Frustrated 3rd grader

[Happy2bMommyof3]

I love, love, love HOD, but I am wondering if I am loving it for myself, or if it is best for dd8.

Let me start by saying this is not a discipline issue. That is where I always start. DD is frustrated and is having a hard time focusing on listening to the read alouds, history, etc. She can hardly narrate a paragraph to me that I have just read to her. She is repeatedly having trouble with math concepts when we get to the review that I am positive she has mastered. I really am unsure of what's going on here. Is this type of learning not for her? I don't really think any of this is over her head...but this has been building up for the past month or so and we had alot of tears today.

Would she benefit more from a program like CLP where there is a study then test method?

Have any of you had to work through something like this?

[Tansy]

Yup I have, I thought it was disobedience or attitude but, in reality it came down to Audio processing, and a lack of being able to understand Math concepts. She ended up having many sensory issues. the good news is all that stuff I read to her and taught her is in that brain of hers. And it pops out at unexpected times. HOD actually is one of the best programs to work with since these kids tend to do horrible with tests. So a teach an test method doesn't sink in or work. I'll send you a link for a test kit so you can rule this out or in as the case may be.

[deltagal]

Hi there,

My thought is for many children this is very typical at this age. Time will help in many areas. I feel like for my two oldest boys the light bulb really went on around the age of 11. Just be patient. Stick with what you are doing and enjoy the journey. Consistency helps immensely!

[pjdobro]

I'm wondering what programs have you used with her before now? Did she do well listening before and has it just become a struggle this year or is the first time you are asking her to listen and narrate? I find that with both of my 8 year olds in Bigger that narrating is still a challenge especially some of the longer or more difficult readings. I feel like I didn't work on their narrating skills enough while we were doing Beyond and the material this year is more challenging. I'm finding they have the most difficulty narrating the science book, second most difficulty with the history, and do the best with the storytime. What I have been trying to do it is just read smaller sections, have them narrate and then continue. I've also tried to do better on my modeling. I still feel like my narrations need work. I've been trying to gently offer a suggestion or two at the end of each narration and encourage them as well. They have both been improving. I'm hoping with time and patience, we'll all improve.

I want to encourage you too that 3rd grade is a challenging year. I think there are a a lot of new skills that are introduced. At least with us, we're introducing cursive writing, long multiplication and division, longer narrations, more detailed science experiments using the scientific method, more intense literature study, etc. There are many new skills being introduced and the old skills are being stepped up a notch. I think all of that can be overwhelming to the student and the teacher. I see this year as a big building year. It seems that K-2 is just getting the dc to level where they are ready to learn, laying down a foundation of skills like basic writing, reading, and basic computation skills and then in 3rd grade we start ramping up the learning, expecting them to apply all of these skills as they learn new concepts. That's not a bad thing; it's just a lot new. Added to that, many children this age are already starting to feel a bit of the early hormonal changes, especially girls. Given all that, it can be overwhelming. It's great that you recognize the struggles that your dd is having. It's possible that it is more than just being overwhelmed right now and it's great that you are getting guidance with that from Tansy. It could be that your daughter just needs to slow down a bit for a while until she is more comfortable too. Perhaps slowing down to half pace for while might help?

I'm feeling like this is a big year for me and my dc as we lay the ground work for the coming years and help them develop their independence. So I'm trying to make sure we take the time necessary to help them understand how to apply concepts and learn independently. If that means that I have to slow down to less than full pace at some point, that's what we'll do. Last year we camped out on regrouping for what seemed like forever in math and this year we're doing the same thing on long division. I feel like it will be time well spent. We're going to work extra hard on narration this year too so hopefully by next year, we'll be ready for written narrations. Any way, I say all of this just to encourage you that this is a more challenging year academically and it could take some time to adjust. Hang in there!

[my3sons]

I think your dd sounds like she is having a difficult time learning to truly think about what she has read and then share about it. Can you remind me if she did Beyond before doing Bigger Hearts? If not, she could be having a tough time with some of the CM style skills. What specifically brings on the tears? Which boxes seem more difficult for her? Tears often result in being overly challenged or being out of our comfort zone. I wonder if going half-speed may be a good idea so she can work on some of the areas that seem to cause her frustration in a less hurried fashion? Choosing a textbook/worksheet/test kind of learning format instead would be easier for her - but that's because she wouldn't be asked to learn the very skills she is being challenged to learn right now! I wouldn't want her to miss out on lifelong skills such as HOD teaches via CM methods. Missing excellent living books would be such a pity too. There are definitely dc that take great comfort in the "take the test - forget about it" kind of learning, but they are missing that learning is part of everyday life! If you get the chance to jot down some notes about what you notice your dd is taking longer to do or balking more at doing in the day to day, and share that here, we can brainstorm more!

In Christ,
Julie

[Happy2bMommyof3]

Well ladies,

I watched more closely today. I let her read her grammer instructions and tell me what she was supposed to do and she did it joyfully and followed directions which has not been happening...that and a very detailed narration of her independent reading selection coupled with the deer in the headlights reaction to narration and answering questions about what I have just read to her makes me realize that she can read and understand, but when it is read to her she doesn't understand as well.

Tansy, I can't thank you enough!! I administered the auditory test and she scored at the 4 year old level!! I am so thankful that I know what the issue is, but I don't know what to do next. It looks like I would purchase some materials to help her from the website, but what if that's not the only issue? We are in Georgia, so a consultation in TX is out of the question. Any suggestions?

Julie, we used Beyond last year for her and I was noticing alot of these same issues then, but it wasn't as pronounced a problem as it has now become.

[Tansy]

Sending you another link

is altanta near you?

[mrsrandolph]

I have a son with Auditory Processing issues, and this is HUGE. It just has a HUGE impact on their learning and can be so frustrating for them and us : )

Tansy...share some links on here please. I am in Atlanta. My son is currently in therapy.

[Tansy]

I have a son with Auditory Processing issues, and this is HUGE. It just has a HUGE impact on their learning and can be so frustrating for them and us : )

Tansy...share some links on here please. I am in Atlanta. My son is currently in therapy.

Since her site sells curriculum, I'd rather play it safe and PM those looking for the test kit. I'll send you the Atlanta therapist. See if its the same one your Child is using.