HELP ~ reading, spelling, math... dyslexia?
Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:55 pm
I feel so frustrated most days. I homeschool 3 children ages 11 {grade 6} age 10 {grade 5}, age 6 {grade 1} and have a 3 year old running around.
Our 10 year old daughter {now in grade 5} has been a struggle since she started school. I thought her to be bright and social before she entered the school system. She knew all her colors, letters, numbers and was writing her name without help before she was 3. She started talking at 9 months of age.
Three months into the public school system we were told she was under average and was having social difficulties. I couldn't believe it. She continued to be barely average in most courses but below average in reading and spelling through grades 1-3. She was also acting out on the playground... she did not have lasting friendships and even on occation stole something from the teachers desk {candy}.
At home she was pleasant enough... I knew how to handle her complaints about her siblings so all was well.
We started to homeschool at the beginning of her Grade 4 year {she was 9}. I noticed almost immediatly that she was not understanding what she was reading most of the time, she couldn't read many of the words because she had never been taught phonics, she struggled in math, and only did well in spelling when it was oral.
I quit doing spelling lists/tests and worked on teaching her kindergarten phonics throughout the rest of her first homeschool year. I also paused many times in math so that she could grasp subraction, etc. She managed, me managed to survive our first year of learning together and socially she excelled.
We are now into our second year of homeschool. I decided to change over to Sequential Spelling {we use ABeka Book for the rest of our curricullum} and she is doing well {except she still always mixes up her ds and bs} and I have decided to forfit the weekly quizes in every subject so that she can focus more on remembering the details and doing better in tests. For the first few weeks she was not getting any better than 40% on any quiz... then I offered her a toonie for everytime she could get a 80% or above and she has now achieved it twice {on history test and science test}.
We are struggling terribly in math right now. I worked so hard to teach her subraction last year and yet she has forgotten how to borrow - she doesn't understand the 0.... that flows over to multiplication as well.... the zero causes many issues. She is not understand placement.... ie. 100 millions, 10 millions, 1 millions, 100 thousands, 10 thousands, 1 thousands, hundreds, tens, ones. I have tried to simplify it for her and right now she is struggling with multiplying two sets... 27x51.... she wants to multiply the 1 x 7, and the 5 x 2 and doesn't understand even when I show her and explain it.
I know this is a long post. I want you to understand her a little. And, understand me a little. I love her. I love homeschooling her. I love to teach. I try to teach as simply as I can. I don't expect from her what I expect from her siblings because I they are easy learners. I just don't know what I should do.
Should I not expect her to learn and understand what others in her grade level are? How should I help her to understand? etc. etc.
Thanks so much.
~ Eva.
Our 10 year old daughter {now in grade 5} has been a struggle since she started school. I thought her to be bright and social before she entered the school system. She knew all her colors, letters, numbers and was writing her name without help before she was 3. She started talking at 9 months of age.
Three months into the public school system we were told she was under average and was having social difficulties. I couldn't believe it. She continued to be barely average in most courses but below average in reading and spelling through grades 1-3. She was also acting out on the playground... she did not have lasting friendships and even on occation stole something from the teachers desk {candy}.
At home she was pleasant enough... I knew how to handle her complaints about her siblings so all was well.
We started to homeschool at the beginning of her Grade 4 year {she was 9}. I noticed almost immediatly that she was not understanding what she was reading most of the time, she couldn't read many of the words because she had never been taught phonics, she struggled in math, and only did well in spelling when it was oral.
I quit doing spelling lists/tests and worked on teaching her kindergarten phonics throughout the rest of her first homeschool year. I also paused many times in math so that she could grasp subraction, etc. She managed, me managed to survive our first year of learning together and socially she excelled.
We are now into our second year of homeschool. I decided to change over to Sequential Spelling {we use ABeka Book for the rest of our curricullum} and she is doing well {except she still always mixes up her ds and bs} and I have decided to forfit the weekly quizes in every subject so that she can focus more on remembering the details and doing better in tests. For the first few weeks she was not getting any better than 40% on any quiz... then I offered her a toonie for everytime she could get a 80% or above and she has now achieved it twice {on history test and science test}.
We are struggling terribly in math right now. I worked so hard to teach her subraction last year and yet she has forgotten how to borrow - she doesn't understand the 0.... that flows over to multiplication as well.... the zero causes many issues. She is not understand placement.... ie. 100 millions, 10 millions, 1 millions, 100 thousands, 10 thousands, 1 thousands, hundreds, tens, ones. I have tried to simplify it for her and right now she is struggling with multiplying two sets... 27x51.... she wants to multiply the 1 x 7, and the 5 x 2 and doesn't understand even when I show her and explain it.
I know this is a long post. I want you to understand her a little. And, understand me a little. I love her. I love homeschooling her. I love to teach. I try to teach as simply as I can. I don't expect from her what I expect from her siblings because I they are easy learners. I just don't know what I should do.
Should I not expect her to learn and understand what others in her grade level are? How should I help her to understand? etc. etc.
Thanks so much.
~ Eva.