn't really want to move forward. I am not always great at switching speeds or modes with him but I am trying! He kind of regressed at reading a bit but will occassionally pick up a 5th grade level if he is extremely interested in the subject - usu. nonfiction. Math has been similar, he will leap along for a while and then stall out, leap along, stall out, I try to deal and teach appropriately. it's not easy for me but perhaps I will get used to it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 that my 6dd is reading at a 5th grade level (out loud to me) and doing 50 problems of three digit math additon and subtraction (carring/borrowing) daily. I am kind of worried... we are getting out of the box....I want to stick to a math program but she is wanting to do addition/subtraction worksheets. We are using Singapore 2A but we are out of the box so to speak. Do I let her run or pull her back? With reading....she was reading 3rd stuff but now suddendly (overnight) is reading 5th grade materials. She is jumping and I am trying to catch up. I am feeling a little nervous. I know it sounds crazy that a child would actually like doing pages and pages of math on a single topic, but this is why my little guy does Kumon math. He can really get wrapped up in a particular topic. I know this isn't a popular choice on this board, but ds also does Saxon, because after pages of problems on a single topic it doesn't make sense to use a basal text that will again only cover a single topic. Saxon really adds in variety and assures me that the little guy is retaining the skills. As far as reading goes, I wouldn't be concerned at all. Sometimes kids grow overnight and need new clothes and sometimes kids have intellectual leaps and need new reading material.:001_smile: HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I let mine go ahead. If they aren't being challenged, they get used to not having to apply themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted September 30, 2009 Author Share Posted September 30, 2009 Thanks everyone for the reassurances...sometimes I just doubt myself and feel overwhelmed. I want to stay within the safety of a curriculum but it is becoming more apparent that teaching where the child is at can be somewhere else. I need to get comfortable being outside the box and let learning occur rather than trying to direct or control it's flow. Additionally, I hope to become more settled with the hills and valleys. Thanks for all your wisdom ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babysparkler Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I say just let her run... run along side of her and enjoy the ride :) My ds9 has always been running ahead and I was always worried about "holes" or "gaps", but he always managed to fill them in on his own. It wasn't until this year when he started Algebra 1 that he found his first challenge in math. After a brief "bucking" because he wasn't used to something requiring WORK, he jumped back on full-speed-ahead and is enjoying math so much more (I didn't think that was even possible). Had I held him back, he would have been utterly bored, but he is just thriving with setting his own pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermine Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Think of it another way. If she was younger and learned to walk at 8 months instead of 12, would you make her stop walking? :D You're not making a 8 month old walk... you're just not stopping her. :) Or if you had a slightly older kid who started peddling on a trike, but they weren't "supposed" to do that yet, would you take the pedals off? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bairnmama Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Think of it another way. If she was younger and learned to walk at 8 months instead of 12, would you make her stop walking? :D You're not making a 8 month old walk... you're just not stopping her. :) Or if you had a slightly older kid who started peddling on a trike, but they weren't "supposed" to do that yet, would you take the pedals off? :D I LOVE this! I hadn't quite thought of it that way even though I've been lurking on this board for quite a while. I'm feeling the same insecurities as the OP even though my ds is not even 5 yet and I haven't started "formal" school. I just let him play with the materials I have for dd and only do a lesson if he asks for it. He's just absorbing all that I'm trying to teach her and making his own connections so that in math, he's actually ahead of her understanding of concepts (he's figuring out multiplication on his own right now and telling me of his discoveries). I wouldn't even begin to know of a curriculum I could start him in when he reaches "school age". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 You just described what makes choosing curriculum so difficult for these kids, not to mention expensive at times. ;) Right there with you, hang on and enjoy the ride. :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Think of it another way. If she was younger and learned to walk at 8 months instead of 12, would you make her stop walking? :D You're not making a 8 month old walk... you're just not stopping her. :) Or if you had a slightly older kid who started peddling on a trike, but they weren't "supposed" to do that yet, would you take the pedals off? :D Ooh..do you mind if I borrow this analogy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermine Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Ooh..do you mind if I borrow this analogy? It's yours! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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