So what's normal for first grade??

[talloulou]

My son just started first grade and I'm a little concerned because they sent home a packet describing what children will learn to do in first grade....and they list stuff as basic as understanding parts of a book and reading from left to right. They also stated that their goal is for the first graders to become "early" readers by the end of the year and they give tips on how to help your "soon to be reader" at home. They also talk about the need to practice writing letters and learning their sounds. Also they suggest we practice writing numbers. Is it me or has 1st grade gotten alot easier? At his old school he was a little "ahead" in his class but the other students weren't far behind. Plus he had some older kids in his classroom so kids could be mixed into different groups of varying levels.

My son already reads books. He can read anything. His favorite books right now are the Magic Tree house books. He can also add, subtract, and divide large numbers. He does not need practice tracing letters....he could write his teacher a letter all by himself and tell her so!

He came home today and had all his work from the week. They had him tracing letters 1-10 and then writing them on his own. He was also tracing the alphabet and then writing those letters on his own. I'm talking a whole page worth of A's followed by a whole page worth of B's. They sent home a "reading" book for the weekend and it's a picture book with one page saying Big dog and then a picture of a big dog. Then the opposite page says small dog with a small dog. Are they serious?

I'm not sure if I should say anything at this point or just wait.....it is only the first week of school. And the teacher is a substitute until December when the real teacher comes back. What should I do?

I haven't said anything to my son and he is quite happy with this new "super easy" class. But I'm afraid if he gets bored he will start acting up....he loves to be class clown. I'm sure his class must have lots of other students who can read....right? I mean at the old school most of the kids who were 5 could read stage 1&2 books. My 5 year old daughter can read and was thrilled to read my son's homework book herself.

Is this just part of the settling in process? The pamphlet about what to expect from first grade really has me freaked out. If the pamphlet is any indication of what is to come maybe he just skip first grade altogether. Anyone have any advice on what I should do or who I should talk to? Or should I sit back and wait and see what happens? I don't want to get on the teacher's bad side or seem like a crazy mom.....but I also want my child to be stimulated.

[Rach101]

Did you just recently move by any chance?
I know that when I moved down from Illinios to Here, I was waaayy ahead.
(( to bad I'm now waaay behind ))
I could already read, knew all my numbers and so forth.
I wouldn't recommend skipping a grade, because setting your child with children that aren't his age might turn out not to be so fun, aswell as the chance that he might not learn something he should have. I imagine they didn't include everything in such of what they were going to learn.

[talloulou]

We didn't just move but he was previously in a private Montessori school. I realized that he might be a bit ahead.....but this just seems extreme. I mean how do you give a kid who has read the Harry Potter books a picture book? I'm hoping that they are just in the process of figuring out what levels the different kids are at so they can meet their individual needs. Is that how it normally works in public school? Or will they just ignore the fact that the kids are at different levels?

[Rach101]

Well, they can't help it. You could move the kid forward, but I remember you didn't have to read the harry potter books until the sixth grade.
If you do choose to move him forward I would suggest only one grade, if you must. It's very stressfull on children to try to connect with kids his or her age and then those older then them, even in the older grades. I have seen this time and time again with other kids, that move on.

[lyquidphyre]

When my sister was put into 1st grade they put her into an "advanced class" even tho they were all supposed to be equal. But you could tell some of the classes were grouped up into kids who were ahead, normal pace and those who were behind.

I would talk to the subsitute and then maybe the principle and see if there is a "smarter" class he could be in, or if they, like you said, are just figuring out where the kids are.

[rubysoho]

But you could tell some of the classes were grouped up into kids who were ahead, normal pace and those who were behind.

This is called Tracking and it is the *worst* system ever developed... at least for anyone automatically put into the "normal" and "slower" classes. But I won't go into detail about all of that.

Anyway, my suggestion would be to move your son forward or do more difficult things outside of class to continue his learning. Nothing like wasting a young child's mind than to not challenge it.

[Todd2]

Your school might have a "gifted" program for your son. Thats what I was in back in the day, lol. It started in 3rd grade and basically I went to a classroom with a bunch of other kids that were "gifted" twice a week and we went over difficult math problems and more complex stuff then what we were doing in our regular classess.

On a different note. In 2nd grade *usually* the kids learn cursive. [acronym:b2c0ddc468="In my opinion"]IMO[/acronym:b2c0ddc468], cursive is the BIGGEST waste of time you could spend learning. I'm in 10th grade now and I haven't used cursive since 4th grade when I was "forced" into writing it. I probably won't ever use it again in my schooling/career. I guess its one of those things like learning latin. It might possibly be done away with.

[lyquidphyre]

Originally Posted by Todd2

Your school might have a "gifted" program for your son. Thats what I was in back in the day, lol. It started in 3rd grade and basically I went to a classroom with a bunch of other kids that were "gifted" twice a week and we went over difficult math problems and more complex stuff then what we were doing in our regular classess.

HAHA! I tried to get into that class when I was in... 3rd grade... I remember the test was like "Do you like science: Never, Sometimes, Always". I put "sometimes" on a lot of my answers because normally I didn't like science or math cuz I didn't like the teacher.. at least I was being honest! Needless to say, I didn't get accepted because of that *snicker*

[kimberly]

Grrr, I am on a laptop and this little keyboard and I don't get along so well. I just accidently erased my response while proofing it!

I taught elem school for 10 years (9 in public teaching 2-4 and 1 in private teaching computers to [acronym:98fd390a95="Kelvin or Potassium, depending on context"]K[/acronym:98fd390a95] -8 ). Now I teach two preschoolers 24/7!

Anyway, the first thing I would do if I were you is talk to the teacher and see what her plan is. It could be that she is giving a lot of easy work the first few weeks of school so that she can do individual assessments of the kids. I did that a lot, esp with younger kids. The work has to be easy or the teacher spends her whole time helping rather than assessing.

From that discussion you can make a few decisions, like whether to go back to montessori school if the public school can't meet your son's needs.

One suggestion that the school *might* be willing to accept is to have your son go to another class (older grade) a couple of hours a day to learn, like for math and reading. GT programs are "good" but often they are focused on creativity rather than math and reading so the kid still has to deal with the regular program in those subjects. The caveat of going to a bigger class is that the child has to be on best behavior or he can't go.

I don't really suggest skipping a grade, unless your son is already on the "old" side of the grade.

For me, my years in the public school system made me decide that my children will be homeschooled. Students like your son are one of the reasons I made that decision. There are 22 students in a classroom (give or take a few, but where I taught that was the limit) and one teacher. One teacher CANNOT meet everyone's needs, it is physically impossible. She can do her best and her students can thrive, but kids fall through the cracks, and it is not only the "lower" ones who fall through. Often the bright ones fall through b/c they can already pass "the" test, they can entertain themselves by reading once they are done with the work and/or they can be the teacher's helper and spend a lot of time helping other students who just don't get it as quickly.

As for "tracking" students based on their level...honestly there is no good solution. If you don't do some sort of tracking, you end up teaching to only a few kids in the class and the others are either bored or lost. Not everyone learns the same way or at the same pace and teachers who think so are doing a huge disservice to their students.

Sorry, I didn't mean for this to turn into a rant (and my first response didn't!) but I really have strong feelings about stuff like this.

And I do want to add that I believe that there are wonderful teachers out there, there are a few teachers that if I could swing it, my kids would go to their class for one or two hours a week to learn from them. Most teachers love their students and give 1000% of themselves to their classes and want nothing more than to have their students excel and learn.

Kimberly

[Toirtis]

Originally Posted by Todd2

I guess its one of those things like learning latin. It might possibly be done away with.

Bah, Latin is very useful!

Originally Posted by kimberly

From that discussion you can make a few decisions, like whether to go back to montessori school if the public school can't meet your son's needs.

Agreed. Not sure what your local school system is like, but here within the public system, we have all sorts of schools that are run like private schools [uniforms, advanced classes, focused studies (such as a science-focused school, an arts one, etc)] that are very similar to Montessori that would fit the bill as well.

Originally Posted by Todd2

Your school might have a "gifted" program for your son. Thats what I was in back in the day, lol. It started in 3rd grade and basically I went to a classroom with a bunch of other kids that were "gifted" twice a week and we went over difficult math problems and more complex stuff then what we were doing in our regular classess.

Ah, I remember doing that...the 'advanced' classes bored me as well, so I doodled a lot.

Originally Posted by Rach101

If you do choose to move him forward I would suggest only one grade, if you must. It's very stressfull on children to try to connect with kids his or her age and then those older then them, even in the older grades. I have seen this time and time again with other kids, that move on.

Agreed, although offered, the decision was made to not move me ahead 3 grades when I was but a wee lad, and I am very grateful for it...some of the chaps I know that did ended up very socially and emotionally retarded. Imagine you are 13...and it is senior prom...think you will be going with a classmate? How about uni...it is the end of a long day of classes, some of your classmates are heading out to the club afterwards...but you are too young to get in, or even drive there...or have a chance of romance with any of your 'peers'....and all the kids your age (say 15) are pretty much alien to you, so little/no social interaction there, either.