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Gifted and talented

Talk to other parents about parenting a gifted child on this forum.

Original poster

school has surprised me!

427 replies

blackeyedsusan · 08/11/2011 13:38

last week I asked for harder words to read... one (or more) groups have been given spellings!

I also asked for more challenging books as the yellow band books were a "little easy." given that we are reading easy chapter books at home they have put her up one band. I am shocked as we normally play a little game every couple of months where I say the books arer too easy and they ignore me and we carry on doing our own thing in our own happy way. once pmt has passed Grin

ok so she could spell the words first time at home and green band is not a big leap, but i do not know whether she will cope with spelling in a test and at least the green band books are a little harder and we can get something out of it now. she has been asked to practice adding numbers in the teens as she doesn't use the number line to count on. (tends to do these things in her head) well we have practised and introduced a strategy of using number bonds of single digit numbers to check teens+ addition (ie if 2 and 4 =6 then 12+4=16 and 22+4=26 etc) doubt that will go down well! Grin I hope she talks about her strategy at school.

I think I want to push for more, but not until she has had time to try out/prove herself for another month or so. (after all she might go to pieces under test conditions and we have a lot of work to do on handwriting) anyone fancy sitting on me and administering the duct tape for the next month?

(disclaimer, i know she is not doing some of the stuff other really bright children do at this age, though she is the top end of normal and I post mainly because i as fed up of the lack of progress ith reading in school compared to home)

ps, sorry about the lack of capitals, intermittent shift key!

OP posts:
iggly2 · 15/12/2011 19:40

Shock at a list ranking children up on a wall...THAT'S AWFUL

iggly2 · 15/12/2011 19:41

Quite frankly I would want to change my son's school.

Joyn · 15/12/2011 19:46

Good for him Simpson, Xmas Smile very odd though, how must the poor dcs at the bottom feel? Schools are usually very against comparing dcs with direct peers, only against national expectations! Having said that ds's teacher does talk about these things, but only about dcs at the top of the class & how they are doing compared to each other, (think he's trying to get them to compete).

blackeyedsanta · 15/12/2011 19:49

hi simpson. absolutely shattered and have struggled to keep up with dd's reading as she has been off ill and we have all had a dose. it seems one job too many. she has had her book changed today so at least we can have a fresh start over the holidays with reading.

getting a bit twitchy about knowing how well dd is performing in school. just as well it is nearly the holidays as then I won't be able to go in and irritate the teacher! Xmas Grin hopefully, it will have worn off by the time we go back to school.

there is a parents evening next term sometime so there is not that long to wait to ask officially. I am just very impatient! I think I will be researching the ppossible topics for maths next term. should imagine we are going to get block c whatever that is.

blackeyedsanta · 15/12/2011 19:51

bet she has put it on the wall for the new teacher. would have been better to leave it in a folder .

simpson · 15/12/2011 20:45

I was a bit Shock about it tbh but I know the other yr2 class have had one up for ages as the other mums have told me.

I do think it is done for the new teacher too and hope its not going to stay up too long although proud of DS for doing so well Grin

simpson · 15/12/2011 20:45

Blackeyedsanta- hope you feel better soon Smile

Iamnotminterested · 15/12/2011 21:26

simpson AWFUL practice! Put up for the new teacher? What a load of crap!

I too would be asking the HT WTF.

simpson · 15/12/2011 21:40

I did not even think about it when DS told me Blush

But now I have had time to think it not really right is it?? Confused

TBH I just thought most schools did it Blush as when I helped out in the school last wk at the Xmas craft club we used a yr5 classroom and saw that the yr5 kids had one....

mrsshears · 15/12/2011 21:57

our school has something similair simpson
When dd was in reception there were lists on the wall for groupings for numeracy and literacy and a friend of mine who has a dd in the same class as my dd said there are similair lists on the wall in the classroom this year ,which apparently attracted alot of parental interest the other day.
Our HT told me during my infamous meeting what level the top numeracy group are working at also,so obviously if you looked at this list you would know the names of these children.

Beccabell · 16/12/2011 14:15

Does your primary school tell you when your lo is on the G&T list? Our school never has done (I've already had one dd through the school, who wouldn't have been on it, but I know parents of kids who definitely would have been and they were never told). DD2 in year 2 will surely be on it if they have one as she's already level 3b in literacy at the start of the year and her writing and spelling abilities are extraordinary for her age (teacher has told me so). Should I ask them? Does it matter? Are there things they should be doing with her if she's on the list? The lack of communication from our school is one of its failings.

Beccabell · 16/12/2011 14:16

Oops i'll post my question as a separate thread.

blackeyedsanta · 16/12/2011 14:34

hi becca. I have no idea whether there is a list or not. dd has been given books from ks2 but no mention of anything else.

will repost on your other thread too!

simpson · 16/12/2011 18:51

My ds school has mentioned that he Jan gifted but not sure if they have an actual list iyswim. But the parents eve we had in Oct was the first time this has been mentioned. He is also in yr 2.

simpson · 16/12/2011 18:52

Is not Jan . Sorry posting from phone!

blackeyedsanta · 28/12/2011 00:41

at last... dd has managed to partition 6 into 5 and 1 to add 6 to 15. (ok it is not that spectacular, but i tried to teach her this a while ago and have not mentioned it since so it is good to see some things sinking in! and without practising a specific strategy too.)

(what is it people say about early reading not necesarrily being an indication of being really bright.... sometimes I think they have a point. )

mrsshears · 28/12/2011 21:17

Hi susan well done to your dd Smile
Hope you had a good christmas,ours was good,i can't believe the spark in dd over the holidays she has learned so much in the last week,including telling the time (she has known o'clock,quarter past,half past and quarter to for a while but had'nt shown any interest in learning anything more).
I really don't want her to go back to school Sad and wish i was in a position to HE as i think it would really suit her.
We are planning to aproach some independants now christmas is over so fingers crossed there.

blackeyedsanta · 31/12/2011 23:33

well done minishears! Xmas Smile

it is amazing what they can learn when they are not at schoool. Xmas Grin dd learnt loads last summer, mainly maths. we have been concentrating on writing recently as her handwriting and ability to get things down on paper was restricting her achievement. (her spelling is good, for example.) she is now writing the amount expected of a year one child although we still need to do a lot of work on layout. (writing in straightish lines and the dreaded finger spaces) the content is good. some things are level 3 but some are struggling to achieve level one. Xmas Confused I have a little niggle that the teacher is not expecting the children to write more than one sentence. they are supposed to have opportunity to do some extended pieces of writing.

we worked a lot on time over the summer. past and to were the sticking points. I wonder whether to have another go. we ought to read her book at some point over the holidays, but have been too busy doing christmas to bother. Xmas Blush (not like she is behind though!) Xmas Grin (this is the one area that I know she is doing ok in in school )

it is a shame that she can't he. that school sounds so smothering and dismissive and killing the joy of learning. can't remember if there are any other primaries around you that might be better. it is difficult to know how to approach schools. lots of reading of the prospectus first.

think there is some evidence that she is understanding this partitioning lark a bit more. if only it would translate to school now. Xmas Grin

blackeyedsanta · 01/01/2012 00:15

happy new year mrs s! and everyone!

mrsshears · 01/01/2012 00:19

Happy new year susan! happy new year everyone!
Here's to a year filled with happy,contented,thriving dc! Smile

onesandwichshort · 02/01/2012 10:50

Happy New Year everyone!

simpson · 03/01/2012 23:13

Hi

Hope everyone had a good Xmas.

The DC came down with the dreaded norovirus over Xmas hols so did not get much work done tbh.

His reading has really come on and he is desperate to start Harry Potter (which is next on the list) he has also got into football in a big way so I am giving him the sports section of the newspapers for him to read which seem to be a big hit too Grin

My dad got him an up to date footie book (full of facts etc) which he has been reading in bed. His Xmas pressie of a bedside light (for bunk bed) has proved a big help Grin

He had his first day with his new teacher today and he said that there were 3 teachers in the classroom all day Hmm I guess keeping an eye on new teacher Grin

Has anyone thought of getting their DC a tutor one night a wk??? It is something that my mother mentioned to me today and I am in 2 minds about it, wondering if he is too young etc but also it might be good to push him on a bit more iyswim....

I did a bit of work this eve explaining fractions which he "got" very quickly and also showing him how to add sums with the numbers on top of each other iyswim which he also did straight away, but tbh I am worried about showing him something the "wrong" way iyswim and was wondering if a tutor would help...

Iamnotminterested · 04/01/2012 09:23

Simpson why do you need to get him a tutor? ShockConfused Is he behind? Sorry, what year is he again?

simpson · 04/01/2012 11:10

No he is not behind, if anything he is ahead but tbh am having a few "issues" with the school as they seem to think he can coast a bit iyswim and he is starting to complain that the work is too easy.

He is in yr2.

I think he would love to have some maths tuition (the rest I can help him with)

blackeyedsanta · 04/01/2012 11:21

just a reminder. (cos I is fick and need to sit at the back wiv raffia)

onesandwich, dd age 5 older yR
mrs s dd y1 june birthday
bes dd age 5 younger y1
waffle dd age 6 older y1
iggly ds age 6 older y1 age, currently in year 2
simpson ds age 6 youngest y2 possible! dd age 3 nursery
joyn dd age 6 older y1 currently in y2, ds age 8 older y3 and dd age 2
i am not interested dd y3 feb birthday

if you can afford a tutor and he would enjoy doing extra maths, why not. children who are interested in football are taken to play football. children wwho love reading taken to the library, so why not children who love maths given extra maths? (oh yeh, maths is geeky and a tutor automatically makes you one of those pushy parents! aaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh) [sarcastic emotion]