Transitioning from PS to home...2nd grade

[Stratford]

Delurking to introduce myself....

 

We've decided to homeschool our oldest DS next year for the second grade. As thrilling as this is, and it IS thrilling, I'm completely overwhelmed by the number of options out there. Homeschool curriculum is mind-boggling.

 

My biggest concern is finding the correct placement for him....he's an advanced learner overall but is behind in some areas (such as handwriting - it wasn't addressed in public school AT ALL in the first grade. Neither was spelling but not sure if this is a big deal or not?) He is reading well above grade level. For math, I think a placement test will be fairly accurate, but I worry that switching styles of math will result in gaps in his understanding. (They are using Everyday Math in school. Not a fan.)

 

Other than planning on playing catch-up to some degree, does anyone have any insight/advice to offer regarding the transition between public school curriculum and homeschool?

[blakereese]

hi there and welcome! :001_smile:

 

I had to reply to your post, as I was very recently in the exact position. I started homeschooling this year and my son is in 2nd grade. He needed handwriting help (he's a lefty and so he really needed the extra attention) and was reading very well. They also were using Everyday Math (ugh!!) at his school. So I can relate. :)

 

First, my advice would be to start slow. Your son will need some adjusting and so will you. Are you keeping him in school the rest of this year? You could start one subject now, sort of afterschooling very slowly, just to get to know his learning style, your teaching style, and to try out a program. Maybe handwriting would be a good place to start. Handwriting Without Tears is an excellent program, but check out all of the options out there. You may like a certain font, or he may already be writing or learning to write a certain way and you may find the program to help with that. Just start with a page every day or so, and ease into your new role. :)

 

I would do the same with each subject, just so it isn't overwhelming at first. It really can be hard on the child at first to adjust to being at home, even though it is the right thing to do. Also, it is easy to get excited about all of the curriculum choices out there and go crazy buying it all. ;) Take your time and really know what you are buying. There are also a lot of sites to buy used items, which is great when you are starting out. You can look here at the sale board, it is starting to get busy as everyone is selling their books from this year. And check out Homeschool Reviews for reviews and comments on curricula.

 

You'll get lots of advice about math. There are so many good programs out there, and I think it is good to go with something that YOU can teach well. You can do a placement test for most programs, but I would be tempted to go back a level, even if it is only for a quick review. Like you mentioned, there may be gaps. And even though it was only first grade, many of the homeschool math programs start a solid foundation in the first grade, especially in mental math. (and mental math is one area where everyday math is lacking, and is a very important skill IMO) Take a look at Singapore and Math Mammoth, they may be helpful for you. Ask specific questions and you will receive really good advice here. I know I have. :)

 

One last thing...find a local homeschool group as soon as you can. It is really nice to have that in person support when you are starting this journey. It is also great if you can meet up with people and your son can meet other children who are homeschooling. It makes the transition easier, especially if he is missing his school friends. And it is good for you to be able to talk with other parents...they can help you with choosing curricula and can tell you about any opportunities in your area for homeschoolers. Sometimes you may even be able to take a look at books they are using to see if they would work for you and some groups have sales or trades between members. You may be able to find a group on yahoo in your area.

 

OK, I've written a book it seems. :) Let us know if you have any concerns and questions, we are happy to help!

[Stratford]

Thank you! (And I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who dislikes Everyday Math....)

 

We are keeping him in school for the remainder of the year. We've thought about afterschooling, perhaps just working on his handwriting would be a good way to ease in and get him up to speed. So much to think about!

[Ellie]

Delurking to introduce myself....

 

We've decided to homeschool our oldest DS next year for the second grade. As thrilling as this is, and it IS thrilling, I'm completely overwhelmed by the number of options out there. Homeschool curriculum is mind-boggling.

 

My biggest concern is finding the correct placement for him....he's an advanced learner overall but is behind in some areas (such as handwriting - it wasn't addressed in public school AT ALL in the first grade. Neither was spelling but not sure if this is a big deal or not?) He is reading well above grade level. For math, I think a placement test will be fairly accurate, but I worry that switching styles of math will result in gaps in his understanding. (They are using Everyday Math in school. Not a fan.)

 

Other than planning on playing catch-up to some degree, does anyone have any insight/advice to offer regarding the transition between public school curriculum and homeschool?

Welcome. :)

 

My advice? Don't overthink it. Don't obsess over "placement."

 

He's too young to worry much about "gaps" in his understanding, not for a child that young. My advice: pick something. Modify if necessary. It will be fine.

 

If he reads well, then you don't have to worry about that. Let him read good books.

 

Spelling? Not that important for a 6yo. Since you recognize that it could be an issue, you'll be able to work on it. It will be fine. (You'll notice that people who have never sent their dc to school still ponder what to do for spelling, BTW, so it isn't just because your ds's school didn't work on it.)

 

Penmanship? You've figured that out, too, and you'll be able to work on it.

 

History, science...no worries. Pick something that looks good and go with it. He's just little. It will be fine.

 

In short, don't spend a truckload of money. Don't obsess. Pick something. You can easily make changes as you go along. It will be fine.:D

[FO4UR]

Welcome. :)

 

 

In short, don't spend a truckload of money. Don't obsess. Pick something. You can easily make changes as you go along. It will be fine.:D

:iagree:

 

I'll add...focus on the basics, and add one subject at a time. Start some handwriting after school now, add math this summer, and just continue adding in subjects as you build routine in your day. (Handwriting (15min), math (15 min), and reading library books this summer will probably "catch him up" well at his age.)

 

You probably don't need to spend $ on a handwriting program right now if you know how to properly form letters. Just teach him.

 

As for math, pick something you will want to teach. I think Miquon, Singapore, Rightstart, MEP , and Math Mammoth are ALL fantastic math programs. Pick the one you can see yourself teaching consistently. (Though...if you have a little pencil-phobe, I'd consider that when picking a math. Math Mammoth has quite a bit of writing while Miquon has little, for ex.) And...be careful around these parts or you'll end up owning ALL of these fantastic math programs.:tongue_smilie::lol:

 

As for math placement, I'd start at the very beginning and let math be easy over the summer...allowing him to accelerate as needed.

 

As for spelling, I'd pick something phonics-based in order to cover any phonics missed in ps.

[boscopup]

Welcome! We just switched in the middle of first grade from private school to homeschool. I totally love it! Like you, my son was ahead in math and reading, struggling a bit with writing. That's pretty typical for a boy, btw.

 

For the spelling, I would make sure your son has a good knowledge of phonics. A lot of "early readers" (the ones that teach themselves to read before anyone teaches them in school) don't have a lot of phonics skills. Some kids will pick the phonics up on their own, but some don't, and those kids will have issues with spelling unless they just memorize every word, which only gets you so far. :)

 

For math, don't worry about placement yet. First, figure out which program fits you and your son. Then take the placement test for that program to see where you need to start. Don't worry about grade level or anything like that. At the beginning of first grade, my son placed in Saxon 2 on their placement test (they used Saxon at his school), but I started him in Math Mammoth 1 and just worked quickly through it, skipping parts he already fully understood, spending more time on concepts that were new. This worked really well for him (and note that MM has a lot of problems on a page, so I assign number of pages based on how much writing there is, plus I will sometimes have him do only half the problems, as the author of the program recommends that for those pages with a ton of problems).

 

For writing, check pencil grip and letter formation. If both are ok, I'd just do some copywork and make sure you watch him during copywork in the beginning. If he has problems with pencil grip and/or letter formation, you can fix those. We used Handwriting Without Tears to fix both of those issues, plus lots of copywork (by "lots", I mean one sentence a day, which my son would think is lots :lol:).

 

If composition is an issue for him, note that traditional schools often do a lot of creative writing, which many kids (especially boys) aren't genetically inclined to do. Listen to the audio lecture on the Peace Hill Press store website about teaching writing in the elementary years. It lays out an excellent plan, and SWB has boys herself and knows what they're like when it comes to writing. Seriously, listening to that lecture was a breath of fresh air for me. My son had come home from school with a journal folder full of writing prompts he'd copied but not put anything beyond the prompt. Creative writing was torture for him. He was not developmentally ready. NOW, we're using Writing With Ease, he's learning to do copywork, narrate orally (to come up with the good thoughts he'll eventually write), and soon he'll work on dictation (learning to hold a thought in his head and put it onto paper). Eventually, he'll put each of those individual skills together and be able to come up with a good thought and write it down. I've already seen his thoughts getting more and more complex - something that wouldn't have happened if he were having to worry about writing the thought down at this point.

 

Ok, writing rant over. :lol:

 

I agree with everyone else to take it slow, don't fret about history/science (I need to hear that myself sometimes, as I just finished fretting about history recently :tongue_smilie:), focus on the 3 Rs. Also, know that you will probably change your mind about curriculum, so don't necessarily buy the most expensive stuff. Try some things out first so you can see what you like and what style of teacher you are. That will help give you an idea of whether other curricula will work for you.

 

And google is your friend when researching curriculum on here. Look at the abbreviation sticky, and you can search this site via google, like to get a thread comparing Singapore and Math Mammoth, you'd type in the google search box "SM vs MM site:welltrainedmind.com" and get a bunch of threads. :) Look for pros and cons of each curriculum, but keep in mind that one person's pro might be your con or vice versa. And what works for one person may not work for you.

[Kathleen.]

Hi

Not to get off topic but I noticed the mention of everyday math. My now first grader had it in Kindergarten and what I had read about really turned me off. In the classroom though she was doing tons of mental math and it seemed like lots of the activities and classwork that at least one grade level ahead which really bothered me (e.g. counting to 100 by October, using money in a classroom store, double digit addition). At the time I bought the math journals for grade and they seemed harmless. My daughter does great with Singapore math (started in preschool) but when she went to a private school for Kindergarten the teacher was so concerned that it took until March to count to 100 and that she still used her fingers for adding. The math journals for grade 1 look okay. We Singapore and Miquon here and there and would never use everyday math but for those that are not fans please clue me in to why. I'm not a fan either but I haven't had much expetience with it. Please give me your views.

 

Thanks