HOW to accelerate

[DandelionPrincess]

Okay, this might seem a little obvious in a lot of ways, but I am a little stuck in exactly HOW to accelerate through programs that my son is able to move more quickly through.

 

a little background: my son is 5, working 99% at a first grade level (we're still using Wordly wise K, only because he LOVES the stories, lol, and I plan on skipping gr 1 altogether to save money as it would probably be just as easy for him). my questions are mostly for language arts. math, i've kind of figured out, though i can't help but being paranoid about "skipping" certain parts of how to learn things (we're using SM), but i've learned to let it go and worry about that later, if it ever comes up. If i worry, no math gets done, KWIM?

 

Anyhow, we are using FLL and WWE, and we can only handle about a lesson a day for each (attention issues, he's still 5 lol). BUT, he is just about ready to do the assessments at the end of WWE (and we're only a few weeks in). He just needs to work on the stamina with copywork as he gets tired easily, tho he does quite well with the narration and comprehension in general. FLL he loves, he memorizes the poems in 1-2 lessons max, and the most interesting part for him is learning our address, months, days, etc, since those are a bit more challenging. So should i skip further into the book for WWE? push to do more than one lesson a day with FLL? i feel like it's busy work for him because it's so easy, but I don't want to overwhelm him. My other option is to drop the programs and go with something else??? We have GWG, SWS, and WWW which he does as a fun filler while i work (I find it to be mostly busy work, tho he is picking up stuff from it, so it's not a complete waste i guess).

 

It doesn't help that with his short attention span (breaks for snacks, play, water, etc.) we do school about 50 times a day for 10-15 minute bursts, so it's hard to keep track of things. i also wonder that if he were more challenged he would want to sit for longer, and if he's just bored with the material...he sits through a good chunk of science if it's caught his attention, and he'll do PAGES of math in one sitting (after i let my OCD about it go lol).

 

ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. I've done so much stalking on this board i feel i know everything, but then nothing at all because it's our first real year, and i get lost sometimes lol.

[Dmmetler]

For my DD, I've found I have to take each LA section as a separate subject, and place her accordingly, so writing is at a different level than literature is at a different level than grammar which is a different level than spelling, which is a different level than vocabulary. It's simply not a linear progression for gifted kids.

 

And rest assured, the attention span improves with age. Sometimes, anyway. ;) (I was so annoyed with my DD during our read-aloud last night-she was giving every impression of falling asleep, didn't retain much-and less than 5 minutes before had been full of life and jumping around-and I'm guessing if I'd let her go out to the back porch then when she was supposedly "too tired" to listen, she would have been on the swing in a heartbeat).

[Five More Minutes]

Anyhow, we are using FLL and WWE, and we can only handle about a lesson a day for each (attention issues, he's still 5 lol). BUT, he is just about ready to do the assessments at the end of WWE (and we're only a few weeks in). He just needs to work on the stamina with copywork as he gets tired easily, tho he does quite well with the narration and comprehension in general. FLL he loves, he memorizes the poems in 1-2 lessons max, and the most interesting part for him is learning our address, months, days, etc, since those are a bit more challenging. So should i skip further into the book for WWE? push to do more than one lesson a day with FLL? i feel like it's busy work for him because it's so easy, but I don't want to overwhelm him. My other option is to drop the programs and go with something else??? We have GWG, SWS, and WWW which he does as a fun filler while i work (I find it to be mostly busy work, tho he is picking up stuff from it, so it's not a complete waste i guess).

 

It doesn't help that with his short attention span (breaks for snacks, play, water, etc.) we do school about 50 times a day for 10-15 minute bursts, so it's hard to keep track of things. i also wonder that if he were more challenged he would want to sit for longer, and if he's just bored with the material...he sits through a good chunk of science if it's caught his attention, and he'll do PAGES of math in one sitting (after i let my OCD about it go lol).

 

ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. I've done so much stalking on this board i feel i know everything, but then nothing at all because it's our first real year, and i get lost sometimes lol.

 

 

I agree with dmmetler -- I split the different aspects of LA out with my dds. I found that, while WWE was easy conceptually for my dd, it was still beneficial in building her stamina and her ability to concentrate for gradually lengthening periods of time. If your son is still working on the stamina aspect of the copywork, then I would just keep on working at that level. You can always choose your own passages for narration, or start using a content subject like history for those harder narrations.

 

I use FLL a year ahead, skipping repetitive lessons, and then switched to MCT this year when my dd was in Gr. 2.

 

For reading, I just have my dds read at whatever level they're at for a minimum amount of time daily (beginning as low as 5 min. per day and increasing to 30 min in Gr. 1.) I expect it to be silent, focused reading time, because I want them to build their reading concentration.

 

I chose to start spelling with my dds in K, and just go through at whatever pace suits them.

 

Hope that helps!

[Tanikit]

My DD(5.5) also has attention issues - she is terribly wriggly too though has been since she was born. Like you I also do school in very short increments multiple times per day. Like the others I also split language arts up - she reads at a 3rd/4th grade level, writes at about a grade 1 level, spells at a grade 2 level and so on. Maybe your son is just more science and maths oriented. Maybe for LA you should use books about science or something he is really interested in and get him to do narrations and copywork from that. You could easily skip ahead in WWE and see if that helps going back if not - but it sounds more like it is an interest issue in which case get interesting passages for him rather and ask him whatever questions you like.

[8filltheheart]

My answer is a little different from what you have asked b/c I have never deliberately accelerated my kids. But, I never really pay attention to grade levels, either. I just pay attention to their skills and work with them there within the boundaries of their age-level for time required. I am also very different from most of the posters on this forum in that I don't do much academic seat work with younger kids; however it also hasn't inhibited my kids from being advanced at older ages. I am just more of the go with the flow kind of person that most people on this forum can't relate to. ;)

 

FWIW, I personally think that you could do next to no writing with a 5 yr old and not have it mean anything in the long run. I also equally believe he could be do lots of writing at 5 and not have it mean anything in the long run, either. He could simply go from not doing much writing to being able produce paragraphs when he is older and more capable of focusing for longer periods of time. My approach at 5-7 is to do almost everything orally and not worry much writing anything down other than for developing handwriting strength and proper letter formation. FWIW, my kids are still only doing short copywork assignments in 2nd grade. ;) I don't require independent writing until 3rd grade. My strong students are writing on a very solid high school level by middle school. They just don't need to spend as much time on report type writing and move quickly to essay/analytical writing. Even my very late bloomer in the LA areas (he is dyslexic and didn't read on grade level until 4thish grade and didn't really learn to write much at all until 5th grade (he was still doing copywork through the end of 4th---you can't write much if you can't read) is an incredibly gifted writer as an 11th grader.

 

I guess my point is that you could put away the curriculum. You could just discuss topics and let him stand on his head while is doing it if it makes him happy. You can talk about nouns and verbs while he is bouncing away. You can play games talking about capital letters and punctuation. You can teach in all sorts of ways that don't have anything to do with what is written in a textbook and writing down work on a piece of paper for output. It doesn't mean that you are holding him back from what he is capable of achieving---the benchmark is just different.

[Five More Minutes]

My answer is a little different from what you have asked b/c I have never deliberately accelerated my kids. But, I never really pay attention to grade levels, either. I just pay attention to their skills and work with them there within the boundaries of their age-level for time required. I am also very different from most of the posters on this forum in that I don't do much academic seat work with younger kids; however it also hasn't inhibited my kids from being advanced at older ages. I am just more of the go with the flow kind of person that most people on this forum can't relate to. ;)

 

FWIW, I personally think that you could do next to no writing with a 5 yr old and not have it mean anything in the long run. I also equally believe he could be do lots of writing at 5 and not have it mean anything in the long run, either. He could simply go from not doing much writing to being able produce paragraphs when he is older and more capable of focusing for longer periods of time. My approach at 5-7 is to do almost everything orally and not worry much writing anything down other than for developing handwriting strength and proper letter formation. FWIW, my kids are still only doing short copywork assignments in 2nd grade. ;) I don't require independent writing until 3rd grade. ...

 

I guess my point is that you could put away the curriculum. ... It doesn't mean that you are holding him back from what he is capable of achieving---the benchmark is just different.

 

 

I like this. I wonder how much my approach to "acceleration" has been determined by my kids' personalities, particularly my eldest? She visibly melts down without enough academic stimulation, demands seat work, and really needs structure in her day to handle life. So with her personality type and mine, it made sense to start moving through programs at her pace and to make short sessions of seat work part of her day. But would I have gravitated to that approach if I had a really wiggly kid? Hmm ... I don't know that I would. I'm still thinking that through.

[chicagoshannon]

I would just stick with one lesson per day. If you're doing FLL and WWE with him at age 5 he's already accelerated. ;). By doing FLL every day you're also accelerating it because it was meant to be done about 3 times per week. We actually shelved WWE for a while when DD was 5 because she couldn't handle the writing. With WWE I think you should go at whatever pace you need to for the copy work.

 

Once you get past the nou s section in FLL it moves faster. There wasn't nearly as much time spent on verbs ect. As was spent on nouns.

[DandelionPrincess]

thank you thank you everyone!! ive taken a lot of the advice given, and settled with doing fll everyday, 2x sometimes if he asks for it later (he often does) but not skipping anything right out. with wwe for the most part were doing two lessons a day, copywork and the narration, and now we have a long list of to-read-next books because of the passages :) so far its going great, and hes actually sitting down for longer periods of time and seems a bit more engaged because he's thinking a bit more, instaed of just doing the copywork and moving to another subject. again, thankyou so so much :)

[LisaKinVA]

In general, you do break out subjects into various parts. I have a child who reads years above grade level, writes a little below grade level, and spelling/vocabulary a couple of years ahead of grade level...I have another who is more "globally" gifted, and is what I consider "radically" accelerated across the board (5th grader taking real high school courses, but I keep the most challenging ones in her area of interest, vs. across the board...so that she still has plenty of time to pursue art, music, and reading the 5-6 books she reads throughout the day).

 

In the younger grades, I focus more on oral work, and keep the written work to a minimum...chants and songs for math/language/science/history have been big here. Read alouds (audio books), coloring/skill based books, and DVDs for science and history have also been big helps. For us, it's more about the environment than actual lessons. While I like FLL, I will tell you that the writing component can become a bit much. If you want to do something a bit more "fun" -- I'd concentrate on some of the FLL chants for parts of speech and then use Michael Clay Thompson orally (and slowly), perhaps adding a Song School Latin/Greek/Spanish program for fun. My youngers love the Lyrical Life Science songs, paired with a Dover coloring book, or other coloring pages they will learn a lot without "doing" a lot of work. Math games...enrichment...and following their lead. I've had three who were not interested in "games" -- just hand them a workbook baby and let them go! (Now that one is 9...he's all about the games, tired of the workbooks ;p)

 

Anyhow, just some suggestions and ideas of things we've done that accelerate/enrich, but don't overburden with "more" or "too much."

[DandelionPrincess]

i agree that GWG and WWW are kind of lame and basically busywork. we probably won't continue with them, unless i really need some "educational" busywork for him to do while i work, though i'll probably come up with something better for him. I plan on doing MCT island next year (or once we finish out the first grade stuff), probably in the fall (we school year round). Do you think he'll be too young? he'll be 6 in Sept., but would have finished WWE 1 and FLL 1, as well as GWG 1 and WWW 1.

 

With FLL, would you recommend continuing with level 3 in the fall and skipping 2 altogether? Would MCT Island, FLL 2 or 3 & WWE 2 be complete? nothing lacking?

 

I am having trouble with the enriching vs. adding more because my son is sooooo workbook-y. He doesn't do well with discussions about things, or thinking through things to find the answer vs. being told the facts (for science/history) or told HOW to find the answer (for grammar/math). He wants things spelled out for him, and I'm working on teaching him the more critical thinking skills, but I'm having trouble actually doing that, lol. Eventually I am hoping that this "need" can be filled by his reading books, but his reading level isn't advanced enough yet. I have been mostly just reading aloud to him about whatever he wants (nonfiction-wise), and getting him easy readers whenever possible on science/history topics (as well as fun readers), but i still have to sit next to him helping him through even the easy readers. We're working on his confidence that he CAN read these books by himself, even though he totally can.

 

Can i get some suggestions for things other than GWG and WWW that is similar in concept, but a bit less...busywork? i've heard of killagalon (sp?) and KISS, though i haven't looked into them, and understand that they're generally for older elem. level.

[weederberries]

With FLL, would you recommend continuing with level 3 in the fall and skipping 2 altogether? Would MCT Island, FLL 2 or 3 & WWE 2 be complete? nothing lacking?

 

I am having trouble with the enriching vs. adding more because my son is sooooo workbook-y. He doesn't do well with discussions about things, or thinking through things to find the answer vs. being told the facts (for science/history) or told HOW to find the answer (for grammar/math). He wants things spelled out for him, and I'm working on teaching him the more critical thinking skills, but I'm having trouble actually doing that, lol. Eventually I am hoping that this "need" can be filled by his reading books, but his reading level isn't advanced enough yet. I have been mostly just reading aloud to him about whatever he wants (nonfiction-wise), and getting him easy readers whenever possible on science/history topics (as well as fun readers), but i still have to sit next to him helping him through even the easy readers. We're working on his confidence that he CAN read these books by himself, even though he totally can.

 

 

We completed FLL 1 and 2 in one year with my 5 year old first graders. Like you said, memorizing the poems was quick and easy. The lessons are repetitive in a good way. It was easy to get 2-3 lessons done in one day and we did it every day, so we breezed right through with good retention. We school year round and took a break from grammar before starting FLL 3 for second grade. I deliberately slowed down the work for that so we wouldn't find ourselves without resources in 3rd grade. I still don't know what we'll be doing now that we're finishing up FLL 4. I'm lost. My kids won't tolerate busy work and a lot of grammar programs look suspiciously like busy work.

 

As far as enriching, it sounds like you are doing exactly the right thing for his age. Presenting the facts for a 5 year old is perfectly acceptable. Read aloud a bunch of non-fiction books. Get those eyewitness books and let him point to the things he's interested in and read and understand the concepts there. He'll grow in confidence as the reading clicks. In order to enrich, consider craft books. There are several at our library and pick a few activities for what you are studying to flesh it out. This is the kind of book I'm thinking of. There are lots of science and history craft exploration books to enrich rather than heap more work on top.