Jump to content

Menu

Where do you start?


Recommended Posts

I am a little overwhelmed trying to figure out a starting point for my DS this fall. He will be 5 in November. I will probably just do a lot of reading with him for next year, but I would like to at least figure out a starting point for math as well. Should I just start with kindergarten materials?

 

He took the WJ-III in November, and was normed as a first grader because his scores were too high to norm him as a kindergartener. (I guess this is common with early readers, once he is a little older, the reading won't be as out there as it is now.). He was mid first grade for math, and 3rd grade for reading (decoding & word recognition) 2nd grade for comprehension.

 

 

I'm not sure how well these grade equivalents match up to real world grades, so I'm very confused. :confused:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You don't really need materials yet for his age. If he's testing so high and is already reading, I'd just keep reading aloud to him (for pronunciation, vocabulary & comprehension skills), and work on addition & subtraction facts (that will help him much later). If he can count to 100, you're good in the math dept. through Kindergarten. If he's interested, you could get a kindergarten workbook (any) and go through that with him.

 

My daughter was reading in kindergarten, and I just got her a huge workbook that had all the subjects and she worked through it whenever she wanted to (which was every day for a couple pages). She read the directions herself, and then did the pages- which was easy for her to do, but gave her something to do and made sure I didn't miss anything she should have known (like telling time, etc). (That was a hard year for us because of a younger child who needed special attention and a baby).

 

If it's not required in your state to have him enrolled in school next year, you might just want another year of enjoying him and doing whatever you both find fun. Especially with two toddlers in the house. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Look at the scope and sequence and/or table of contents for the curriculum you'd like to use. Many K programs begin with teaching reading and basic math--it sounds like he doesn't need those skills taught and he'd be bored.

 

I would get a phonics primer (I use Phonics Pathways) just to make sure he has a firm phonics foundation so he can keep easily progressing with reading, good books for him to read (Sonlight is a great place to look for these, even if you don't use their program), a math program (we use Saxon 1 beginning at age 5), and something for penmanship (I like A Reason for Handwriting K).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TONS of library books on all different topics is a great way to both teach and to figure out strengths/interests, if you haven't already. Cheap workbooks help you figure out learning style/interests as well. For the first few actual curricula, try to find ones with samples to print out and try, or just buy used & try it out! What worked with my oldest doesn't work well with my next dd so I've been figuring out her K for the last few months. Using/reviewing samples helped a LOT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the great tips!

 

When you guys talk about cheap work books, are you talking about the kumon type books you can find at target or barnes and noble? Or is there somewhere online I should be looking?

 

 

Thanks again for the help!

 

Target/Wal-mart/dollar store workbooks. The kids burn through them so cheap is great, lol. I do like the Flash Kids Gifted workbooks at B&N as well! There are websites where you can print worksheets too, like http://www.education.com.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It depends on the child. Your son might be ready to use Singapore (placement tests online) plus some Miquon and Cuisenaire rods-super fun and great basics. FIAR is great (Five in a Row) for literature, even if your son is already reading. Lots of books, of course. Board games, card games (Uno) and memory games...Bingo is also really fun. Handwriting curriculum might be an option, if and only if he likes to write. Some boys take a while on that front. My son loved and loves lapbooks--currclick.com has some great cheap ones on all sorts of topics.

 

Above all, read, read, read. Search some of my old posts for book choices for an advanced 5 year old: lots of good suggestions.

 

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that you don't need a math program for K. But we did do math when my dd was 5yo. She hated workbooks, so I searched and found CSMP, which is free on the internet. It does a great job of teaching advanced concepts to young children. We used the 1st grade level and enjoyed learning about concepts, such as multiplication, fractions, negative numbers, estimation and probability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah don't worry about age or what 'grade' anything is. People are far too obsessed with those and fitting each child into the same little boxes. What matters is your child's mind. If he wants to start doing 'school', go ahead and start at whatever level he is at with quick reviews for any gaps he may have when you find them. If he's not into the school thing yet, find more organic ways of blending it into everyday life so that his mind can be challenged. My daughters really wanted to dive into school and do ciriculums, workbooks, ect. because the rest "was for babies" and "not real school". Other kids like things done other ways. If your son wants ciriculums, we loved Singapore Math, Apologia science, Story of the World for history, First Language Lessons, Spelling Power, with lots of library books and printing out papers with light gray writing for easy tracing of handwriting practice. That is what I finally jumped into using (and it worked wonderfully) when they started school after a long time of me trying to fight them off and get them to 'just be little kids'. Some kids minds just really take off early and age is certainly not a reason to hold them back because, at least for my kids, it seemed like more of a punishment to them when all they wanted to do was learn. The greatest thing for me what that what we were using was either just things to learn so no particular level (science, history, grammar) or they were things that had a placement test and would move at the pace of my child (math and spelling). Good luck and have fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would anyone like to help me figure out a math curriculum?

 

 

I am looking mostly at Singapore and MUS.

 

I'll probably get the k materials and run through them, I was originally going to go with first grade, but I gave my ds the Singapore placement test for 1A and he was all over the place. He can figure out addition, but there were a lot he wasn't sure how to approach. He got some of the word problems, but virtually none of the math "sentences." are the k curriculums really basic?

 

 

I think he is an auditory learner, he didn't do well last year at Montessori with the golden bead work, he is more abstract in his thinking. Did I just talk myself out of MUS? Lol.

 

 

So far my plan is to do hwt, the k level, a math, and maybe a LA or grammar program.

 

Can anyone explain five in a row to me? It looks interesting, but I am not sure if ds will re read the same book for a week, he hates repetition.

 

 

I appreciate the help and guidance!

Edited by someonestolemyname
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would anyone like to help me figure out a math curriculum?

 

 

I am looking mostly at Singapore and MUS.

 

I'll probably get the k materials and run through them, I was originally going to go with first grade, but I gave my ds the Singapore placement test for 1A and he was all over the place. He can figure out addition, but there were a lot he wasn't sure how to approach. He got some of the word problems, but virtually none of the math "sentences." are the k curriculums really basic?

 

 

I think he is an auditory learner, he didn't do well last year at Montessori with the golden bead work, he is more abstract in his thinking. Did I just talk myself out of MUS? Lol.

 

 

So far my plan is to do hwt, the k level, a math, and maybe a LA or grammar program.

 

Can anyone explain five in a row to me? It looks interesting, but I am not sure if ds will re read the same book for a week, he hates repetition.

 

 

I appreciate the help and guidance!

 

We love Singapore. Both of my dds are working through K, one at the beginning & the other towards the end. I'd burn through Essential K myself--at least volume B--to start on number bonds & firm up addition/subtraction methods.

 

My kids loved MUS but did NOT learn well with it. The funny methods (like the place values are all "houses" on "decimal street" did NOT translate to real numbers with dd, and the manipulatives were too distracting for my kids (one used them like legos, and the other was very OCD about their exact placement & couldn't get through half a page).

 

I have not tried FIAR but I have tried Before FIAR, the Pre-K/K version. Dd hated it. She loved the books, but in her words, "I don't want to LEARN about the book! I want to READ the book!" She was very tired of reading it over & over again & looking at the colors one time, or the shapes another, or the animals in it a third time, etc.

 

We are also using everything in my siggy :D

AAS and Prufrock Press logic books have been a big hit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We love Singapore. Both of my dds are working through K, one at the beginning & the other towards the end. I'd burn through Essential K myself--at least volume B--to start on number bonds & firm up addition/subtraction methods.

 

My kids loved MUS but did NOT learn well with it. The funny methods (like the place values are all "houses" on "decimal street" did NOT translate to real numbers with dd, and the manipulatives were too distracting for my kids (one used them like legos, and the other was very OCD about their exact placement & couldn't get through half a page).

 

Oh yeah, that sounds like it would irritate my DS. :lol: He wants things given to him straight.

 

 

I have not tried FIAR but I have tried Before FIAR, the Pre-K/K version. Dd hated it. She loved the books, but in her words, "I don't want to LEARN about the book! I want to READ the book!" She was very tired of reading it over & over again & looking at the colors one time, or the shapes another, or the animals in it a third time, etc.

 

Yep, I think this would be my DS too. :iagree:

 

We are also using everything in my siggy :D

AAS and Prufrock Press logic books have been a big hit.

 

 

I'll check it out, thanks a bunch!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would anyone like to help me figure out a math curriculum?

 

 

I am looking mostly at Singapore and MUS.

 

I'll probably get the k materials and run through them, I was originally going to go with first grade, but I gave my ds the Singapore placement test for 1A and he was all over the place. He can figure out addition, but there were a lot he wasn't sure how to approach. He got some of the word problems, but virtually none of the math "sentences." are the k curriculums really basic?

 

 

I think he is an auditory learner, he didn't do well last year at Montessori with the golden bead work, he is more abstract in his thinking. Did I just talk myself out of MUS? Lol.

 

My auditory learner loves CSMP. It is full of stories and discussion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We love Singapore. Both of my dds are working through K, one at the beginning & the other towards the end. I'd burn through Essential K myself--at least volume B--to start on number bonds & firm up addition/subtraction methods.

 

I would personally skip A though, unless your ds needs to practice writing numbers. That is the main thing a child you can count very well already will get out of A (although there are a couple neat things tucked in there). :001_smile:

 

Does your ds like manipulatives when he is doing math? If not, MUS manipulatives feel like busy work, IMO. If this is how he learns best though, it could be perfect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would personally skip A though, unless your ds needs to practice writing numbers. That is the main thing a child you can count very well already will get out of A (although there are a couple neat things tucked in there). :001_smile:

 

Does your ds like manipulatives when he is doing math? If not, MUS manipulatives feel like busy work, IMO. If this is how he learns best though, it could be perfect.

 

 

This is what I decided to do, thanks again for the help everyone!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can anyone explain five in a row to me? It looks interesting, but I am not sure if ds will re read the same book for a week, he hates repetition.

 

I think the repetition can actually be really good for smart early readers, because it helps encourage them to think about the book on a different level than just gobbling up the plot.

 

I blog a lot about our FIAR studies. There's not too much that's recent on my blog because we've had some vacation weeks and a long Ancient Greece study, but if you look at my sidebar you can see a tag cloud with all the FIAR books we've done. Click on one of the titles to get all the posts for the book - it'll at least give you an idea about how FIAR works for one family.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would anyone like to help me figure out a math curriculum?

 

 

I am looking mostly at Singapore and MUS.

 

I'll probably get the k materials and run through them, I was originally going to go with first grade, but I gave my ds the Singapore placement test for 1A and he was all over the place. He can figure out addition, but there were a lot he wasn't sure how to approach. He got some of the word problems, but virtually none of the math "sentences." are the k curriculums really basic?

 

 

I think he is an auditory learner, he didn't do well last year at Montessori with the golden bead work, he is more abstract in his thinking. Did I just talk myself out of MUS? Lol.

 

 

So far my plan is to do hwt, the k level, a math, and maybe a LA or grammar program.

 

Can anyone explain five in a row to me? It looks interesting, but I am not sure if ds will re read the same book for a week, he hates repetition.

 

 

I appreciate the help and guidance!

 

I don't know anything about the programs you're already looking at, but I thought I'd plug the program we're using: Math Expressions. Very hands-on, which has worked out well for us since we've been doing the K level at 4 years old. It's a series made for PS, and getting the books new they're stupid expensive. But I've always been able to get 'em at Amazon for cheap. For K I didn't buy the workbook: Monkey couldn't write when we started but was thirsty for the concepts, so we went as fast as I could figure out to accommodate the whole lack of fine-motor skills thing.

 

We do lots of manipulative work with the flannel board & misc. other things of his choosing. It's worked really well to do it this sort of way. Once I make the manipulatives, it's almost open-and-go. And I love the way they're presenting the material: it's setting up algebra right from the start of K. They emphasize "partners" in numbers - that is, the small numbers hiding inside the big ones. And the kids get used to seeing equations in all sorts of different formations:

3+_=5

5=3+2

3+2=_

and so on. They've got some fun body-in-space activities that they relate to math. Where we are at, they just spent a little while on patterns, and on Monday we'll start doing some adding with a "+1 pattern" where we'll use pennies to demonstrate what it looks like when you add 1 more from 1 to 10. If that makes sense. But they've actually been doing sneaky adding for a while with what they call "math stories." They'll have a picture, and ask the kids to make up stories and we look for numbers: 5 birds are in the tree, 3 fly away. How many are left? That sort of thing. We do them orally, and Monkey's doing great with it. If your DS is all over the place, it would probably be a quick trip through, and give him a strong base. Math was Monkey's favorite until we started doing science. We've been studying mostly birds while we're doing the biology/animal study that TWTM suggests, and he's loving that too. But it's often the case that if I get the math ready ahead of time and he sees it I have to come up with more because he wants to do it right then, and who am I to argue with that kind of enthusiasm?:tongue_smilie:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know anything about the programs you're already looking at, but I thought I'd plug the program we're using: Math Expressions. Very hands-on, which has worked out well for us since we've been doing the K level at 4 years old. It's a series made for PS, and getting the books new they're stupid expensive. But I've always been able to get 'em at Amazon for cheap. For K I didn't buy the workbook: Monkey couldn't write when we started but was thirsty for the concepts, so we went as fast as I could figure out to accommodate the whole lack of fine-motor skills thing.

 

We do lots of manipulative work with the flannel board & misc. other things of his choosing. It's worked really well to do it this sort of way. Once I make the manipulatives, it's almost open-and-go. And I love the way they're presenting the material: it's setting up algebra right from the start of K. They emphasize "partners" in numbers - that is, the small numbers hiding inside the big ones. And the kids get used to seeing equations in all sorts of different formations:

3+_=5

5=3+2

3+2=_

and so on. They've got some fun body-in-space activities that they relate to math. Where we are at, they just spent a little while on patterns, and on Monday we'll start doing some adding with a "+1 pattern" where we'll use pennies to demonstrate what it looks like when you add 1 more from 1 to 10. If that makes sense. But they've actually been doing sneaky adding for a while with what they call "math stories." They'll have a picture, and ask the kids to make up stories and we look for numbers: 5 birds are in the tree, 3 fly away. How many are left? That sort of thing. We do them orally, and Monkey's doing great with it. If your DS is all over the place, it would probably be a quick trip through, and give him a strong base. Math was Monkey's favorite until we started doing science. We've been studying mostly birds while we're doing the biology/animal study that TWTM suggests, and he's loving that too. But it's often the case that if I get the math ready ahead of time and he sees it I have to come up with more because he wants to do it right then, and who am I to argue with that kind of enthusiasm?:tongue_smilie:

 

 

OMG,my ds is obsessed with birds! I just ordered him a field guide from amazon. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OMG,my ds is obsessed with birds! I just ordered him a field guide from amazon. :)

 

Are you familiar with All About Birds and eBird? eBird is especially cool because they will keep a list of all the species you've seen AND real scientists will use the information you submit. I've been watching birds a couple years now and I've collected just under 50 species! Since we started doing the animal study, I made an account for Monkey & he's got 14 or 15 now too. It's surprising how quickly they add up! But if you do an account for your kids, do be careful about identifying information: it's pretty public.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you familiar with All About Birds and eBird? eBird is especially cool because they will keep a list of all the species you've seen AND real scientists will use the information you submit. I've been watching birds a couple years now and I've collected just under 50 species! Since we started doing the animal study, I made an account for Monkey & he's got 14 or 15 now too. It's surprising how quickly they add up! But if you do an account for your kids, do be careful about identifying information: it's pretty public.

 

 

Thank you! I'm going to check this out right now, it sounds awesome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...