Another S/O reposting a worthwhile thread

[Just Robyn]

My oldest ds will be in 4th grade next year, his last year in grammar stage. Part of me sees this as one last year to focus on fun and interests. Part of me sees this as one last year to prepare him for what's to come in logic stage. Is there advice that all you logic stagers can give to those of us coming up on it? What is the most important thing (if there could be just *one*) a child should know or be comfortable with doing as they enter logic stage? What are the things I should really make sure we work on next year, if we haven't done so already?

[Capt_Uhura]

I would listen to SWB's Independence MP3. I'm finding w/ one in logic stage and another in grammar stage and a preKer, I'm spread pretty thin. I've started working on independence and ownership of one's learning w/ my 5th grader. I'm only just starting so I can't give you any BTDT but those are my thoughts going into logic stage.

[Carol in Cal.]

For my DD the transition to the logic stage was less abrupt than some. Mostly I just kept on going with what we had been doing, at a slightly higher level. I asked for more writing, we continued with math, we worked on outlining, more experiment writeups, more literary discussions. But really, this was not a big transition like going into high school. It was far more gradual.

[DianeJM]

Maybe 4th grade won't be his last year in grammar stage; isn't it a matter of maturity, and sometimes boys mature later. Both my sons in 4th grade were definitely still grammar stage, but I could see the writing on the wall, they were approaching logic. Both my boys have summer birthdays, and we held them back a year, so they were older than other 4th graders. The most noticeable sign, to me, of impending logic stage was their argumentativeness!! It's enough to make you wish for the preschool years again! Now, at 12, my youngest ds is full-blown "pert". Sheesh, what a pain. Arguing about Every. Little. Thing.:banghead:

Blessings,

[amyco]

My ds was a textbook transition to logic stage from 4th to 5th grade. Some things I'm grateful he knows well: math facts, handwriting skills (though if a child still struggles, it's a good age to start a typing program, because there is a lot more writing in logic stage), narrations, and spelling/phonics rules.

 

So I agree with the OP that it's a great age to focus on some fun things! And also it's a great time to solidify some skills.

 

I also agree it's a great age to start fostering independence. One thing I like to do with my ds is let him read his book (e.g. something like Tales of the Greek Heroes) then have him choose one or two chapters to narrate. That way he gets to practice narration, feel like he has some choice in things, and not be overwhelmed by a longer book.

 

It's a fun age!!

[Just Robyn]

Thank you. Okay, this is all good to think about. The independence thing is something I was already thinking about as much for the sake of my ds learning to take charge as for matters of time constraints. I feel like with my youngers getting older and needing to do more real school work, if I keep doing things like we are I'll have to have one of my dc doing their school work third shift! So my son working independently is definitely something I've thought about. For some reason, though I was looking at the audio downloads just a couple of days ago, I must have glazed over the lecture on working independently. I've just downloaded that now.

[Colleen in NS]

My oldest ds will be in 4th grade next year, his last year in grammar stage. Part of me sees this as one last year to focus on fun and interests. Part of me sees this as one last year to prepare him for what's to come in logic stage. Is there advice that all you logic stagers can give to those of us coming up on it? What is the most important thing (if there could be just *one*) a child should know or be comfortable with doing as they enter logic stage? What are the things I should really make sure we work on next year, if we haven't done so already?

 

I haven't found that grade 4 was the last year to focus on fun and interests. I have found, that as we continue along in learning various skills, reading through history/literature, and reading/experimenting through science; that the fun and individual interests have continued. Yes, the work has gotten a little more involved, but as my logic stage son learns certain skills bit by bit without pressure from me, it gets easier for him to do his work. For example, I started off this year (grade 7) with slowly teaching him how to do a 3-level outline. I maybe had him do this on 3 paragraphs for several weeks. Eventually he got comfortable with the process, and I could then say to him, "OK, do 5 paragraphs." and 6 and 7 and so on.

 

I don't think there is any *one* thing that is most important that a child should be comfortable doing as he/she enters logic stage. I think that the child should simply be comfortably progressing along in various academic skills (math, grammar, handwriting, spelling, narration/dictation, reading, memorizing). You'll introduce various "logic stage" skills, but it won't happen all neatly at the beginning of grade 5. I will say that one thing *could* have been seen as a hindrance to "logic stage" with my son was that he had a very hard time in grade 4 with writing a paragraph's worth of a narration. I was under the impression that I had to get him up to two or three paragraphs before he'd be ready for logic stage. Not so. The thing that helped me was hearing SWB say that if a boy could write two or three sentences of a narration by the END of grade 4 without complaining of a sore hand, that this was a helpful thing. But you know, even if he couldn't by then, it would still be OK, because I would still work on that with him into 5th grade, and eventually he would have learned.

 

My dd10 is in grade 4, and I don't feel pressure to have her to a certain level in anything by June - she is progressing in her academic skills. I do hope she can write her own 2-3 sentence narrations by then, but if she can't, she will be able to sometime in grade 5, and then we'll start learning outlining. She also is still getting confident with spelling, and that's OK. She has progressed and will continue to progress.

 

As for what to work on next year for grade 4, I would say just keep progressing in those basic academic skills.

 

The thing that has been most helpful to me is to have a rough outline (WTM plus any associated audio lectures) of how academic skills should progress, and then to follow that in my children's own timelines.

 

I've just downloaded that now.

 

This was a really helpful lecture to me. I will say, though, that it's a rough outline, and there is no need to adhere to the particular grade levels in progress. They are goals to go for, yet if your child is on a different timeline in attaining independence in various areas, that is fine, too.