Different Sort of Special Need

[armymom]

Hello all,

I posted about my son Z on the main board and Colomamma (I think!) suggested that some of the SC3 materials might work for me, so I wanted to get advice over here too.

Z was four at the beginning of this school year, with a Nov. birthday so a JrK. But he apparently was paying a LOT of attention to his brother's math lessons last year. He passed the pre-assessment on day one and then proceeded to pretty much do first grade with his older brother this year. Right now he is working his way through Storytime Treasures in cursive. So, I am trying to find a way to have hime tag along for second grade without overwhelming him, since he is only five. He is a solid reader in Little Bear, but finds the chapters long, so Sarah Noble would be a reach. Are there SC3 materials that would be a good fit for him in literature/writing/copybook where I wouldn't back him up, but not push too hard either?

Thanks - Lena

[cherylswope]

Re: Different Sort of Special Need

Good morning, Lena!

To recap:

1. Reading, Writing, Arithmetic
He is 4-1/2, writing in cursive, reading Little Bear, and excelling in your 1st-grade math program. You would like copybook, but not overly long passages.

2. Books for Boys at His Level
You would also like some "boy books" to keep him interested in progressing in reading, without using 2nd-grade literature that is, understandably, too high for him right now.

3. Combining
You want to continue combining with your 2nd grader, but realize this may have pitfalls over time.


Some suggestions:
1. Reading, Writing, Arithmetic
Reading -
You will want to be sure that he continues with good phonics instruction, even though he picked up reading with relative ease. When he is ready, you can do this through MP More Storytime and Phonics for Reading & Spelling 1st grade, or you can do this through SC More Storytime which adds in the phonics instruction to the daily lessons. The latter releases with SC 3 this summer. Because he seems to enjoy writing, you might supplement with these, beginning with K. Bottom line: Do not let precocious reading mislead you to assume a solid phonics foundation for later, more advanced spelling & reading.

Writing -
This is easy. For a simple cursive copybook with shorter selections, see Simply Classical Copybook Book Two, Cursive.


Arithmetic -
The same caveat as with reading. If you are not using a mastery-approach arithmetic program, just be sure he truly knows all facts from all four operations, as he progresses. He may grasp more advanced concepts, but he still needs the foundations for later application. If you scroll to the bottom of this page, you will find nice sets of flash cards, if you need them.


2. Books for Boys
Consider this Extended Literature set. We created this just for children like yours who need a little more practice, but who want good books. You can pre-teach unfamiliar words, alternate pages when reading, and otherwise assist, as he reads. Nate the Great is a series, so you can check the library for many more of these, if he likes them.

3. Combining
You can have him "audit" Prima with his older sibling. Do not order a Student Book for him. Just allow him to participate in learning the pronunciations, greetings, prayers, vocabulary, and grammar "for fun." His little 4-1/2-year-old fingers do not need to be writing all day, but his mind is clearly bright and eager. When he is ready to "study" Prima, he will be more than ready. You can combine for art, music, history, science, physical training, and anything else that works for you.



More than anything above, just be sure that at 4-1/2 he has plenty of time to play with the dog, make friends, climb trees, paint pictures, and splash in puddles.

[jejegreer]

Re: Different Sort of Special Need

Wow! He sounds amazing! I am not an education specialist, but my older daughter read chapter books at age 5 with no trouble. She read Moby Dick at 9. However, she still cannot spell well because she picked up reading so easily. I completely agree with Cheryl that he needs the phonics instruction so he will be able to spell. My special needs child can multiply because she followed along with Stella, but she still definitely needs the foundation material. For example, inequalities confuse her (could be special needs issue), even though she multiplies single digit numbers just fine. We do not use Rod and Staff, but with Math U See, which we use, your son could just do one or two pages per lesson to prove that he gets the concept. He might actually find that fun.