I think my child may be G and T

[Aufish]

Hi I don't know really whether he is or isn't really so thought I would come on here to see what you guys think. He is the youngest in his class and is in Year 1 which makes him 5 years and nearly 6 months. I found out the other day that he had been tested on Wednesday in his reading ability and he is coming up as an ability of 9 years and 3 months. He knows his 2, 3 and 5 times tables off by heart and is way ahead of any of the other kids in his class. I had approached his old teacher to see if he was G and T and she dismissed at the beginning of term but then she went off sick and another younger teacher came in and recognised that he was way ahead of any of the others in the class. She has moved him onto more difficult books and is encouraging him even more. He also knows all the key words that were set for him up to Year 2. The only problem that we can see with him at the moment is his pencil control which is improving. Could you tell me if you think he is and what kind of encouragement I should give him. TIA

Where did I say that your child being G&T is something you'd choose?

It depends on how able the rest of the school is.

The top 5% of children in a school are taken as being G and T. So kids who might be G and T in one school might not be in others.

Look for things to broaden out his knowledge and understanding rather than push for advancement in specific areas....if you do the latter the kids often just get left board while the rest of the class catch up. Lots of extra curricular stuff can help as well.

The school work in did a strudy on G and T kids and the overwhelming result was that these were kids who were interested in lot8 of different* things, and well as being very good in class IYSWIM.

But in the end they are kids, and also need to kick back and relax. (I am a G and T co-rdinator in a secondary school)

Regarding reading matter, ds1 started on the Narnia books, loved the story but struggled with the actual reading, so we take turns reading. I (or dh) do most of the reading, ds1 reads for a bit of each session, even if its only one paragraph. He also loves information books, the sort with many photos and diagrams, and substantial explanation of each image, not just a three-word caption.

How about factual books for older dc? How cars work, ancient Egypt, the Greek and Romans, knights in the middle ages. Dd soaks all that stuff up (but then I'm an historian!). I take her round to the museums, in particular when they have workshops or tours for dc. If you have good museums around, maybe look at those.

Don't know what the definition of G & T is but dc can learn a lot outside of school and beyond schoolwork. I agree very much with Piffle. I do those kind of things with dd all the time. She is hard-working and keen to learn so she enjoys it but I don't think she is exceptionally gifted in any way.

Do encourage your DS with his writing. DS1 was very able and advanced with reading and maths but always had a problem with writing. He would make mistakes - especially in Maths because he couldn't read his badly formed figures and because he set his work out badly. He has done well academically, but has probably lost marks along the way for poor presentation and making mistakes because he was unable to read what he wrote.

Ladymuck - I was very interested to see that your school's Yr 1 do tables. Is that normal?

My dd is in Yr 1 and I am sure they are not doing tables of any sort. They are leraning to count on in 2's, 10's and 5's but nothing about multiplication.

No tables tests are not "normal" for a year 1 class. Some of them are still 5, for heaven's sake. In lots of countries they wouldn't be at school at all. Let them play - that's what they should be doing at that age. If they want to read, that's fine, but let them PLAY!!!!!!!!!!

It isn't normal at all. I think Ladymuck's children are at a prep school - I do know of prep schools where tables are taught early. I think it's a bit premature, to be honest, as many of them (not saying all) probably won't 'get' what the tables they are learning mean.

And in fact when I told DS2's teacher at parents' evening that he understood multiplication and was using the 10 and 2 times table, she actually said "We don't do multiplication in Y1".

Read this thread with interest! Your DS sounds a very bright little boy Aufish. One of the boys in my DS's class is reading ORT stage 8/9 - my DS is still at Stage 2 as are most of the class.

I would imagine that finding a wide range of things to challenge him will help. Learning a musical instrument and/or a language sounds great if you can.

Roisin - loved your post! Very constructive and well-put.

No, I think that counting in 2s, 5s and 10s is closer to the norm. The dcs are in a boys preprep which does seem to accelerate parts of the maths curriculum but I can't say that I'm a huge fan of early tables (especially as I have had to spend part of my weekend helping a reluctant 5yo revise the 6 times table) I think that the school decided that the best way to learn tables is by rote, so do it early.

I was merely indicating that by itself it isn't a G&T factor, especially when it is just rote learning. But in any event, whether a child is formally G&T or not, you want to ensure that they are being given appropriate work (and in particular not being given "extra" work).