Help with LA for advanced 7yr old boy

[brownie]

DS just turned 7 and I brought him home this year for 1st grade. He is essentially doing 2nd grade and we have no issues with math science. He is an accelerated reader, and although reads ravenously, primarily at a 3rd grade level for enjoyment, he also read Harry Potters 1 through 3 at 6.5yrs and loved them.

Here's my problem. He is a perfectionist and cries when things get hard, especially open-ended questions. He is also a typical barely 7yr old boy in that he doesn't have much handwriting endurance. For vocab (we're doing wordly wise 2) he is utterly miserable. The words are nothing exciting but I love the reading comprehension...and this is what he loathes. I love how the paragraphs are interesting and introduce real topics, some of which we have studied and are nice short selections for practicing reading comprehension. He hates that it is open-ended AND requires lots of handwriting. He spends 1 day doing the other 4 exercises and then it takes him 3 days of pulling teeth to get the reading questions done. Half the time I feel like I am the one answering the questions because he requests so much help. Literature is similar but not quite as miserable for some reason. We just finished Progeny Press Sarah Noble with his 3rd grade brother, and again, answering the open-ended questions was rough.

Any suggestions for better curriculum choices for vocab and reading? I dread to split him from his brother for our next lit study because that makes my life more complicated, but I think I will have to bc really Sarah Noble was just a warmup for ds9, but just slightly too challenging for ds7.

Thanks, Brownie

[joannqn]

Try Teaching the Classics with both kids. It is a DVD series that will show you how to have a Socratic discussion about literature. With it you'll be able to cover the major plot elements (setting, character, introduction, rising action, climax, denouement, conclusion, conflict, and theme) of any book. He provides some general questions for discussion, ranging from easy to much more involved. The author suggests starting with simple picture books because they are easy and work your way up from there. Anyone who can discuss the elements of a book in this matter has reading comprehension down. AND there's no writing necessary to have a discussion. As he gets older, you can have him write a paragraph about one of the elements. Then as he gets older still, the writing assignments can get longer and/or cover more detailed analysis.

We use Michael Clay Thompson for vocabulary. The first book in the series is rather basic and is what I'm using for my 7yo this year. The second book, Caesar's English, is VERY advanced. My 9yo is using it. We read through each lesson a little at a time and discuss what we've read. I use SpellQuizzer to test retention of meaning. Normally, SpellQuizzer is a spelling program where you record the word audibly and the student types in the word. To use it for vocabulary, I use a "hint" field to type in the meaning and have my kids type in the word that cooresponds; this way they are practicing/learning both the definition and spelling of the words. Again, no writing required.

[Laura Corin]

Does he need to be studying vocab as a separate subject? My two voracious readers have very wide vocabularies without having done any targeted studying.

Best wishes

Laura

[Jen in PA]

Does he need to be studying vocab as a separate subject? My two voracious readers have very wide vocabularies without having done any targeted studying.

Best wishes

Laura

:iagree:

[jonnia]

My 7 yr-old son is still intimidated by too much writing. We just do a great deal orally instead of having him write it out. Sometimes I'll dictate for him. That way, he is actually working on the skill we're targeting as opposed to trying to give the most succinct answers possible to cut down on his writing.

[Susu]

Why don't you let him dictate the answers and do the bulk of the handwriting for him? He can slowly work up to doing partial amounts. I still do some of the handwriting on open ended questions for my third grade writer, and she has gradually grown more tolerant of writing. But it takes maturation.

I would do a lot of the vocabulary and reading comprehension questions orally too. That will take some of the pressure off of him. And help him to formulate oral responses. Some of his frustration may be that he "knows" the answer, but doesn't know how to express it. Add in lots of easy questions that he does know how to respond to in order to build confidence.

Even an advanced 7 year old is still just 7! He's still a little boy. I think you are doing great in that he is a great reader. That, in my opinion is the biggest educational hurdle. The rest is going to follow... especially since he also is doing well with math and science.

Susu

[WendyK]

I would do more things orally. I think you are asking too much to have him write out all of the answers in WW.

[HeidiD]

Nonfiction Reading Comprehension (Teacher Created Resources). Multiple grade levels, various subjects, vocabulary words followed by a reading selection with multiple choice comprehension questions. Not much handwriting necessary.

http://www.buyteachercreated.com/estore/product/3383

[brownie]

Thanks. I would love WW with just multiple choice instead of open ended questions :) I love the reading selections.

While I'm looking into my options, I've told ds this is our last week of WW for awhile, using the excuse that we are half way through and it is the end of our 1st quarter. Intead, I am going to try and get him to pick out 5 words he's not totally sure of from his assigned reading this week. Then I will look them up with him and discuss.

Meanwhile, I am going to look into some other options. Brownie

[brownie]

Oooh. I just checked out the resource suggested by the PP and I like it...non-fiction and almost entirely multiple choice, allowing me to stretch 7yr old ds by moving him up to at least 3rd grade. I will have him try the samples this week. Thanks! brownie

[Catwoman]

Does he need to be studying vocab as a separate subject? My two voracious readers have very wide vocabularies without having done any targeted studying.

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

I've never felt the need to "teach" vocabulary, either. I think it's different when a child doesn't understand what he's reading, or is confused by some of the words used in general conversation, but it sounds like that's definitely not the case with your bright little guy!

I would suggest that you lighten up a bit on the handwriting, both for your son's sake and for your sanity. My ds is 9, and still balks at having to do much writing, and although it drives me crazy at times, I think it may be a bit of a "boy thing." :glare:

If you're discussing the material that your son reads, and his comprehension is good, I think you're in great shape!

Cat

[Crimson Wife]

I do think teaching word roots is helpful. We're using Red Hot Root Words from Prufrock Press but there are plenty of other programs out there.

[Halcyon]

We use Early Reading Comprehension in Varied Subject Matter to be sure my ds7 understands passages etc. Writing is optional and not much of it (he doesn't like it too much either :)

[Donna]

I used Reading Detectives for the more open-ended, thinking type skill building. My 7yo loves to pick out the words she doesn't know from what she is reading and make a list, then look them up in the dictionary later. She thinks it is the best thing in the world to go back and find where the word was used, once she knows the meaning, then she will use the words later in conversation. Since she started doing this, I have not gotten her the next level Wordly Wise. I think we'll just continue doing vocabulary this way plus she is now a pro at using a dictionary.

[Truscifi]

I would also suggest doing more orally. If you want to be able to go back and review what he said, or have him go back and review it, you can use a recorder. We even got a pocket cam to record ds6 doing fairly complex narrations, then I help him consolidate them down into a couple of sentences so it is much less writing.

[Janelless]

Is there a book for the Teaching the Classics? I'd be interested, but I'm a visual learner, if I can read it I get it. If I have to watch or listen I just don't! Drove my teachers nuts.