How do you build retention or ... are my kids even learning?

[plain jane]

How do you help your kids retain the material that you are teaching and going over with them? Some days I feel like all my efforts are in vain and I start wondering if I'm simply doing poor job of educating them. :willy_nilly:

 

For example, back in Oct/Nov we covered simple machines. We talked ad nauseum about the different kinds and reviewed daily, in the car, notebooked, looked for examples IRL for several weeks, etc. Same thing for the different classes of levers. I thought the kids (gr5 and 2) knew their stuff. FFWD to now, you'd think they never covered this stuff in their lives. :glare: What's a simple machine? :001_huh:

 

Now we are covering light and learning about the electromagnetic spectrum. They seem really interested, we did some Dinah Zike activities, some labs, etc. I'd like for them to retain some of this and for it to not fall away like our previous science units.

 

These are just small examples- humor me, it's the middle of the night and this is on my mind. :001_unsure:

 

Am I doing something wrong?

 

I guess that's one thing I remember being good about school- the tests really encouraged me to review/learn/memorize/visit more than a couple times. :tongue_smilie:

 

I am following a science program (a combination of 3, actually :tongue_smilie:) so while I'm not scared of tweaking to suite my needs, I don't really know how to go about doing a better job.

 

What am I doing wrong? It's very discouraging to have a quick discussion about something you know you covered in depth a few weeks before and to be met with nothing but blank looks. :(

 

I should add that important things like grammatical concepts or math they are retaining- it's more in other areas, especially science.

[MomatHWTK]

I memorized everything for tests and forgot it the day after I took the test. I earned great grades, made it to college, the works- but I don't remember things if I'm not using them.

 

Now, your children may not remember what a "simple machine" is- but I bet if they needed to use a lever to make something work, they would remember how to use it. KWIM? Sometimes the knowledge is store in a way that doesn't represent well in written or spoken questions.

[Elfknitter.#]

I hope that as well, but I often wonder how true that is. Part of the reason we homeschool isn't to hope there's a rote memory. By high school I knew the game of remembering x to pass y test, only to forget x and y the next day. While I probably couldn't remember everything I learned, I wish my high school and college days weren't about how to regurgitate what I learned and then drop it to learn the next thing the teachers/ professors wanted to hear.

[G5052]

I used to be amazed at this sort of thing, but it is quite normal. I find now that mine are in the logic/rhetoric stage, the information does indeed stick. Otherwise when they're young, it tends to slide away unless it is reviewed a lot.

 

I've also observed that mine have completely forgotten the majority of the fun projects and field trips we did in the early years. Yup. Gone. We had fun though!

[Mandy in TN]

I used to be amazed at this sort of thing, but it is quite normal. I find now that mine are in the logic/rhetoric stage, the information does indeed stick. Otherwise when they're young, it tends to slide away unless it is reviewed a lot.

 

I've also observed that mine have completely forgotten the majority of the fun projects and field trips we did in the early years. Yup. Gone. We had fun though!

 

:iagree: Social studies is a survey subject and in elementary school science topics are survey subjects. The information you are exploring with your children isn't necessary to understand the next topic. People often do not retain what they don't use.

 

OTOH, the tiniest bit of recall on a topic will allow a middle school/ high school student to move more quickly and deeper with greater understanding, so the things you are doing now are not pointless. Just don't expect them to be able to recite science or social studies information because you taught it to them a few months ago and expect nearly all of the early grades survey topic info to be gone when you hit it again in middle school.

 

Mandy

[Riverland]

nm

[Crimson Wife]

Science and history in the grammar stage are about exposure, not mastery. I actually think that it's fine for a family to skip them entirely and focus on the 3R's if that is their desire. I do teach science and history from K-onward, but I don't worry about retention at this stage.

[plain jane]

Thanks for the replies, all.

 

I wanted to clarify that my oldest is in 5th, and not just grammar stage anymore. I'm not worried that they are forgetting as I realize a big part of the problem is that we're not constantly reviewing the material.

 

I probably shouldn't post late at night :lol: but a big part of my question was *how* I can help with retention of things that we cover, especially in the middle school years. We're using Elemental Science and Noeo together (plus they are doing Exploration Education) but none of these programs have any review. This puts a lot of the onus on me to come up with quizzes or whatnot in order to help bring what they've learned to the forefront again.

 

I realize that covering simple machines for a couple weeks isn't going to etch that into the memories forever, but since they're getting older, I would like to hear what others are doing to help them remember topics better.

[stephanie]

:grouphug:

[Heather R]

Maybe your oldest is too old for this, but my 2nd grader loves making lapbooks, notebooks, whatever, about science and history topics, and then getting them out regularly and reading through right from the beginning. It can be frustrating, actually, when I say "Get our your history notebook and glue this thing-y in" and she starts back at page 1. :tongue_smilie: A one minute task can take 20 minutes! But, it is excellent for her retention.

 

Hope you figure something out. :)

Heather