OT What is age approriate 2nd grade?

[Mommytink]

As a teacher and a mommy to a 2nd grader here are some suggestions I have seen work:

For homework get a long taper candles and light it when she begins. When she has had enough she blows it out. When they candle is melted completly, she earns an incentive. Or use an index card, for every 5 minutes spent on homework she get a hole punched. When the card falls apart, she earns an incentive.

Spelling: try using a shallow pain and filling with sand. Have her draw the spelling words with her finger. Spell the words with playdough. Or try rainbow spelling tracing over each word multiple times in different colors (think smelly markers). Black paper and gel pens also do the trick.

Hope this helps!

 

[es45]

I will definitely start looking into Sylvan or something similar. With attny's fees and the added expense of daycare, right now we are stretched to the limit. We can not add her to our health insurance until we get a court ruling so we have moved some of our emergency money to medical fund to get a physical and eye test. I inadvertently scared her by telling her we were going to go to the dentist to get a cleaning. She has never been to a dentist and I did not know that. So, that will have to wait for a few weeks. As you have probably guessed the parental issues are serious. Kelly

Kelly, I think that you are right to wait for Sylvan, etc. There are so many other issues to worry about now that once they are resolved, will probably resolve the academics as well.

 

[Max1*]

First off let me commend you on your attempts to go from empty nesters to parents again. My parents also did the same with my nephew at 12 and again 3 years later with my niece when she turned 12. Their parents also gave them all the responsible but no control they kept all the control and it made it very difficult indeed. Good for you for trying to get the courts to see whats best for the child not the bio parents.

Anyhow I also have a 2nd grader. Here is what I suggest, first off she is very emotional right now and you need to find out if what she is doing is just a way to make sure she controls the situation and wants attention any way she can get it. I think as a 7 or 8 year old what she is showing may not be signs of a disorder but signs of needing what she is missing her parents. Grandparents are amazing people but small children feel abandoned and unloved no matter how bad their parents are when they are no longer there. I vote for the reward system first. ALL small people love rewards. I like the sticker chart idea and explain to her how much you believe in her so much and know she can do anything she sets her mind to your willing to reward her for her amazing efforts she is putting forth. At first give her stickers just for sitting down, not putting up a fuss, working well, taking her time, anything to get her to see how positive attitude brings positive outcome. If it works then you can back off a bit and give her stickers just for what its for. The prizes don't have be large just ask her what she wants, trip to the zoo on Sat. lunch out with grama anything on the menu even ice cream for lunch if she wants, a trip to the dollar store to spend $5.00 (not sure you have $1 stores there just an idea my 2nd grader likes to go and get art supplies)

If all else fails then maybe take her to her ped. and have her evaluated at a learning center here it would be Kumon or Sylvan.

Continue pos. reinforcement, continue fighting for whats right. It won't be easy but in the end rewarding for both grandparents and child!

Good luck! (ps do NOT take away for negative behavior it will backfire on you)

 

[perfectparanoia]

We have just adopted two children (a six year old girl and five year old boy).

What you are saying really reminds me of my daughter when she first started school here. Simple assignments that I know she knows how to do were taking forever and we were doing the majority of the work. We haven't gotten it all figured out (it has only been two months) but some things that have worked:

1. Make sure you are consistent. If homework time is right after snack then it should always be right after snack. This girl (and my daughter) have had a lot of changes in the last little while. They need to know what to expect and to know that it is not going to change again. (We learned this the hard way.)

2. She WILL test you. Repeatedly. It will not end this week or this month. We have been told by our case worker that 1 year is about the right amount of time for them to feel truly settled. Sometimes, we spend too much time thinking about all they went through and forget that what they need is to know what the rules/boundaries are in her new situation and that these are the same.

3. Remove everything else from the table she is working at. Helps them to focus on the task at hand. Also, take away the work if you are trying to explain something. Our daughter is too busy looking at what she is trying to do to listen.

4. Try not to help but to be available for help. I usually start dinner (she works at the kitchen table) or do work on my computer. That way, she knows that she can get help if she needs it and I can watch to make sure she is trying. Also, if you feel that she can do it on her own, put your foot down and tell her that you aren't going to help until she tries on her own. A real try (you should be able to tell).

5. Don't worry about this school year. Seriously. She will probably be behind. She will need lots of help next year (when she is feeling more secure in her new situation). Her grades should be less of a concern than her getting settled with you.

Lastly, I wanted to say that there are two basic types of 'disrupted' (moved to a new living situation) children. There are ones who will cry and fight and rally against you at all times for the first little while (my son). Then there are the ones who want to be good. Some do it so you will keep them. Some think if they are good enough, they will get to go back to their old situation (my daughter). Sounds like DGD is the second. She will eventually break down and then having all the consistency in place will be worth it.

I would love it if you sent me a PM or two as we seem to be in pretty similar situations.

 

[Whistle]

I am a third grade teacher and have also taught second grade. It sounds to me like there are a few "warning bells" going on . . . if she has had an attendance issue in her past and has moved excessively (4 times in a year is A LOT for a child), I am guessing there are some "gaps" in her learning. I think the attention could be a problem as well, but it could also be a normal 7 year old after a long day at school.

When working with her in math, try to make things as concrete as possible. She may need manipulatives to work out the problems (objects to physically move as she counts, subtracts, etc.) . . . as I teach math, I take things from a 3d level (using objects), to a 2d level (seeing the objects on paper), to an abstract level. An example of this could be- 3d-using real coins to practice counting money, 2d- a worksheet on counting change, abstract- a word problem about counting money. While the workbooks sound good, she may not be ready to make the leap to 2d and abstract yet. It is a developmental process figuring out how those numbers work and are related to each other.

Try to incorporate math into everyday situations for her- i.e. if she is making a purchase (our students can buy ice cream at school each week for 75 cents), let her count out the change (and vary the coins used), let her help you cook (reading directions, steps in a process, measuring, setting the oven and timer- all of these are math related!), try to make it as FUN as possible!

I like the other suggestions of working with the spelling words- the more senses you involve, the more likely a child can remember it. So, if you use scented markers, etc. you are involving the sense of smell, if they are writing in sand or chalk outside, you are involving tactile. She could also try word building activities (think magnet letters on a fridge). My 4th grader's current favorite is to practice his spelling words on his white board in his room. A few months ago he would write them on his DS and I would check. My 6th grader will text them to me (hey, whatever works, right?). All that being said, I would focus more on the math concepts and reading over the spelling.

As far as reading goes, having her stop and check her reading every few pages helps. Keep reading orally to her (as much as possible). Reading is like any other skill- the way you get better at it is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! Reading can come in lots of forms though (books, magazines, comics, recipes, poems, etc) Find what HER interest is and surround her with it! Surround her with print (a basket of books in her bathroom, books on tape in the car)- the key is to use things that have interest to her (i.e. Nickelodeon magazine???, etc.)-

If you have any other questions, I would love to help. I have lots of websites linked to my school's homepage- many of these are games that may help reinforce some of the basic skills. If you are interested, please pm me, and I can send you the address. Sorry this got so long-winded! Oh, Chuck E Cheese has printable charts and incentives you can print online (things like reading charts, homework charts, behavior, etc.)-- kids can earn free tokens for bringing them in. If you bring in report cards (and interims), kids can earn free tokens for that as well!

Best of luck to you!!!

 

[kellyg403]

Hi All! Thanks for all the replies and suggestions, they are very helpful! Yesterday I spoke to her teacher and expressed my concern, that I am not sure if its just worry on my part or there is truly a 'gap' as another posted. We have started a few things and will go from there. She sat dgd near a little girl that she has been socializing with who is closer to the board. She will go over math in the a.m. with the other students who are having difficulty retaining new information. They have moved on in math to measuring. Dgd and Grandpa got out the ruler and yardstick. She was having difficulty with converting inches to feet etc. So, we stopped the work and took the ruler and just measured things around the house that would require using the whole ruler (foot) or whole yardstick. We must have measured every couch chair and wall but finally she was understanding the feet/yard concept. So we came back to the math sheet and she did EVERY single one right. DH and I thought maybe her style of learning is hands on. Making it a little more fun and little more 'obvious' that she was using the whole ruler which equaled one foot.

Since tues, we have been randomly throwing out her spelling words. When we are in the car, eating dinner etc. It felt like I was pushing her but last night we did a mini spelling test for today and she got all of them right except for trophy.

We have a sticker chart now. We have our special day on fri, grandma and dgd. I usually pick her up and we go to sonic for ice cream. She calls it our 'special grandma day'. I have a different day of the week I pick up the other babies and I explained to her everyone should have one special day to do one special thing togethe. She chose friday and she chose ice cream..a girl after my own heart! I was hoping in the future this would make her more comfortable, more at ease if there was something she wanted to talk about.

We are still adding in one page of math and reading from the books I bought. We have actually gone to the very beginning of the math book. I had started her pages where she actually was in school. But, after much thought I went to the beginning of 2nd grade facts hoping it would help us either reinforce what she already knows or gives us a hint where she is having the gap.

Again, you guys have been wonderful. Thank you so much for giving me all these suggestions. I really believe we can get her on track. No matter what. And yes, 4 schools are alot. I would wager to guess that we are looking at retention based on just attendance anyway. NC requires so many days present but I am not sure how that will work with a child like this.

Kelly

 

[iwrbnd]

Your DGD is one blessed little girl to have grandparents like you! It sounds like you're doing an amazing job! Way to go!

 

[Whistle]

While retention is a consideration, please carefully consider it based on her age. It is such a hard decision to make. I am not sure if she will be in the new school long enough for them to make that kind of decision. Also, if attendance has been a problem, she has to show regular attendance for awhile before the schools could move forward with testing to see if there is a learning disability or not. At this point, there is too much question if the problems are due to a lack of attendance (and causing gaps in learning) or is there something else going on.

Again, it sounds like you are doing WONDERFUL things for her!!! Keep up the amazing work!

 

[Sgt Mickey]

She sounds like my 10 year old. We moved with the military and it really hit her hard as far as diffrent states had diffrent standards. I think somewhere along the lines she missed some fundamentals and it is hurting her. She was held back in 2nd grade and left 2nd grade the second time all caught up only to go to 3rd grade this year still struggling. I have had her tested for learning disablities and everything. She is like your granddaughter in the fact she will study thing and forget. I am really pushing for summer school this year. She dosen't do well over breaks. PLus I am looking into getting a tutor. PLUS she goes to special extral classes at school that help her out.
Hoemwork can be a stuggle but I have found after school is always the best. We also have gone back and forth and now that she has a routine it is finally working to eat a snack and do homework right after school.

 

[kellyg403]

While retention is a consideration, please carefully consider it based on her age. It is such a hard decision to make. I am not sure if she will be in the new school long enough for them to make that kind of decision. Also, if attendance has been a problem, she has to show regular attendance for awhile before the schools could move forward with testing to see if there is a learning disability or not. At this point, there is too much question if the problems are due to a lack of attendance (and causing gaps in learning) or is there something else going on.

Again, it sounds like you are doing WONDERFUL things for her!!! Keep up the amazing work!

Retention is something I do hope to avoid, especially because of age. Since we are still in limbo re: this being permanent or whatever the court wants eventually. Our attorney did say to us that we have to look at this as permanent but keep in our mind, parent reunification with the child is very important to the court. So, yes. Rentention, knowing her age and the possibility she might be reunified scare me to death. But, I have to be realistic and hope that we can have her here with us long enough..and we know it will be at least the rest of this school year and next, we can lay some foundation for the love of schooling.

Kelly

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Hi All! Thanks for all the replies and suggestions, they are very helpful! Yesterday I spoke to her teacher and expressed my concern, that I am not sure if its just worry on my part or there is truly a 'gap' as another posted. We have started a few things and will go from there. She sat dgd near a little girl that she has been socializing with who is closer to the board. She will go over math in the a.m. with the other students who are having difficulty retaining new information. They have moved on in math to measuring. Dgd and Grandpa got out the ruler and yardstick. She was having difficulty with converting inches to feet etc. So, we stopped the work and took the ruler and just measured things around the house that would require using the whole ruler (foot) or whole yardstick. We must have measured every couch chair and wall but finally she was understanding the feet/yard concept. So we came back to the math sheet and she did EVERY single one right. DH and I thought maybe her style of learning is hands on. Making it a little more fun and little more 'obvious' that she was using the whole ruler which equaled one foot.

Since tues, we have been randomly throwing out her spelling words. When we are in the car, eating dinner etc. It felt like I was pushing her but last night we did a mini spelling test for today and she got all of them right except for trophy.

We have a sticker chart now. We have our special day on fri, grandma and dgd. I usually pick her up and we go to sonic for ice cream. She calls it our 'special grandma day'. I have a different day of the week I pick up the other babies and I explained to her everyone should have one special day to do one special thing togethe. She chose friday and she chose ice cream..a girl after my own heart! I was hoping in the future this would make her more comfortable, more at ease if there was something she wanted to talk about.

We are still adding in one page of math and reading from the books I bought. We have actually gone to the very beginning of the math book. I had started her pages where she actually was in school. But, after much thought I went to the beginning of 2nd grade facts hoping it would help us either reinforce what she already knows or gives us a hint where she is having the gap.

Again, you guys have been wonderful. Thank you so much for giving me all these suggestions. I really believe we can get her on track. No matter what. And yes, 4 schools are alot. I would wager to guess that we are looking at retention based on just attendance anyway. NC requires so many days present but I am not sure how that will work with a child like this.

Kelly

I was just going to post that you may want to try a different teaching style. One of my children is a tactile learner and he could not pick up addition at all until he used his hands to do it with cars, tiles, tally sticks, even an abacus.

Also, when my now 3rd grader is being stubborn and getting distracted with his homework I play "beat the timer". I try to give him a time a little longer than I actually think it will take him to complete an assignment correctly, it really gives him a sense of accomplishment to finish first and he's always surprised that what he thought would take "forever" only took a few minutes.

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

You are a wonderful grandma! I agree that there are probably gaps. (I have two second graders, and I am a high school English teacher). I think what you have already put into place is fantastic and you have received some great advice! (I am a bit concerned about all of the talk of ADHD though...I think that would be the last avenue I would explore at this point.)

She needs consistency maybe more than others her age bc of what she has been though.

I think it is also really important for her to meet with success. Maybe throw in some "easy" spelling words for her.

Good luck. It sounds like you are feeling better about the situation. (The measuring everything sounded like fun.)

Here are some websites my girls have used: starfall.com and primarygames.com