I think he's bored...but I don't want to skip too much.

[chepyl]

My son is 5, 6 in a month. In PS he would be in Kindergarten. We did K last year and he was doing mostly 1st grade work. This year we are in "first grade" but doing 2nd grade work. It is easy for him, but he needs to learn basic grammar and math concepts. We are working through Singapore 2A right now. We are almost through the addition and into the measurement section. He does not have his addition facts memorized as well as he should. There are a few where he struggles. BUT we struggle to get through the math, even when I cut out some problems. It is not too hard. When I point to a problem (396+148) he can do it in a matter of seconds; but he needs me to point to each problem and keep him going! School takes forever! Should I skip the rest of the addition and subtraction and go to the measuring and multiplication? I can have him drill on the xtramath website?

 

I don't want him to hate math, he is REALLY good at it. He understood the concepts of multiplicaiton and division last year, he can do basic algebra problems: ___ +6 = 13.

 

I want to challenge him without skipping over the basic skills he needs for future math, but I also don't want to fight over the work so much!

 

I have a similar problem with reading, too. He can easily read a 2nd-3rd grade book; but he can also read a 5ht-6th grade level book; he just does not have the concentration or attention span for the length. I have not found a book to get him excited about reading yet. He likes The Magic Tree House books, but he does not get excited to read a new one, I have him read a chapter a day. I want a book that he can't put down!

[TracyP]

Re reading: My ds can read longer books but he still prefers the shorter 2nd-3rd grade level books. Tornado and The Bears on Hemlock Mountain are two current favorites. You might try the Little House series. My ds was VERY into the first two but has stalled out now with Farmer Boy. Stone Fox is another I think ds will enjoy.

 

Re math: I can't figure the best way to handle my ds. :bigear:

[Embassy]

I can tell you what works for us. Maybe it will work for you too?

 

We do math on 3 levels:

 

Highest level: Introducing new concepts through things like living math books, DVDs, games

 

Standard level: Main math curriculum (we end up going faster because dc have learned much from exposure to higher level concepts previously)

 

Lowest level: Math facts practice. I don't let lack of knowledge of math facts stop our progress in either of the other levels, but I'm not going to skip it either.

 

Here is an example of one of my kids this year:

 

Highest level: LOF Fractions, CD-ROM math games, living math books, Fractals video

 

Standard level: Singapore 3B/4A with CWP and IP

 

Lowest level: Solidifying addition/subtraction/multiplication/division facts through practice

[Moonbeam Jones]

Some books that my just turned 6 year old enjoys are:

 

The Littles

Magic School Bus

Homer Price

Liza, Bill and Jed series by Peggy Parish

The Adventures of Series (Reddy Fox, Paddy the Beaver, etc) by Thornton W. Burgess

[EKS]

For little kid friendly higher reading level books, try picture books that are intended to be read aloud by adults to children. They are usually written at a 5th grade level (sometimes higher), but the format is more appealing to the younger crowd.

 

For math, keep working on the facts while continuing to move forward. It will be apparent if his slowness with facts is really getting in the way. If this happens, you can stop to practice facts for awhile.

 

Finally, you mentioned grammar. Practically every grammar book I've ever seen for the younger grades starts at the beginning. For example, we did GWG 3 in first grade and my son didn't miss anything.

Edited August 26, 2011 by EKS

[boscopup]

I agree with EKS on all points.

 

Reading: Stamina will come. Have you tried non-fiction books? My son really got into reading when I started getting some of those 3rd-4th grade level science and history readers at the library. They were EASY to read (you don't want everything he reads to be at his highest reading level, or it won't be fun), and they were interesting to a boy, with enough depth to not seem babyish. Now he's an avid reader, and he's starting to like some fiction too, plus he can read a long chapter book without freaking out at the length. I say don't worry about finding books at his reading level right now. Work on finding books he'll enjoy reading, regardless of level. He doesn't need to be reading hefty chapter books. Picture books are way more fun for a 5-6 year old! While he's academically advanced, he's still the age he is, and sometimes that factors in to what they can or are willing to do.

 

Math: We keep going. There is so much review built into math. Addition and subtraction are used in multiplication and divison. He'll be continually hitting it. Right now, we just started MM4A, but multiplication/division facts aren't quite cemented yet. He knows a lot of them. Sometimes he has to skip count them (especially 6, 7, and 8). That's ok. He won't get to long division until 4B, and that should be about 3-4 months away, I think. :tongue_smilie: So in the meantime, he's doing Xtramath.org (he enjoys it) to work those facts. I'm pretty confident that he'll have them by time we get to long division. He knows them well enough to handle multi-digit multiplication, which we'll do in 4A, so I'm not worried there.

 

I will sometimes skip a chapter or part of a chapter if my son already understands the material. I also sometimes do chapters out of order for variety. As many on this board have said, teach the child, not the curriculum. ;)

 

Grammar: From what I've seen, all grade 1 and 2 grammar programs are pretty useless to an advanced kid that picks up grammar easily. Grade 3 is where they start to move a bit, plus they get into diagramming (fun for mathematical minds ;)). A couple choices... 1) Skip grammar for a while and focus on other things (particularly if the physical act of writing isn't there yet), 2) Start with grade 3 grammar and just go on. Every year reviews grammar from the beginning in most curricula.

[Barbara H]

School takes forever! Should I skip the rest of the addition and subtraction and go to the measuring and multiplication?

 

I say trust your instincts and move on. If he needs more review later you can do it. It is easier to add in more review later than it is to rehabilitate motivation in a kid who has shut down on school because it is too repetitive and not on the right level.

[Tracy]

I am in a similar situation with dd6 who would be in 1st grade this year, but who is working at a 2nd grade level in math. When we did K, she truly hated math. I did not realize at the time that worksheets bored her to no end, and the material, though advanced for K, was still not challenging enough for her. I ended up with CSMP. She loves that we do the lessons together, and the worksheets are minimal (and even optional). We have covered topics already such as negative numbers, fractions, and multiplication. I love that I can teach her these subjects without needing a higher level textbook that she would not have the maturity for. These lessons are designed for the maturity and attention span of 2nd graders.

 

In reading, I discovered that while she was reading at a 4th grade level, she was just memorizing everything and wasn't able to apply phonics rules to new words. So we are using a phonics-based spelling program (SWR) to help with that.

Edited August 27, 2011 by tracymirko
Forgot a paragraph

[cmarango]

We do math on 3 levels:

 

Highest level: Introducing new concepts through things like living math books, DVDs, games

 

Standard level: Main math curriculum (we end up going faster because dc have learned much from exposure to higher level concepts previously)

 

Lowest level: Math facts practice. I don't let lack of knowledge of math facts stop our progress in either of the other levels, but I'm not practice

 

Thanks for sharing this. This is definitely something to ponder.

[jennynd]

I can tell you what works for us. Maybe it will work for you too?

 

We do math on 3 levels:

 

 

we do this too.

[2smartones]

We do the same ... math on 3 levels ... exactly like that.

[lewelma]

For Math, I say skip it. We sped through Singapore until it got challenging, and then slowed down and went at a "normal" pace. Any little thing that ds doesn't know is very easy to teach spur of the moment when required. This put my 1st grader in SM grade 4, but then we worked 1 grade per year in the IP books.

 

Also, start working on his concentration. I do paper chains. Start where he can succeed. "you can add a link to your paper chain if you can focus for 5 minutes on math." (make sure you clearly define focus.) Then build it up to 10 minutes, then 15, etc. Once the paper chain is a meter long, give a little prize.

 

Ruth in NZ

[chepyl]

I agree with EKS on all points.

 

Reading: Stamina will come. Have you tried non-fiction books? My son really got into reading when I started getting some of those 3rd-4th grade level science and history readers at the library. They were EASY to read (you don't want everything he reads to be at his highest reading level, or it won't be fun), and they were interesting to a boy, with enough depth to not seem babyish. Now he's an avid reader, and he's starting to like some fiction too, plus he can read a long chapter book without freaking out at the length. I say don't worry about finding books at his reading level right now. Work on finding books he'll enjoy reading, regardless of level. He doesn't need to be reading hefty chapter books. Picture books are way more fun for a 5-6 year old! While he's academically advanced, he's still the age he is, and sometimes that factors in to what they can or are willing to do.

 

Math: We keep going. There is so much review built into math. Addition and subtraction are used in multiplication and divison. He'll be continually hitting it. Right now, we just started MM4A, but multiplication/division facts aren't quite cemented yet. He knows a lot of them. Sometimes he has to skip count them (especially 6, 7, and 8). That's ok. He won't get to long division until 4B, and that should be about 3-4 months away, I think. :tongue_smilie: So in the meantime, he's doing Xtramath.org (he enjoys it) to work those facts. I'm pretty confident that he'll have them by time we get to long division. He knows them well enough to handle multi-digit multiplication, which we'll do in 4A, so I'm not worried there.

 

I will sometimes skip a chapter or part of a chapter if my son already understands the material. I also sometimes do chapters out of order for variety. As many on this board have said, teach the child, not the curriculum. ;)

 

Grammar: From what I've seen, all grade 1 and 2 grammar programs are pretty useless to an advanced kid that picks up grammar easily. Grade 3 is where they start to move a bit, plus they get into diagramming (fun for mathematical minds ;)). A couple choices... 1) Skip grammar for a while and focus on other things (particularly if the physical act of writing isn't there yet), 2) Start with grade 3 grammar and just go on. Every year reviews grammar from the beginning in most curricula.

 

We did read mostly non-fiction last year, and he loved those. Our library has a GREAT beginning reader section, it is full of non-fiction at a 1st grade level. He read most of the books that interested him last year. At the level he is on now, they don't have as much non-fiction. I cannot even get him to go to the picture book section with me.

 

I'm not trying to make him read just 5th-6th grade books, I want him to read some at that level, and some at the 2nd-3rd grade level. He likes science, maybe I can get him to read The Magic School Bus books.

 

I'm not really concerned about Grammar, he enjoys it and is good at it. We do it all orally.

 

For math, I think I will skip the remaining addition in the text and workbook and go on to the measurement section for something different (we have been working on place value, addition, and subtraction for a month now). I will keep him doing the IP addition and subtraction and throw in xtramath.org for drill. He loves computer games and challenges. I set myself up as a student, maybe if we have a little competition.....;)

[boscopup]

Magic School Bus, Let's Read and Find Out, DK Readers (includes history stuff).

 

And for fun, my son still loves Amelia Bedilia, Nate the Great, etc.

 

The books recommended in the SOTW AG are often good too.

[nov05mama]

My son is 5, 6 in a month. In PS he would be in Kindergarten. We did K last year and he was doing mostly 1st grade work. This year we are in "first grade" but doing 2nd grade work. It is easy for him, but he needs to learn basic grammar and math concepts. We are working through Singapore 2A right now. We are almost through the addition and into the measurement section. He does not have his addition facts memorized as well as he should. There are a few where he struggles. BUT we struggle to get through the math, even when I cut out some problems. It is not too hard. When I point to a problem (396+148) he can do it in a matter of seconds; but he needs me to point to each problem and keep him going! School takes forever! Should I skip the rest of the addition and subtraction and go to the measuring and multiplication? I can have him drill on the xtramath website?

 

I don't want him to hate math, he is REALLY good at it. He understood the concepts of multiplicaiton and division last year, he can do basic algebra problems: ___ +6 = 13.

 

I want to challenge him without skipping over the basic skills he needs for future math, but I also don't want to fight over the work so much!

 

I have a similar problem with reading, too. He can easily read a 2nd-3rd grade book; but he can also read a 5ht-6th grade level book; he just does not have the concentration or attention span for the length. I have not found a book to get him excited about reading yet. He likes The Magic Tree House books, but he does not get excited to read a new one, I have him read a chapter a day. I want a book that he can't put down!

 

We are in the same boat. My DS is working in Singapore 2A right now and I worry about him missing the addition facts...he has his own method of addition/subtraction and he's just really good at it. I don't want to make him HATE math with continuous review, but at the same time, I want to make sure we aren't skipping key skills.

Similar situation with reading as well. He doesn't have the stamina to read anything longer than a Frog & Toad type book even though he's quite capable of reading a longer book like MTH, etc. I haven't pushed this issue at all though. I am just letting him continue to read at a level he is content to read at and continue to get books that are progressively longer to help him build up the stamina. I know that stamina will come with time.

[Bang!Zoom!]

Acing Math one game at a time is fun.

 

It is card games plain and simple for reinforcement & speed in basics.

 

Look for the bright red icon on this site:

 

http://www.pepnonprofit.org/free-downloads.html

[go_go_gadget]

Your son sounds similar to my six year-old: he can read Homer unabridged but would rather read Nate the Great. We split the difference and he reads fourth grade-ish books for his "challenge" reading time (he's doing a chapter a day of Trumpet of the Swan right now), and whatever he likes for his quiet time in the afternoons and before bed. That way he gets the benefits of both the more challenging material and the speed-building from the easy reading.

 

In math, he can add two double-digit numbers in his head, but after four or five his brain starts to melt. I've split the worksheets I know are going to tire him quickly in two, and on days that he normally has a math game instead of a formal lesson he'll finish the worksheet, if there's one that needs doing. If your son is interested in multiplication, I'd go ahead and introduce the theory with a lot of manipulative work, but I wouldn't start on multiplication facts or written work until he has the addition and subtraction facts backwards and forwards.

 

These guys are still pretty young, and the concepts are there but not all of the maturity. I remind myself daily that it's a solid foundation we're building, and the concrete is poured but will dry at its own pace.

[chepyl]

Your son sounds similar to my six year-old: he can read Homer unabridged but would rather read Nate the Great. We split the difference and he reads fourth grade-ish books for his "challenge" reading time (he's doing a chapter a day of Trumpet of the Swan right now), and whatever he likes for his quiet time in the afternoons and before bed. That way he gets the benefits of both the more challenging material and the speed-building from the easy reading.

 

In math, he can add two double-digit numbers in his head, but after four or five his brain starts to melt. I've split the worksheets I know are going to tire him quickly in two, and on days that he normally has a math game instead of a formal lesson he'll finish the worksheet, if there's one that needs doing. If your son is interested in multiplication, I'd go ahead and introduce the theory with a lot of manipulative work, but I wouldn't start on multiplication facts or written work until he has the addition and subtraction facts backwards and forwards.

 

These guys are still pretty young, and the concepts are there but not all of the maturity. I remind myself daily that it's a solid foundation we're building, and the concrete is poured but will dry at its own pace.

 

We learned the concept of multiplication last year. He can work problems out in his head, our next step is paper work and facts. He only has a few addition facts that he is slow on, we are getting there. He flipped to the multiplication section today and got VERY excited! We will start measurement next week and then multiplication within a week. It will be a good change! I am holding off on the IPs until later. We can do IP 3 digit addition in the midst of text and workbook multiplication. We shall see, I am learning to be flexible :tongue_smilie:It is very hard for me!