Year 1 in Target Groups for Literacy and Numeracy

[ToddlersRFab]

DS(5, nearly 6... as he keeps telling me) struggled in reception with behaviour and learning the basics. He was put into target groups and towards the end of the term I saw improvements.

He has started year 1 and I am happy with his progress and he has settled in well. We have a parents meeting in 3 weeks with his new teacher. Both his Dad (exH) and I are giving extra help on an evening with reading / writing / sums etc, which is taking about an hour each night.

ExH wants to get him independently assessed, and to get a tutor. I disagree and believe that we should wait until we have the meeting at school and agree the way forward with them, after taking advice from them.

I hated school, and I was relatively bright but it did not engage me at all. I do not want Thomas to feel the same and I want him to do his best, but I also want him to love school and have a great time and I am worried that too much too early is going to put him off learning.

So the question is..... has anyone had any experience of getting additional help outside of school for 6 year olds, and has it helped them to understand and learn the basics?

To add to matters I have a difficult relationship with ExH and communication is extremely difficult between us. It feels like war at times, and we have different ideas on how to move forward.

Cheers

That all sounds incredibly stressful for you all. TBH, an hour every night sounds a HUGE amount for an almost 6 year old to take on. My DS started year 1 from scratch (no letters, no numbers, no writing), but by the end had more than caught up. So I wonder if expectations are a bit high? Perhaps take a list of specific problems that your DS has had with you on the Parents evening? Eg 'last night we looked at XX book, and he could/couldn't read/understand this particular thing', and ask what they think? Is he doing about average (which should be more than enough). Is there anything in particular that you should concentrate on (eg his ability to sit and listen to instructions)? ExH is never going to be easy - but might help if the teacher gives some boundaries as to expectations and additional work - rather than you? Good luck, it sounds as if you (and your DS) have been doing everything you can to ensure that DS's schooling starts well.

Hi ToddlersRFab:

First of all I think you are right to feel that your DS is still very young and that pushing him too hard too soon may make school a very negative experience.

I think talking to the teacher is a good idea and I suggest you encourage your husband to ask if she thinks a tutor would help? Odds are the answer will be along the lines of everyone develops at their own speed, etc. etc...

So what can you do at home to help?

Well step 1 has already been taken - reading with him.

Step 2: invest in some jolly phonics work books (especially if this is the phonics system your school is using) - don't get wild and do a page a day or anything, but work slowly through them and make a real point of drawing on the sound your DS is working on with any reading you're doing. (i.e. if you're working on 's' - sssss sound - then have him work through some simple words with 's' - i-s or s-a-t comes to mind - or sound out the 's' when you come across it.

Step 3: look at some of the early support in reading at maths on Oxford Owl: www.oxfordowl.co.uk/

Step 4: consider doing more with maths. If he's really struggling to add numbers to 10 - he may need additional explanation/ support/ help.

Woodlands Junior School Maths Zone is a fantastic resource and worth exploring: resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/

There are also some great games working these skills on Maths Champs (also free): www.mathschamps.co.uk/#home

Many here myself included have used on-line maths tutorials - there is a wide range to chose from Komodo Maths/ Maths Whizz/ Mathletics & Mathsfactor. We used Mathsfactor arithmetic school and have never looked back. DD1 started end Y2 and DD2 started end YR, so basically right from the beginning.

All of these programmes assess your child and start from where they're at.

Finally Step 5: slow and steady wins the race.
This is a marathon, not a sprint. There will always be someone who reads better or solves a maths problem faster - but the point is it is about how you're doing in comparison to where you started. Is your DS progressing - it may be slow but if it is steady he'll get there in the end.

It sounds like what you and your exDH do have right, is that you both value education and want the best for your son. You agree there so let that be your starting point and accept that there is no one solution or one right answer - if it were easy everybody would be doing it (including the school).

HTH

KW13 and PastYourSBD - Thanks for replies.

You are right about it being a marathon and I had not thought of it that way before. DS is behind a lot of other kids in his class, and I think ExH finds that hard to deal with. Whereas I am pleased that DS is now wanting to pick up a pen (before it was a no no), he is grasping some of the basics etc, and making some progress if still slow.

I will have a look at the sites over the next couple of days and start using these.

Thanks again for the reassurance.... onwards and upwards!

I think an hour a night is probably too much but that is just my opinion. I PERSONALLY think that 10 mins concentrated effort/work produces much better results than 30-45minutes of plodding along.

I would probably go for 10 mins reading or phonics every night (and then you reading to him as well to show enjoyment of books) and perhaps 10 mins of numberwork alternate nights with 10 mins of writing? So all in all it would be about 20 mins a day of concentrated effort but in a whole week that would be 70 mins reading/phonics, 30-40mins number work and 30-40mins writing. And if you were going to drop any of them I would leave the writing for a while myself as that will come with the reading and phonics in time anyway.

In my daughter's yr1 class there are children who are probably more than capable of having a good go at Yr2 or even Yr3 work and then there are others who are struggling with using numbers up to 10, there are some who still aren't confident talking in English. At this stage of Yr1 there are all levels of the spectrum represented.

It is hard I think if your child is struggling, naturally you want your child to do well at whatever they try to do as it will make their life easier in so many ways but children don't develop like that and I think your exH will just have to accept that at the moment your DS is a little behind but in time he will pick up the skills he needs and he will progress, just not this week.

Thanks Periwinkle. I think it is my exH expectations I need to manage and at the same time have ideas of how we are parents can influence the learning process for the better.

Wish me luck.

And yet again Mumsnet comes to my rescue with fab help. Thank you

Hi -

You have had useful information already, but I will add Numeracy information that I often give to parents who want a bit of reassurance on maths:

QUOTE:

Practical things are best for grasping number concepts - bricks, Lego, beads, counters, money, shapes, weights, measuring, cooking.

Do adding, taking away, multiplication (repeated addition), division (sharing), using REAL OBJECTS as just 'numbers' can be too abstract for some children.

Number Bonds of Ten forms the basis of much maths work, so try to learn them. Using Lego or something similar, use a LOT of bricks (of just TWO colours, if you have enough) lay them out so the pattern can be seen of one colour INCREASING while the other colour DECREASES. Lay them down, or build up like steps.

So:

ten of one colour none of other
nine of one colour one of other
eight of one colour two of other
seven of one colour three of other

etc, etc

then of course, the sides are equal at 5 and 5; after which the colours 'swap over' as to increasing/decreasing.

To learn TABLES, do them in groups that have a relationship, thus:

x2, x4, x8

x3, x6, x12

5 and 10 are easy

7 and 9 are rather harder.

Starting with TWO times TABLE, I always say: "Imagine the class is lining up in pairs; each child will have a partner, if there is an EVEN number in the class. If one child is left without a partner, then the number is ODD, because an odd one is left out."

Use Lego bricks again, lay them out in a column of 2 wide to learn 2x table. Go half way down the column, and move half the bricks up, so that now the column is 4 bricks wide. That gives the start of 4x table.

Then do similar things with 3x and 6x.

With 5x, try and count in 'fives', and notice the relationship with 'ten' - they will alternate, ending in 5 then 10.

It is important to try and UNDERSTAND the relationships between numbers, and not just learn them 'by rote'.

I am sorry it seems complicated trying to explain these concepts, but using Lego or counters should make understanding easier.

An inexpensive solar powered calculator (no battery to run out!) can help learn tables by 'repeated addition'. So: enter 2+2 and press = to give 4. KEEP PRESSING = and it should add on 2 each time, giving 2 times table.

There are good web sites, which can be fun to use :

www.ictgames.com/

www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/index.html

UNQUOTE

Some of this is more advanced than you need at present, but just use what you want for now.