Amber in AUS Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I was just wondering besides age how do you decide what 'grade' to place your kids especially when it comes to starting K and 1st. Do you have a list, you must be able to do x, y & z before starting K or 1st? If so, care to share? More for curiosity than anything. I guess i don't really know what constitutes K work and how that differs from 1st or even pre K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia in WA Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 This series might give you a good idea. Most libraries have them. HTHs, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thanks but i don't have access to those without purchasing them here in Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Any time you have to put a grade-level lable on the dc, IMHO it should be the one they would be in if they were in school. For example, in many states children must be 6yo by September 1 to start first grade, so that would be my guideline; this makes Sunday school teachers and grandparents happy ;-) HOWEVER, when it comes to actually choosing teaching materials, you go by your dc's abilities, regardless of what time of year it is or what "grade" your dc should be "in." It wasn't so long ago that before kindergarten, children went to "preschool," not "pre-kindergarten." I'm thinking that preschools began using "pre-k" to make parents feel better about leaving their poor littles in those places all day long--you know, if it's "pre-k" then their dc are actually learning something and not just being babysat (is that a word???). Anyway, children younger than 5 have shorter attention spans and their hand-to-eye coordination and fine-motor skills are not as developed as dc who are 5 or 6. Most instructional materials reflect those developmental stages. That would be the primary difference between kindergarten and pre-school materials. Also, preschool materials tend to teach the things that mothers commonly teach their dc anyway when they're home with them all the time--colors, shapes, counting, sorting, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 As usual, I agree with Ellie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 We kind of go by the grade levels on Ariel's curricula. She did Calvert Pre-K last year, so this year we called it kindergarten and used K level handwriting, math, and reading. She's already moved up to 1st grade reading, and most likely will be doing 1st grade math by March, although I am waiting to actually call her a first grader until July/August when we start our "new" school year. Even if we were to put her in public school next year, I would probably push to have her put in a 1st grade classroom because I know she could do the work and would likely be happier there instead of bored out of her mind in K. I figure if the child is doing all first grade work, why call them a kindergartener, KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia in WA Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I usually take notice of that! Sorry! I found this and this. HTHs, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 With my ds 5 his K yr should officially start next yr because that is what he would be in if he started school. However he is doing some K and 1st grade stuff right now. I just call him prek right now and will call him K next yr. I want him to stay with his age peers and I don't care for him to graduate early. I was homeschooled and I was in different levels in different subjects and I just would say the grade I would be in by the age I was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I agree with Ellie, too. We will not register and try not to refer to ds in a "grade" until the state requires us to. You will also find that unless you have a standard to report to (not sure how Australia works) people's definition of K & 1st varies SO widely. I would just decide when/what age (and this is a biggie) YOU want to start homeschooling and then explore your curriculum options from there - meaning you look at the examples and see if you think your kids are ready for what the examples/scope & sequence shows . I try and remember ds' mental capacity, too - mentally he may not be ready to handle something, just because it looks like he could complete the workbook page. For example, last year we hadn't done anything formal with ds and were just starting researching. I liked the look of Rod and Staff workbooks. I looked at the About 3 series and realized that ds was way past that, so I chose the next series up, the ABC series. Another example, we are doing Saxon K this year. I want to switch math programs next year. If he was older, he could probably transition to a 1st grade program, no problem. But since he's so young, I'm going to repeat a K program, just for extra practice. (Saxon is behind a year anyway so we'll get a bunch of new stuff next year.) I am finding it is probably better to look at the content, not the program grade label. And since we're talking early years, just start looking at the beginning levels. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 With my ds 5 his K yr should officially start next yr because that is what he would be in if he started school. However he is doing some K and 1st grade stuff right now... My son would also be starting public school K this coming Fall. I was prepared and ready to start "official" homeschool with him then. However, one day I really looked through the K material I have and knew if I didn't start using it now, he'd be bored with it when he was public school K age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I think basic skills like controlling a pencil (not necessarily writing), using scissors and glue, FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS;););), and being able to recognize letters/numbers and associate the sounds/quantities with the symbol are my pre-requisites for starting "school." (I won't register dc as 1st grade until I legally have to.) For us the line between K and 1st is fluid. In some areas he's doing 1st grade level work, others K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thanks everyone! I guess it is one of those things you need to get you head around when you start HSing :D So for my DD this year she will be Pre-K according to age here in Australia. I don't need to officially register her until she is 6, so another 18 months. However she is operating on a Grade 1 level for math and reading/LA at the moment. Those websites were good, thanks for the links. I have book marked for future ref. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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