One thing to know about kindergarten

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friends 7 year old son just started his 3rd year of kindergarten. He can read, count and is at a 1-2 grade level but he has social and rage issues. He keeps getting held back because he can't get along with others. Kindergarten is not just academic.

Three years of K is too much. They need to change schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our experience the games are not really games. You roll a die and write down what number you see. Cool! Then the next person rolls and writes down the number he gets. If you try to play a different "game" to make it more fun the teachers get upset.
Sometimes if the teacher is feeling really creative you get to color a triangle.

Anonymous wrote:In Dd's school (not a W feeder; Focus school) they did various game type things for math. For instance one of 4 math groups would be with the teacher, one on the computers, one at a table doing things like grouping different ways and another on the ground maybe doing something hands on like playing with dice.

Not the same as "play play" but still not just worksheets. They had daily specials. Only 1 recess. Would have preferred either 2 recesses or a daily play center time as well.

And for a small human who has only been on the earth for five years that is rigor. You did not come out of the womb knowing anything and someone had to take the time to teach you. Adults forge that learning doesn't come automatically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You underestimate one thing, and that is the diversity of the children in terms of abilities.

Some can barely hold a crayon or draw a circle, let alone identify which letter is A, while others are writing sentences and reading chapter books.

The gaps are huge and the challenge to the teachers, is huge.

Which is why there should be flexible ability tracking.

There is but it takes time to asses what abilities each child has.

Our K teacher reading tested every child in weeks 1 and 2. She assessed their number knowledge and ability to write / hold a pen. She had everyone down in the first month.

and how many kids were in her room?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You underestimate one thing, and that is the diversity of the children in terms of abilities.

Some can barely hold a crayon or draw a circle, let alone identify which letter is A, while others are writing sentences and reading chapter books.

The gaps are huge and the challenge to the teachers, is huge.

Which is why there should be flexible ability tracking.

There is but it takes time to asses what abilities each child has.

Our K teacher reading tested every child in weeks 1 and 2. She assessed their number knowledge and ability to write / hold a pen. She had everyone down in the first month.

and how many kids were in her room?

24

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. In our K class last year, there were many, many opportunities for kids to work to their abilities. For example, they spent part of every day "journaling" where they would draw a picture on a certain subject and write about it. Like family, or a trip I took. So kids could do more or less elaborate drawings and write more words and sentences if they were able. They had several different reading groups for different levels. Even math concepts like "ways to make 10" were done in many different ways (coloring in the correct number of cats on a worksheet, counting out the correct number of marbles, and cutting and pasting the correct numbers of pieces of string) so that kids were constantly using different fine motor skills.

This was a DC public charter school, BTW.

I'm so glad the "wow" poster is back. I think what you said above could have been said without the opening "wow" and be so much more effective. Wow just sounds like "aw shucks" stupid.

Wow poster here, and this was my first posting in this thread so I'm not sure what you are talking about. I didn't mean to offend; I just wanted to let some PPs know that K teachers have many strategies for making sure that advanced kids are challenged and having fun, not just "treading water" for months because they already know how to count to 100 and read. Even in a DC public school where there is a huge range of ability, from not being able to hold a pencil correctly to being able to do extremely detailed drawings and write complete sentences. My child was pretty much middle of the pack on everything, except for maybe math, which he still enjoyed because there were lots of new concepts (patterns, units of measurement, money, etc.) that were visited with a wide variety of approaches.

[Anonymous]

http://www.latimes.com/local/education/back-to-school/la-me-edu-kindergarten-then-and-now-20150825-story.html

More on this topic in the LA Times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. In our K class last year, there were many, many opportunities for kids to work to their abilities. For example, they spent part of every day "journaling" where they would draw a picture on a certain subject and write about it. Like family, or a trip I took. So kids could do more or less elaborate drawings and write more words and sentences if they were able. They had several different reading groups for different levels. Even math concepts like "ways to make 10" were done in many different ways (coloring in the correct number of cats on a worksheet, counting out the correct number of marbles, and cutting and pasting the correct numbers of pieces of string) so that kids were constantly using different fine motor skills.

This was a DC public charter school, BTW.

I'm so glad the "wow" poster is back. I think what you said above could have been said without the opening "wow" and be so much more effective. Wow just sounds like "aw shucks" stupid.

Wow poster here, and this was my first posting in this thread so I'm not sure what you are talking about. I didn't mean to offend; I just wanted to let some PPs know that K teachers have many strategies for making sure that advanced kids are challenged and having fun, not just "treading water" for months because they already know how to count to 100 and read. Even in a DC public school where there is a huge range of ability, from not being able to hold a pencil correctly to being able to do extremely detailed drawings and write complete sentences. My child was pretty much middle of the pack on everything, except for maybe math, which he still enjoyed because there were lots of new concepts (patterns, units of measurement, money, etc.) that were visited with a wide variety of approaches.

You make good points but sadly its not everyone's experience. Our K teacher stuck my DD on a computer every time she finished the work early. Or she let her read stories to the other kids (now this I grant, was fun for her)but its hardly making sure she was challenged. There was no real challenge for that entire year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You make good points but sadly its not everyone's experience. Our K teacher stuck my DD on a computer every time she finished the work early. Or she let her read stories to the other kids (now this I grant, was fun for her)but its hardly making sure she was challenged. There was no real challenge for that entire year.

She was 5 (or 6). There are plenty of other ways to get challenge into a child's life, in school and out of school.

[Anonymous]

Here's what I recall hearing from other parents when my kid was going into K:

"My kid already knows how to count to 100. He/she needs more rigorous math"

Many kids can rote count to 100. Some kids can count out of order like start at 56 and count to 75 but a lot of kids who can rote count can't. Some kids can actually recognizes numbers past 20 when presented the number by itself with no reference but you would be surprised at the number kids who can't name a random two digit number that you write down.

"My kid already reads at the 2nd grade level. She needs to join the 2nd grade reading groups to be challenged."

I hate to burst your bubble but those tests are geared to a very low level. So while it sounds really impressive, the bar isn't very high and there will be a ton of kids who reach the same benchmark. Also, testing relies on the skill of the tester at giving the test. Plenty of kids who were advanced readers in K and 1st were in the lowest reading group once 3rd grade rolled around. It happens. Lastly, reading comprehension suddenly becomes much more in depth around the end of 2nd and 3rd grade. Reading comprehension depends on being able to use the skill of extrapolating from ones own experiences and base of knowledge to understand literature. A child who lacks experiences because they are young will not be able to appropriately comprehend. It's why when one reads a book as middle schooler and then reads the same book 15 years later, the book has a different meaning to them and they view the book differently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's what I recall hearing from other parents when my kid was going into K:

"My kid already knows how to count to 100. He/she needs more rigorous math"

Many kids can rote count to 100. Some kids can count out of order like start at 56 and count to 75 but a lot of kids who can rote count can't. Some kids can actually recognizes numbers past 20 when presented the number by itself with no reference but you would be surprised at the number kids who can't name a random two digit number that you write down.

"My kid already reads at the 2nd grade level. She needs to join the 2nd grade reading groups to be challenged."

I hate to burst your bubble but those tests are geared to a very low level. So while it sounds really impressive, the bar isn't very high and there will be a ton of kids who reach the same benchmark. Also, testing relies on the skill of the tester at giving the test. Plenty of kids who were advanced readers in K and 1st were in the lowest reading group once 3rd grade rolled around. It happens. Lastly, reading comprehension suddenly becomes much more in depth around the end of 2nd and 3rd grade. Reading comprehension depends on being able to use the skill of extrapolating from ones own experiences and base of knowledge to understand literature. A child who lacks experiences because they are young will not be able to appropriately comprehend. It's why when one reads a book as middle schooler and then reads the same book 15 years later, the book has a different meaning to them and they view the book differently.

The advanced readers probably go down in levels as they haven't been stimulated at school and were in a holding pattern. That is the schools fault for not teaching a child what they need.

Some of us parents do work with our kids and know what they are able to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. In our K class last year, there were many, many opportunities for kids to work to their abilities. For example, they spent part of every day "journaling" where they would draw a picture on a certain subject and write about it. Like family, or a trip I took. So kids could do more or less elaborate drawings and write more words and sentences if they were able. They had several different reading groups for different levels. Even math concepts like "ways to make 10" were done in many different ways (coloring in the correct number of cats on a worksheet, counting out the correct number of marbles, and cutting and pasting the correct numbers of pieces of string) so that kids were constantly using different fine motor skills.

This was a DC public charter school, BTW.

I'm so glad the "wow" poster is back. I think what you said above could have been said without the opening "wow" and be so much more effective. Wow just sounds like "aw shucks" stupid.

Unclench.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's what I recall hearing from other parents when my kid was going into K:

"My kid already knows how to count to 100. He/she needs more rigorous math"

Many kids can rote count to 100. Some kids can count out of order like start at 56 and count to 75 but a lot of kids who can rote count can't. Some kids can actually recognizes numbers past 20 when presented the number by itself with no reference but you would be surprised at the number kids who can't name a random two digit number that you write down.

"My kid already reads at the 2nd grade level. She needs to join the 2nd grade reading groups to be challenged."

I hate to burst your bubble but those tests are geared to a very low level. So while it sounds really impressive, the bar isn't very high and there will be a ton of kids who reach the same benchmark. Also, testing relies on the skill of the tester at giving the test. Plenty of kids who were advanced readers in K and 1st were in the lowest reading group once 3rd grade rolled around. It happens. Lastly, reading comprehension suddenly becomes much more in depth around the end of 2nd and 3rd grade. Reading comprehension depends on being able to use the skill of extrapolating from ones own experiences and base of knowledge to understand literature. A child who lacks experiences because they are young will not be able to appropriately comprehend. It's why when one reads a book as middle schooler and then reads the same book 15 years later, the book has a different meaning to them and they view the book differently.

The advanced readers probably go down in levels as they haven't been stimulated at school and were in a holding pattern. That is the schools fault for not teaching a child what they need.

Some of us parents do work with our kids and know what they are able to do.

Like I said its a reading comprehension issue - much like the one you have.
A child can't advance in reading because developmentally they can not make the needed connections required for adequate reading comprehension. The schoo is not holding them back they are simply preventing rework and frustration for the child. The child will be at the same level next year and will read the same material. The difference is this year he just reads the words, next year he understands the story. He needs both parts to advance a reading level.

There are so many other more worthwhile things to work on at home. Writing skills - both practical as in handwriting and story and report type writing.
Basic grammar when writing
Vocabulary
Analogies -thinking critically
Etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The advanced readers probably go down in levels as they haven't been stimulated at school and were in a holding pattern. That is the schools fault for not teaching a child what they need.

Some of us parents do work with our kids and know what they are able to do.

Is school the only place these advanced readers are allowed to read?

And, speaking as a parent of an advanced reader, who used to assume that I knew what my advanced reader was able to do -- I did not actually know what my advanced reader was able to do. My advanced reader read advanced books with great enjoyment, and my advanced reader could talk about the plot (of the fiction books) in great detail, but my advanced reader was not able to answer advanced reading comprehension questions about the advanced books my advanced reader read. And that's how the school measures reading level.

[Anonymous]

If you only knew how many of my friends had their bubble burst about their "advanced readers" when the school told them, hey, your kid is reading the words, and getting through the story, and then can tell us nothing about the plot afterward. Reading does not always equal comprehending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You make good points but sadly its not everyone's experience. Our K teacher stuck my DD on a computer every time she finished the work early. Or she let her read stories to the other kids (now this I grant, was fun for her)but its hardly making sure she was challenged. There was no real challenge for that entire year.

She was 5 (or 6). There are plenty of other ways to get challenge into a child's life, in school and out of school.

Posting a banal platitude isn't helpful. Have you read the thread at all?