Logic Stage Readiness

[Country Mouse]

I have noticed in several threads posters mentioning their dc not being "ready" for Logic Stage. I have read TWTM and the Logic Stage sections in particular and I understand that there is a shift in the way information is presented and digested. I guess I figured this was a gradual process and that dc transition from Grammar Stage to Logic Stage seamlessly. But I've never done it! So, I'm hoping those who have can elucidate this for me.

 

In your experience, what sort of signs of readiness should I be looking for in my 4th grade ds?

[Capt_Uhura]

SWB says it is when DC starts asking why questions and making connections in history and lit and science and begin to loathe repetition. :lol:

[Mommybostic]

I wasn't even homeschooling yet and I began to see this change in my son. To me, it's more that they begin to say things like, "But why did they do that?" Thinking begins to shift to more abstract areas, and so they can grasp more abstract things, which is why they can begin to understand things like why Rome really fell (this is the example used in TWTM.) The idea of government corruption is maybe just a little too much for grammar age students to grasp, but the logic stage kid begins to "get it."

 

I don't think that it's a very black and white thing, but when you are with your child all of the time it's just something you gradually begin to notice. My son and I are big "talkers" and we have some very interesting discussions. I began to notice that some of the discussions began to get a little deeper. I think that was the first and most telling indicator.

 

In short, his questions became harder to answer!

[SkateLeft]

In addition to the things that previous posters mentioned, I noticed an increase in argumentation. My girls started challenging things they were reading and hearing a lot more, and just being more critical about everything. My son still reads his history book and says, "Wow, so that's what it was like!" My middle schooler says, "Well, this author has an interesting point of view, but it sounds kind of biased to me."

 

In her audio lectures on middle school writing, SWB does a good job of categorizing the logic stage kid, and I thought it was pretty funny. At one point, she talks about how they can do things, but sometimes they just don't see the point and can be lazy about some stuff. She says that they're also becoming more capable of being critical about their own work when they write, thinking, "This sounds stupid. I sound like an idiot." And they don't want to sound like an idiot. That's different from the criticisms my grammar stage kid has about his writing. He's not happy with how it looks sometimes, or his spelling, but he's not as critical of the content of what he writes, if that makes sense.

[Capt_Uhura]

There isn't that big a jump in the curricula, unless you're using something like TOG (Never seen it but I think it's organized by the Trivium) but even then I would then that 5th grade material wouldn't be as "logical" as the 8th grade material, KWIM? ....just move to the next level. She'll likely be there in some subjects and not others. You just see where she is in each subject and adjust your expectations accordingly.