Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Many places teach spelling by giving words and having rote memorization. Rote memorization is hard for some people. There are some good programs out there for systematic encoding including All About Spelling and Words Their Way. They may help your son learn encoding skills. In the short term, they will not help him pass spelling tests of random rote memorization if that is how they approach it.
Yes, this is what they do (just rote memorization).
As far as I know, there is no work done at school on the spelling words. Which I totally disagree with....sigh....
You can type in the words (batch entry works if you have more than 10 words)
and then he can do teach me, spelling tests, games, etc. online. The only thing is I don't know how to save the list so that you get it each time unless you are a teacher and have an account.
Spelling words:
I agree with others - he needs to know the words better. The test is not the time to sound them out - not in third grade. Ten words is a very short test for third graders. Don't be surprised if this increases soon.
Math:
When you said he needs to write the facts out in 90 seconds, did you mean both problem and answer? If so, talk to the teacher about this problem. What is keeping your son from succeeding at this has nothing to do with math. It simply means he does not write the facts quickly. Can she give him a test with the facts already written (but not in order) and only give him fifteen seconds? Could he do that? Once a kid completes the "twos," does he then go on to "threes"? If so, your son is being held back in math because of a non-math problem. One thing I did with students who knew the facts but couldn't pass timed tests was to have them come in when I could test them privately, orally. Instead of writing the answers, they pointed to the problems and said the answers out loud. Those who truly knew the facts could pass this way. This can also be accomplished with cards. Set a 2 on the table. Turn a card face up next to the two. As soon as he has said the answer, turn over a new card. This is good for practice and could also be used for testing.
If this is a good school, they will work with you on this. If they won't work with you on this, maybe it isn't such a good school.
Math:
When you said he needs to write the facts out in 90 seconds, did you mean both problem and answer? If so, talk to the teacher about this problem. What is keeping your son from succeeding at this has nothing to do with math. It simply means he does not write the facts quickly. Can she give him a test with the facts already written (but not in order) and only give him fifteen seconds? Could he do that? Once a kid completes the "twos," does he then go on to "threes"? If so, your son is being held back in math becauseof a non-math problem. One thing I did with students who knew the facts but couldn't pass timed tests was to have them come in when I could test them privately, orally. Instead of writing the answers, they pointed to the problems and said the answers out loud. Those who truly knew the facts could pass this way. This can also be accomplished with cards. Set a 2 on the table. Turn a card face up next to the two. As soon as he has said the answer, turn over a new card. This is good for practice and could also be used for testing.
If this is a good school, they will work with you on this. If they won't work with you on this, maybe it isn't such a good school.
Thank you for your good advice.
I agree, that this is not about the math....it is something else. Like you said, it simply means he does not write the facts quickly enough. Whether this is due to the eye tracking issue, fine motor skill delays (he writes slowly), or the test environment, I am not sure.
Yes, once he passes the "twos", he goes on to the "threes" (he knows those, too).
It definitely sounds like a meeting with the teacher is in order.
I agree with what many others are saying here. I have a daughter in third grade as well, and this past week she had 22 words on her spelling test. By the time the spelling test comes, the kids do just have to know the words. The kids often have homework assignments during the week that help them with this, such as writing the words three times each, writing sentences using the words, or playing various sort games with the words. This past week she had all plural words, and one night for homework she had to spell them verbally and say whether they belonged in a column with words ending in 'es or a column with words ending in just 's.
I imagine your son's visual problems may make the words harder to write. In that case, you may have to work at home on this skill. It may help to have him copy the words so he can visually track the spelling from a written page to what he writes. My oldest daughter had trouble copying things, and her written spelling improved a lot when she repeatedly practiced copying sentences. (Her verbal spelling was always better).
For math, my middle child has had some trouble with the timed math tests too because they have stressed her out. She has gotten better with practice though. I think it is helpful to take these types of tests, even though they are stressful, because it does help them as they move into higher math. It also helps their attention to detail. My middle child is wonderful at understanding the concepts of math, but she sometimes overlooks details, which are so critically important in math (One inverted number and you get the problem wrong!). It can be frustrating, but I would say to hang in there and let him keep trying! I would bet things will get better with time.
Ask an adult a friend that he knows, to come in and administer a similar test at the kitchen table, as a drill. See if he performs well or not in that situation. He might still have a black/white mental block, and can get over the hump when he realizes that the tests are basically the same, regardless which of 7-billion people are watching him do the test.
So we just finished homework. Two hours worth, which is plenty, IMO.
We did the Spelling City website. DS really enjoyed it. You can save your word lists, if you sign up (it is free). BTW, DS has no trouble with word meaning.
We also practiced the two times tables (again) using the cards, like a PP suggested. He said them perfectly in 35 seconds. Even DS was like "I know these! Why am I not passing the test?!"
Have a meeting with the teacher later this week.
Thanks for all the support and ideas, everyone. I'll let you know what happens (if you're interested, LOL).
Yes, well, it was this choice, or another school that cost twice as much.
Public schools here are not an option.
BTW, how much homework do your similar aged kids have?
So far. Next to none. We choose what we are going to do. Well they have reading. But they are expected to read 15 minutes a day. I couldn't keep them from doing that if I tried. I am not a fan of homework in the low grades. I do expect that my 5th grade son's is going to pick up, which is fine. But third grade? Crazy.
Good luck to you. It sounds like you are in an untenable situation.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
