star_invention

Бешка получила задание в школе. В пределах коробки из под обуви соорудить реплику окружающей нас среды. На выбор били даны Большой Город (Urban environment), Деревня (Suburban environment), или Глушь (Rural environment). Бешка выбрала большой город. Вот что у нас получилось.

У нас есть 3 небоскрёба, 1 жилой дом (красный), парк с деревьями и озером в кором плавают две уточки, одна лягушка и одна лилия, каток как перед Рокфелеревском центром, машины, и разные люди. Бешка заняла первое место в классе и получила грамоту.

На другом фронте, в школе дела становятся хуже. На тесте по математике сделала 5 ошибок на одном и 3 на другом. Причeм, все сложные задачи решила правильно, а всякую ерунду по сложению делает не внимательно. Ошибки просто тупые. А главное, она то всё это уже 3 раза знает. Дома мы с ней заниемся умножением и дробями, а в школе 5+7 сложить правильно не может. Догадываюсь что это от скуки, но что с этим делать пока не знаю.

По чтению тоже всякая ерунда. Читает она хорошо, но ленится. Книги выбирает очень легкие, мотивируя это тем что они эти книги читают в школе. В дополнение, читает только из под палки. Что нужно зделать что бы ребёнок прочитал книгу просто потому что эта интересная книга, а не потому что её задали в школе?

На завтра им было задано написать book report. Но это только так называется. На самом деле, в листике бумаги было отведено по две строчки что бы написать 3 причины по которым ем понравилась книга. Я не знаю как им это задание объяснили в школе, но то что вывела моя красавится на черновике было мной забраковано. Сидели разбирались как в 3-х предложениях расказать почему книга понравилась. В итоге получилось нормально.

У нас встреча с учительницей через две недели. Будем все эти вопросы подробно обсуждать. Без какий то изменений я долго не выдержу.

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Relax and leave her alone. Math mistakes because of lack of concentration are self-correcting - I am sure she likes to get the best grade and next time she'll learn to check herself. Don't you remember doing it in school yourself? Making a stupid mistake and then wowing to be more attentive next time (and actually doing it)? Only we STARTED school at 7...

I know, but I am still worried. I need to talk to her teacher anyhow to find out how much time they have during their tests, as they don't have regular periods. Also, Becky says that she gets really nervous during tests and I think it is because she thinks that she does not know this stuff. So we've been working on practicing addition and subtractions and doing it fast. I found this online thing where they can do timed math and she seems to like it.

I am however, more concerned about her not liking reading and reading books that are way too easy.

About reading - I know its hard, but don't push. She is not behind her class, right? She just doesn't want to jump ahead even though she can...
I remember when I just learned to read I was "lazy" and stopped reading alltogether for a while. But she'll come across books that will draw her in, and then you'll be running after her to turn her light off and to to sleep at night instead of reading under the blanket!

The nervous thing and fast addition - kudos to you for helping her work through it! When time comes I'll get those websites from you...

Anya, it is so hard. Knowing how much I love reading, it is hard for me to watch. No, she is not behind her class. I think she is average right now, but we will have parent/teacher conference after Thanksgiving and want to find out her reading level then. I also want to find out if her teacher noticed the same thing where she does not strive to challenge herself.

It does look to me that she challenges herself in math..

I didn't expect you to be such a pushy mother academically. I mean it really comes across to me as too pushy.

I think one thing that can help, is to keep in perspective, that eventially (very soon) she will learn to read on a high enough level that all books will be accessible to her, and then reading should take care of itself, knowing how your daugher is curious and from her personality, she will like to read!

One thing that I myself is trying to remember that our kids are still young, and school at this age is not only about academical success, but psychological as well, and its not less important - maybe even more! You know she is bright!
Psychologically, you helped her overcome fear of failure in math somewhat, I think she is way ahead in multiplication, so give it time. They are learning much more than reading right now, they are learning to learn, they are learning not to be afraid of mistakes, they are learning to get over mistakes... Right now school is a huge part of their self esteem and identity, I think we tend to forget that, if anything, we should really tread gently and support... I also think we are forgetting that we started school later, our school day was not so long at this age, and also elementary education in America (from studies, heard on NPR) is more academically rigorous and challenging than in other countries... (it is closer to high school that is starts slacking)

I don't think I am that pushy. Ok, 5 mistakes on a 40 question test is not that bad, 87%, I agree. But, what worries me is that it is stuff that they have been doing since September. So, first, she is bored with it and does not have motivation to work hard at it, and second, she knows it and thus should not be making mistakes at all.

As for our Soviet school being different, I am not so sure. We went to school 6 days a week, and our days were not much shorter, we started earlier in the day, but finished earlier too. Plus, most of us came to 1st grade from the daycare where we learned all the Kindergarten stuff, plus most of 1st grade as equivalent to US school. I feel that her school work is comparable to what my fist grade (7 years old) with the exception of learning to write letter in the slanted line notebooks.

I guess I will keep working with her on these things as much as she lets me.

All in all, I think it is good to have a mother who hold you to the highest standard. Becky is lucky.

About our 1st grade being equivalent to what 7 year olds are learning here... I am not so sure. I don't remember it in such detail. But I don't think we had such sophisticated art projects etc. That was later...
And the 1st graders there were learning to read (granted some already did), not expected to be reading yet... But I feel reading is much easier in Russian.

But I feel reading is much easier in Russian.

I feel so too. Granted, to be fair, I did not get into reading till second grade, but then it was exactly what you described - flashlight under the blanket and fighs over too much reading.

It is hard to find that purfect middle ground between what your children are doing and what you know they are capable of doing.

P.S. The shoebox project is amazing! Did she do it mostly herself?

Thank you. I helped her, but she did a lot of it herself.

We did the plan/outline of what will go in the box and where, what materials we will use for each items, etc. I helped her with cutting out things as this foam is hard to cut with kid's scissors, but she did most of gluing and all of coloring.

Becky

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