Greenmama2 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 At what point did they begin to work independently? I'm concerned that DD who is not quite five is rocketing through first grade maths yet it feels wrong to me to give her second grade materials within a couple of months. I don't want to hold her back (she wouldn't stand for it anyway) nor do I wish to push reading. She is on grade level for that given that she would have started K at the end of Jan here is Aus. It's just that me reading everything to her because it would take her an hour and a half to read the directions on a Singapore page and less than five minutes to do the maths feels like to much hand holding to me. Has anyone btdt? Any helpful advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 I would just read any instructions or word problems to her while she is learning to read. I would keep math math and reading reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Oh yes, that's what we already do. I guess I need reassurance that it won't always be necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Oh yes, that's what we already do. I guess I need reassurance that it won't always be necessary. It won't :001_smile: My more mathy child wasn't reading when we started math and he would protest if I read everything to him now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 I'm not sure what you mean by "independently." If you mean, when was he able to work on problem sets, including word problems, without me sitting there every second, the answer is around 4th grade (he has dyslexia and ADHD). If you mean when was he able to teach himself math without my assistance, the answer is never, as I believe that if a kid is able to work that independently, the level is too low. Your child is four. Your lessons *should* involve lots of interaction. It is not hand holding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2smartones Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 My boys are opposites. One is the "read-y" child and the other is the "math-y" child. There was a time when they were both doing the same math, but one was reading at an adult level, and the other was reading at an age-appropriate level. They didn't care. They didn't view each other as smarter or dumber than the other brother. They knew they each had their own strengths. Give it time. Push through what's working well and ignore what's not. It'll all work out eventually. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Even if my mathy child could read everything on the page, he was still just 5yo. He still wanted to snuggle on the couch to do math. If he was working on drill work independently, I still needed to stay close to encourage him to stay focused or just to be available if he had a question. Drill work = Independent Lessons = Instruction My little man does Kumon math and that drill work is independent. I don't touch it. On the other hand, the rest of his math I teach. Math is a wonderful subject to explore- preferably alongside an instructor who can keep it fun and interesting while providing enough practice so the child feels successful moving forward. Definitely teach the lessons in the Singapore textbook. They are intended to be taught and then don't bat an eye if you still need to read the directions in the workbook. As a side note, I was/ am concerned that my ds's math level is so much higher than his reading level, so I searched for articles on math and visual-spatial giftedness. The articles I read repeated over and over that this is common. I read one article that began with Einstein didn't read until he was 6. Thomas Edison was kicked out of school. The list went on. They were all stories that I had heard before, but seeing them all together at the beginning of an article on math/ visual-spatial giftedness really drove the point home. This is how your daughter is wired. If she were gifted at violin, would you be concerned that she wasn't reading better? HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 At what point did they begin to work independently? I'm concerned that DD who is not quite five is rocketing through first grade maths yet it feels wrong to me to give her second grade materials within a couple of months. I don't want to hold her back (she wouldn't stand for it anyway) nor do I wish to push reading. She is on grade level for that given that she would have started K at the end of Jan here is Aus. It's just that me reading everything to her because it would take her an hour and a half to read the directions on a Singapore page and less than five minutes to do the maths feels like to much hand holding to me. Has anyone btdt? Any helpful advice? You've already gotten great advice, but I just wanted to give you a heads-up. In Singapore 2A, they start having "math problems" that tell the child to write out the numbers in words (e.g. write 543 as five-hundred forty-three). When I made my dd do these (as a 2nd grader) it lead to tears. So I wised up and let my 1st grader skip most of those problems when he got to that section. I try to think of them as spelling words that he's not read for yet. If I were doing the program with a K'er who wasn't reading well, I'd just skip the whole section. They can learn how to spell number words in a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2smartones Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Very true, Bonnie! I agree! Even a slower reader will recognize math words long before learning to spell them. I'm a GREAT speller, but even I mess up forty and fourty or ninty and ninety sometimes. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Thanks for the reassurance. I definitely didn't mean independent as in not teaching. I actually love doing math with her so I won't be skipping any teaching. Thanks for heads up about writing number words too. She actually likes writing more than reading so we'd probably attempt one or two then let it go if it seemed like too much work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 At what point did they begin to work independently? I'm concerned that DD who is not quite five is rocketing through first grade maths yet it feels wrong to me to give her second grade materials within a couple of months. I don't want to hold her back (she wouldn't stand for it anyway) nor do I wish to push reading. She is on grade level for that given that she would have started K at the end of Jan here is Aus. It's just that me reading everything to her because it would take her an hour and a half to read the directions on a Singapore page and less than five minutes to do the maths feels like to much hand holding to me. Has anyone btdt? Any helpful advice? Personally, I would just keep them separate. And my very early math saavy kid jumped 5-6 grade levels in reading over the course of his kindergarten year, so don't be surprised if that happens either! My kid just was not at all interested in learning to read early. And I didn't start homeschooling or know he was GT until later, so it wasn't on my radar to encourage him to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I would just read any instructions or word problems to her while she is learning to read. I would keep math math and reading reading. :iagree: My middle ds is more mathy and didn't read well until he was 6yo...not late, I know, but compared to siblings who read at 3yo, I was a little worried about him. I did just this...math was math and reading was reading. He was also the type of kid who just needed me to sit with him to do his work until he was almost 10yo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnegurochkaL Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 If you mean when was he able to teach himself math without my assistance, the answer is never, as I believe that if a kid is able to work that independently, the level is too low. Well, I do not agree with this statement. My child is 8 and she is doing Singapore math independently + Russian math lessons which had been translated by me in advance. I think a mathy child will understand a new concept by analyzing the number manipulations. I don't sit with my oldest , because I have a 4 years old who is working on his math problems and needs a lot of attention, and help with translation. At what point did they begin to work independently? When my daughter was 4 she wasn't reading and I was reading everything to her. She was a late reader. She started reading when she was 6 years old but jumped several levels up in reading withing a month. I read everything to my 4 years old. My daughter also reading to him or helping with math when he is doing English based math. My daughter really started to work independently around 7, so your son still have a way to go:). Your child will be just fine. When he is ready, he will be reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 :iagree: My middle ds is more mathy and didn't read well until he was 6yo...not late, I know, but compared to siblings who read at 3yo, I was a little worried about him. I did just this...math was math and reading was reading. He was also the type of kid who just needed me to sit with him to do his work until he was almost 10yo. This was so reassuring. Thank you! BTW, I love your blog :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 This was so reassuring. Thank you! BTW, I love your blog :001_smile: You're welcome. Every child is different. I think once we finally accept that as parents we can relax a bit about things. Thanks for checking out my blog.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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