Dealing with failing tests

[TCoppock]

Let me start off by saying my son is more than capable of passing a spelling test but is choosing not to study. The past two weeks he has failed his spelling tests. Last week when this happened I made him rewrite each word 10 times and explained to him if he had spent time studying this wouldn't be a problem. We also went over the lesson again and reinforced it throughout the week without issues. I by no means expect my son to be perfect but I do feel he needs to take his schooling more serious. This is an ongoing things for him lately. He rushes to get his work done rather than taking the time to really read and answer the problem. I have actually sat down next to him and done the work with him but I feel that this shouldn't have to be done at this stage. Although we had occasional days last year when he just rushed through his work without thinking it wasn't an every day occurence like now. He is 9 years old. Am I expecting to much? Any thoughts of how to handle this?

[pianoplayer]

I don't think you are expecting too much. My kids know (finally!) that, if they rush through their work and end up with lots of mistakes, they will be correcting those mistakes in their "free" time. Kids also need to learn to work diligently and thoroughly at whatever task they are given. I don't think we do them any favors if we let them get by with sloppy work.

 

Hang in there!

[Jean in Newcastle]

For spelling we did a pre-test at the start of the week. Anything my ds spelled right, he had "tested out of" and didn't have to study that week. On Friday we had our spelling test. If there were misspelled words on the test, those flipped over to the next week (he was allowed to "test of out them" at the pre-test too).

[LisaKinVA]

Oh, I can sooo relate. My oldest (turning 9 on Wednesday), vacillates between doing an awesome job, and rushing through it (in all honesty, he was just "Christmas treeing" answers -- writing whatever to fill in blanks (UGH).

 

As crazy as things were going, at first I was just taking his word that the work was completed... at some point I looked through the books and was shocked at what he'd been doing.

 

A new day dawned, and mom, armed with pink eraser had a long conversation oldest son. I explained what I expected of him (neat work, following directions, his BEST effort, etc.), and that anything which fell below those standards would be erased, to immediately be done over again until it was completed to my satisfaction.

 

Oh, there were tears. There was drama. But after a few days of no screen time, re-doing work -- admonishments from both dad and mom about the importance of doing it right (his best work) the FIRST time -- he began to improve drastically.

 

This year (4th grade), he will be issued report cards for the first time. DS has a checklist for completed work:

 

1) Have you followed all directions?

2) Does your work have the proper heading at the top of the page? (Name, date, assignment & pages).

3) Is your work neat and easy to read?

4) Did you use complete sentences, correct spelling, and proper punctuation where needed?

5) Did you do your very best work?

 

He goes through that checklist and if he answers "yes" -- then he turns in his paper for a grade. He gets the grade he earned when he turned it in -- and has the priviledge of correcting any mistakes he's made. So, while we "work to 100%" -- he only gets 100% as a grade if that's what he earned when he turned it in the first time. He really likes getting an A+ -- and I also try to make sure he understands the material before setting him loose. The grading also keeps me looking at his work daily.

 

It's not always easy. It's not always pleasant. He still has days (err... a week) where he "tries" to get away with things -- and we suffer the consequences. However, the quality of his work now is much, much better than what it was a year ago. I praise what he did well to his father (in his hearing) daily, and I mention things he needs to improve upon to his father (again, in his hearing -- and it's not the first time he hears it, either). So dad is well aware.

 

We also have a few sayings: "Slow and steady, not fast and lazy." "Do it right the first time." "Do my very best." We use to remind everyone of what we are supposed to be striving for.

 

You're not expecting too much from your 9yo -- I'd just start by listing your expectations.

 

Here's how I "negotiate" with mine:

 

1. What are the things you would LIKE to do today? My son's list is like this: play Lego's, go bike riding with Adam, play Wii.

 

2. What do we have to accomplish FIRST? Answer? School Work First.

 

3. When is School Done? Answer? When it's done right.

 

So, if you CHOOSE to do your work right the FIRST time, you will have more time to play Lego's, go bike riding with Adam, and play Wii. But, if you CHOOSE to turn in incomplete, messy work -- you run the risk of running out of time to do the things you WANT to do.

 

So, what are we going to do today? My son usually answers -- do it RIGHT!

 

In the case of your DS spelling issue, you may need to take an extra painful step.

 

In addition to writing the missed words 10x, he will have to continue to study those words every day -- with extra work to reinforce the word study.

 

Day #1 -- Dictionary work -- spell each missed word and copy the definition from the dictionary. Also, break words into syllables!!!

 

Day #2 -- Write a sentence with each missed word, showing that he understands the meaning.

 

Day #3 -- Thesaurus work -- spell each missed word and list one synonym and an antonym for each word.

 

Day #4 -- Write each word 5x

 

Day #5 -- Spelling Test on ALL new spelling words and ALL missed words for the week.

 

Please note, I would *only* do this to a child who was being lazy regarding their studies, not to one who honestly was having trouble. If your son has a REAL trouble word, the only thing you can do is steady review.

 

We use a white board for spelling. Monday, we introduce our list for the week, DS spells them out on a white board and we break them into syllables. Sometimes we make up funny ways to "say" the word to remember the correct spelling. Tuesday, DS has a pre-test, words missed are written onto a 3x5 card for daily written review. Son completes spelling work in workbook for all words. Friday is our test. Any words missed on the test go into a daily review pile. When son correctly spells them 3 days in a row, we "retire" the word.

 

I find the more creative I am at coming up with additional work to do BECAUSE ds is being lazy, the more willing my son is at trying to avoid said work... so that he can play and do the things I want him to be able to do. It also only works if I am consistent in my expectations and applying the consequences -- if I give him an inch... he'll take three the following day.

 

Best wishes!!!