FLL Retention

[OrganicMom]

so.... what happens when you have worked through FLL levels 1-3, and you are on level 4. And you are playing mad-lib game as a family and you are asking your child/children what the definition of an adjective is and they blank out!? lol oh. my. or what the definition of a VERB is... (even though they remember half of what a verb is...) WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!?

 

all. those. repetitive. hours. upon. hours. 

 

oh. my. GOODNESS! 

 

what's a homeschoolin' mama to do... ok, that's it. going onto hake, or something else for a different learning style! with incremental review that I do not have to be so labor intensive over! lol

 

i THOUGHT She/they had this full understanding and they've had what i thought to be the definitions down for years now, and fast too. I say THEY b/c my son is in FLL 1 & 2. 

[PentecostalMom]

You have Hake listed in your signature. Do you already use it?

[redsquirrel]

It could very easily be just seeing it out of context.  I mean, we're all allowed to have a brain fart every now and then, lol.  I can easily imagine a kid that age not being able to universalize their knowledge..I think that is almost one of the defining characteristics of a young learner. 

 

And yes, my kid has done such things.  In your situation I would have said, "A verb is a word that shows an....." and see if she took it from there.

 

Being able to change definitions is different from being able to apply the knowledge.  Just like being able to change times tables is different from being able to sit down and complete a whole bunch of multiplication questions, when they are not in the same order as what was chanted.  But that is why you do things like Mad Libs and Editor in chief, etc.  Having things like grammar definitions and multiplication tables memorized only means that the information won't be forgotten, not that there is mastery or complete understanding. That is a different process, and why we continue to study grammar and math after memorization.

[kalusignan]

My dd just started FLL3, can say the definitions but has trouble identifying them in passages. I assume that's normal, and with practice, it will improve. ?

 

Honestly, instead of switching programs, you could just practice using mad libs for awhile... It just sounds like the information is in their heads, but they're having a hard time using that knowledge to complete the task.

[SilverMoon]

FWIW, that is very normal. That's why grammar is usually repeated or reviewed every year.

 

What do you do? Ask them to recite the definition. Ask how that applies to the current situation. Keep asking questions that lead them into figuring it out in their own head. Lather, rinse, repeat. It will eventually sink all the way through.

Edited May 2, 2016 by SilverMoon

[Squawky Acres]

I found my kids had trouble recalling the FLL definitions, but could memorize a song in about two minutes and recall it for years.  We used the CC songs, but I am sure you could also use Schoolhouse Rock or other songs from YouTube -- or make up your own.

[boscopup]

I think it's normal for the age. My oldest did silly stuff like that no matter what (rigorous and repetitive) grammar curriculum we used. As he matured, things settled out and he's easily able to apply the grammar. I wouldn't be concerned about it at all. It's kind of like spelling, where they know all the words during spelling time, but in their free writing they can't even spell "cat" correctly. :lol: Later, the spelling migrates to their free writing also. I've seen that in my oldest as well (though his rough drafts sometimes have crazy stuff, and we laugh and he finds all the mistakes and corrects them, because he really does know how to spell).

[Bluegoat]

TBH this is why I don't think it's all that useful to spend much time on grammar in the lower elementary years.

[redsquirrel]

I think it's normal for the age. My oldest did silly stuff like that no matter what (rigorous and repetitive) grammar curriculum we used. As he matured, things settled out and he's easily able to apply the grammar. I wouldn't be concerned about it at all. It's kind of like spelling, where they know all the words during spelling time, but in their free writing they can't even spell "cat" correctly. :lol: Later, the spelling migrates to their free writing also. I've seen that in my oldest as well (though his rough drafts sometimes have crazy stuff, and we laugh and he finds all the mistakes and corrects them, because he really does know how to spell).

 

Oh god, the embarrassing stories I could tell... This is a kid who said he had never seen the word 'the' before, so how could he be expected to spell it? Or when was asked to make a banner in church and every word was misspelled...Homeschooling FTW!

 

And we use R&S spelling and spend a good amount of time on it. 

 

He's 11 now and actually a very good speller, but man, he could NOT universalize his skills for a while.

[Tiramisu]

I got discouraged about grammar after dealing with older middle school kids at a coop, who had done a lot of grammar studies but had no retention or skill for real life application. At least I learned, from that experience, that it wasn't just my kids or the materials we used. Sure, some kids benefit from a typical textbook or workbook, but a surprising number don't in my experience. I tend to think studying a foreign language is what really gives relevance to grammar study.

[8filltheheart]

I'll be the odd one out. My kids have a strong grasp of grammar, but they always learn it in context of writing. They don't study parts of speech isolated in a textbook. We talk about writing and strengthening their writing in grammatical terms.

 

Their grasp of grammar has aided their foreign language studies which in turn strengthens their grasp of English grammar

:)