Advice for new homeschoolers transitioning from Waldorf

[momto2Cs]

I have recently had a lady inquire about having me tutor her children -- twins, age 7, and a 5 y.o. The twins are leaving a private Waldorf school to homeschool, partly because of California's SB277, and partly because they want to know why, at 7, they can't read like the kids down the street.

 

So I am looking for remedial tools for learning to read. From what I understand so far, they are not particularly familiar with letter sounds either. As many (all?) Waldorf schools do, this one discouraged the kids learning to read before a certain age/stage, so I am not surprised, but am a little unsure as to the best approach to bring them up to speed. Their mom did go out and buy a bunch of Kumon workbooks, but they seem to be resisting those.

 

I think I am going to recommend, overall, Oak Meadow as a possible curriculum for them, but would like to get the twins familiar with their alphabets/letter sounds quickly first, so that they can be placed in the second grade with OM. This of course, depends on how involved the mother wants to be in the day to day learning, as I can only meet with them once or twice a week. A friend (who connected us) seemed to think the mother might not want to be as hands on as that, so I will be suggesting other options as well. I am hoping that, since leaving the Waldorf school with some apparent dissatisfaction, the mother will be open to computer games/software (I am thinking Starfall and such), but would love any and all recommendations the Hive can throw my way!

 

Thanks in advance!

[Slojo]

Are they 7 going into 2nd grade next fall or 7 (almost 8) having completed second grade and going into 3rd? I might take a slightly more aggressive approach if the latter. If the former, I would just start them off "as first grade readers."  I don't know about the Waldorf grades, but my son went to a Waldorf Kindergarten. He didn't start any real reading instruction until 1st grade (we pulled him, not necessarily because of dissatisfaction with Waldorf per se, but because we were more drawn to homeschooling). Now, we didn't really see that as a drawback - we chose Waldorf knowing they weren't going to do any direct instruction/discouraged reading in K. I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't reading by end of 2nd -- probably worry a little bit, but young 7s doesn't generally concern me if reading hasn't kicked in yet.

 

So if they are young 7's I'd just start them off with reading curriculum designed for first graders, and maybe step up the pace just a bit if they seem ready to do the work. You could get through "a year and a half" or so of your chosen reading program if they worked at it year-round (so perhaps reading is a year round curriculum through the summer to get "caught up").  They could potentially do a year and a half" of a reading curriculum in their 3rd grade year, and be pretty "caught up" by the end of summer -- if they are developmentally ready for that. 

 

It's hard to give more advice than that without knowing more about the reading curricula you are thinking about. We use All About Reading - basically, my son "caught" up by the end of 3rd grade. It was fine. 

 

I think the key for the kids is for the adult to not get too outwardly worked up about them being "behind." It doesn't help. And if they are getting a rich diet of engaging material, topics, conversations, activities, etc... and the parent is willing to do more heavy lifting in reading aloud from reading material to them that is beyond their current ability (and most of the really interesting readings and stories will be at this point), there is no reason why they can't progress intellectually in other areas while the reading catches up. 

 

I read instructions and complex text out loud to my son for a while, and did a lot of oral assessment rather than writing based or reading-based assessment while the skills "caught up" - and it was fine. He's on-grade level for reading entering the 4th grade, and doing above grade level math (I did much of math orally because his readiness for more challenging math was far beyond his ability to get through introductory text and some of the instructions in most math textbooks) - he's starting pre-algebra next year as a 4th grader. Just an example of keeping them progressing intellectually in other areas while the reading catches up.  

 

If they are going to be 3rd graders, maybe there's a bit more pressure and a need to pick up the pace, but still -- you might need to still just take a steady, consistent approach, and keep your personal "worries" at bay  -- and maybe by the end of 4th or 5th grade, they'll have "caught up." Not the end of the world (unless there is an underlying learning disability), especially if the parent is willing to "make up" for the child's inability to comprehend what they read by doing the reading for them in many subjects, and making much of the homework/project work, etc... oral/model-based until they are more independent readers and writers. 

 

For what it's worth -- Waldorf is a long-game: don't see the results until much later in a kid's development. I do agree that kids who really have an underlying learning disability can be poorly served by Waldorf, but for typically developing kids, I've seen Waldorf high schoolers come out the other end with all of the skills you'd expect to see in a competent, intelligent adolescent. So, my biggest take-away advice is don't panic. Seven is too young to worry that they won't catch up. 

[8filltheheart]

I like Sing, Spell, Read, Write. By the end of the first grade program, students are reading words like chandelier and Philadelphia. It also includes card games and bingo, so more than 1 child makes those more fun.

[StillStanding]

I have recently had a lady inquire about having me tutor her children -- twins, age 7, and a 5 y.o. The twins are leaving a private Waldorf school to homeschool, partly because of California's SB277, and partly because they want to know why, at 7, they can't read like the kids down the street.

 

So I am looking for remedial tools for learning to read. From what I understand so far, they are not particularly familiar with letter sounds either. As many (all?) Waldorf schools do, this one discouraged the kids learning to read before a certain age/stage, so I am not surprised, but am a little unsure as to the best approach to bring them up to speed. Their mom did go out and buy a bunch of Kumon workbooks, but they seem to be resisting those.

 

I think I am going to recommend, overall, Oak Meadow as a possible curriculum for them, but would like to get the twins familiar with their alphabets/letter sounds quickly first, so that they can be placed in the second grade with OM. This of course, depends on how involved the mother wants to be in the day to day learning, as I can only meet with them once or twice a week. A friend (who connected us) seemed to think the mother might not want to be as hands on as that, so I will be suggesting other options as well. I am hoping that, since leaving the Waldorf school with some apparent dissatisfaction, the mother will be open to computer games/software (I am thinking Starfall and such), but would love any and all recommendations the Hive can throw my way!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

How can the mother "not want to be as hands on in the everyday learning...." ?That's what homeschooling is all about. You can tutor them, but  they will need someone at home to do the daily "teaching."

We used OM till 3rd grade. Just because I liked the gentle approach, and all the crafts and hands-on activities, with the nature study, etc..but I did teach them how to read (I used "The Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons").

Age 7 is not too late to learn how to read.  At this age mom should be fostering a love for learning. Take them to the library and let them choose some books and pick children's classics we all think are good books like the ones in "Honey for a Child's Heart" or "Books Children Love." Play a lot, get messy, and basically enjoy exploring. Mom needs to read, and read, and read to them (science, history, literature, what ever. Just read to them).