Another MCT Question - Placement

[tagglelim]

Hello!

 

I just asked a question about MCT, but now I have another! :)

 

Placement - could my third-grader daughter handle MCT Island or should I wait a year or two?

 

She is bright and reading at a very high level, but I don't know that she is "Gifted & Talented". The program asserts itself to be for such a group, which makes me wonder if I should wait.

 

Thanks!

[Caitilin]

I think yes, very likely she would do fine with it. HSing allows for so much more one on one that you can move at her pace easily to make sure she is getting it.:001_smile:

[Crimson Wife]

Yes, but be aware that she may not be able to continue straight on the following year to the "town" level. There are pretty big jumps between MCT levels, especially in the writing.

[Alice]

I see you did FLL. We did MCT Island for 3rd grade and found it to be pretty easy, I think FLL had prepared my son very well. I’d say he is similar, bright and a good reader but I’m not sure if he is truly “Gifted”.

[zoo_keeper]

We did the Island level last year (older daughters were 4 and 6), and they both got loads out of it. However, based on others advice (such as that in this thread), we're spacing out the program. I'm planning on completing a level of Killgallon and KISS before doing the Town level. Essentially, I think I'll keep rotating like that, switching off between the MCT and Killgallon/KISS.

[Chrysalis Academy]

:iagree:with the advice you've gotten here, Island seems fine for a 3rd grader, but the difficulty level does not increase in a linear fashion. I think there is an epecially big jump between Town and Voyage. I think Essay Voyage looks completely fantastic, and will not be starting it until I'm sure dd is at an age and maturity level to really get the most out of it. That may or may not be when we finish Town, so I would consider doing KISS and/or Kilgallon between the two levels. We'll see when we get there.

 

That's the point, really - just be aware that your dc may or may not be ready to move straight into the next level, and if they aren't, that's normal, so it's fine to do something else in between. And you don't have to do the levels all as a "package" - for example, we'll finish CE 1 and start CE2 by January, but I will probably hold off on Essay Voyage till 6th grade. Whatever works.

[tagglelim]

Thanks, folks!

 

Hmmm - I actually tried R&S last year. While it is a really solid program, I think that FLL might cover more topics in a year. I'm wondering if I should use FLL 3 this year as a base before starting the Islands Level.

 

If I did that, would the jump between Islands and Town be easier....if it ended up between 4th and 5th grades instead of 3rd and 4th? Or is it still a significant jump?

 

Thanks!

[Aurelia]

I think the jump primarily has to do with the writing, and not so much the grammar.

[Crimson Wife]

I think the jump primarily has to do with the writing, and not so much the grammar.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

The grammar is actually the easiest part of MCT. There is also a pretty big jump in difficulty between the "island" and "town" vocab books (but not between CE 1 and CE 2).

[Momof3littles]

We completed FLL 1 and 2, and Grammarland. DS1 seems to catch on to grammar quickly. He's always read at above grade level; I have no idea if he's gifted.

 

He's really enjoying MCT Island so far (he's 8, and we're starting 3rd grade).

 

He does not particularly enjoy a lot of creative writing, so we'll see how Music of the Hemispheres, etc. goes. Writing an original poem may make him fall down twitching ;) We are going to use it in a very small co-op setting so I'm hoping for positive peer pressure ;)

 

The grammar, etc. hasn't been an issue so far.