Need help on reading and math

[Anonymous]

Everyone tell me that it is okay that kid does not know how to read, how to write, how to spell & how to do any math before entering K. I was concerned & noticed that something maybe wrong since he was in private daycare/preschool that he learned really slow compared to other kids of similar ages. Preschool teachers told me that he was fine. We took him to see a developmental pediatrician at children hospital 1 year ago, and she said that every kids learn at their own pace (within normal range). At age 5.75, my K kid still cannot read a single word and can only write his name. He still cannot understand that phonics help to sound out a word, and he knows some phonics. He still cannot understand that putting words together form a word that gives out a meaning. When I point to a word, all he can see is different letters. He can only recognize & spell his name, and other than that, he can't recognize any words. He can count picture for numbers, but he can't recognize simple math that "1+1=?" is the same as "counting 1 duck pic + another duck pic = ? ducks in total?". Public K teacher is still not concerned at the recent Parent teacher conference, but I told her that my kid had been at full time daycare/preschool since age 2. They taught reading and math as part of curriculum, but he just did not get it. She seemed to be a bit surprised hearing that. Can someone please tell me that it is me over-reacting and it is still within normal range that he can't do any of these at age 5.75?

I can't afford private 1:1 tutor on reading and math, and insurance won't cover it. Any tips or cheap/free resources for me? I have thought of signing him up at kumon, but I am not even sure that they would take him.

[Anonymous]

Not normal IMHO if his preschool has been teaching it and he has picked nothing up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not normal IMHO if his preschool has been teaching it and he has picked nothing up.

+1

[Anonymous]

It sounds like he should be further along.

[Anonymous]

You can teach Phonics at home, especially since it sounds like he knows his letters. Barnes & Noble (or Amazon, but I like to leaf through educationsl material before buying) will have Phonics materials you can buy.

We used Jolly Phonics materials we bought from Rainbow Resource online. They also have other Phonics curriculum options for sale, along with useful curriculum comparison charts. If the school has a solid Phonics curriculum, and many do not have a good Phonics approach, then you also can try to use that one.

Do one sound at a time, for only about 10 minutes at a time, once or twice a day every day (including weekends). Repeat until they get that sound. For letter C, use the sound of K to start; DC can learn the nuance of C with S sound later on.

Certain Dr Seuss books, not all, also can help. Read “Cat in the Hat” to DC and point to each word as you say it.

Kumon reading is good for both reinforcement and catch up, but it would work best if DC already knows the single letter and double letter (“sh, ch, th”) Phonics.

If you can afford a Phonics tutor, prefer one who has been trained with the Orton-Gillingham method.

[Anonymous]

Math sounds behind also, given the description of the preschool.

Buy a set of plastic Unifix cubes and the 1-10 tray that foes with them. (We bought ours from Staples.com.) Give the child maybe 4 or 5 math addition equations to solve at a time, once or twice a day. Let the DC use the number cubes to add 2 cubes to 3 cubes and then count to 5. As with Phonics, this is once or twice a day, for about 10 minutes each time, every day. Just keep at it, this will take months most likely. The detachable/ attachable plastic Unifix cubes help the child visualize what is going on. The actual math process and also the 2+3=5 both need to be memorized, which is just patient repetition.

Child needs to have a solid understanding of addition before starting subtraction. The same approach with the same Unifix plastic cubes works well to teach subtraction.

If doing both Phonics and math, do not do them back to back. Have some free play time or meal time or nap time in between.

[Anonymous]

“goes” not foes. Typo..

[Anonymous]

Just curious, but which preschool was DC in and which public school system (e.g., DCPS, MCPS, APS) are you in ?

[Anonymous]

He’s still in K, right? I would be patient IF they are using a phonics curriculum and you are seeing some progress. Reading out loud at home is a great way to supplement. If he is still not close by May, then I’d request an evaluation for learning disabilities from the school.

[Anonymous]

Send an email to his Teacher, the Counselor, and Principal requesting he be evaluated for learning disabilities. They have a specific amount of time, I think it might be 60 days but I could be wrong, to arrange a meeting with you to discuss the issue and arrange for the testing. They might discourage the testing at the meeting but I believe that if you request the testing that they are obliged to provide it.

You will get more informative answers in the Kids with Disabilities forum then here.

There really is a wide range of time when kids learn to read. There are plenty of kids that are very slow to pick up reading and writing and suddenly in second grade they are on grade level. There are plenty of kids who that does not happen for and they fall far behind. Schools are in a hard place because the range is so wide. They don’t have the money or SPED Teachers to provide services to every child who is not picking up reading in K or First especially since they know most will pick it up in Second.

DS didn’t stop reversing letters until Fourth grade. Every year it improved, fewer letters reversed and less frequent, but it was hard for me to believe the Teachers that he wasn’t dyslexic. He is in Sixth and reading and writing just fine. But I know of kids in his class who continue to struggle that didn’t receive services before Third grade.

I would recommend an email formally requesting he be evaluated for learning issues and see where that takes you.

[Anonymous]

Few schools in the US, public or private, teach math effectively. US national math scores from the International PISA testing are surprisingly low. If local schools were consistently effective, then there would not be nearly so many after-school math tutoring centers in this area. (Yes, there will always be a few, but not nearly so many as we actually have.).

Many kids get after-school math (for catch up, reinforcement, or enrichment) from AoPS, Kumon, Mathnasium, or RSM. From the various school stickers on the back of the cars, it is clear both public students and private school students are doing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Few schools in the US, public or private, teach math effectively. US national math scores from the International PISA testing are surprisingly low. If local schools were consistently effective, then there would not be nearly so many after-school math tutoring centers in this area. (Yes, there will always be a few, but not nearly so many as we actually have.).

Many kids get after-school math (for catch up, reinforcement, or enrichment) from AoPS, Kumon, Mathnasium, or RSM. From the various school stickers on the back of the cars, it is clear both public students and private school students are doing this.

We're talking about pre-K/K

[Anonymous]

The “Bob Books” series are phonetic readers and are a very good place to start once a child knows Phonics. Available fromAmazon or B&N. We did all of them, in sequence, 2-4 pages each day, every day. It gives the young reader fluency and confidence, as well as ensuring they get lots of practice decoding phonetic words.

[Anonymous]

I am a special education teacher. I agree that you should formally request, in writing, that your son be evaluated for possible learning disabilities. They will have to have a meeting where they discuss his current levels and this will alert them to the fact that he has had previous exposure to the material. They will likely recommend some extra teaching at school before testing him, which makes sense. If he makes progress with extra help, that’s great, and tell them you want some ideas of how to help at home without stressing him out. If he doesn’t make progress by spring break, request an evaluation again, in writing. It does sound like something is wrong. If he is flagged as a student with concerns, they will also place him with a strong, experienced teacher for first grade.

Look on YouTube for educational videos that are at his level that show beginning reading and math concepts. Search for primary phonics and primary math.

Read to him as much as possible, so that he picks up comprehension skills, like what happened first and last.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Few schools in the US, public or private, teach math effectively. US national math scores from the International PISA testing are surprisingly low. If local schools were consistently effective, then there would not be nearly so many after-school math tutoring centers in this area. (Yes, there will always be a few, but not nearly so many as we actually have.).

Many kids get after-school math (for catch up, reinforcement, or enrichment) from AoPS, Kumon, Mathnasium, or RSM. From the various school stickers on the back of the cars, it is clear both public students and private school students are doing this.

We're talking about pre-K/K

OP said DC has been taught math in his/her Preschool for years, but is not actually learning. This might be (at least partly) due to the method used to teach math, because the US math instruction is so awful.