I am looking for some input inregards to a 5th grade girl I’m working with. I just started in this position and she is quite low cognitively. She is labeled LD, but have some suspitions that in all reality her ability is too low in terms of actual IQ—if that amakes sense.
Anyway, her math skills are at a third grade level from her what is in her IEP. The teacher has her in a 5th grade math book. Anyone have any input inregards to keeping her in the 5th grade book verses going back down to where she is academically. She is REALLY struggling with this book.
Any input will be great!
Re: where to start
The fifth grade book is a total waste of time and in fact destructive because what she will learn is that math is torture and she is a loser. Read Sheila Tobias on Overcoming Math Anxiety.
In fact, in my experience, the Greade 3 level needs to be checked out. The last kid I got with records saying Grade 3 level was actually functioning at Kindergarten.
Re: where to start
Math is extremely developmental. Unless you’ve got a special math gift — and something tells me this kiddo doesn’t — you *aren’t* going to fill in gaps.
Regardless of her IQ, *anybody* should not be over-placed in math. The concepts really do build on each other.
It’s like throwing her into the deep end with her hands and legs bound.
Re: where to start
I am working with 3 students in an MID class. It is a grade six class, but these three students are at the grade 3 level. I have started working with them at the 3 level and have slowly introduced some of the strands at the 4 level, but I keep going back and reviewing almost on a weekly basis. They have made some prograss proven by the weekly testing. I have hopes of getting them up to a 4/5 level before the end of this year. Good luck!Kelly wrote:
>
> I am looking for some input inregards to a 5th grade girl I’m
> working with. I just started in this position and she is
> quite low cognitively. She is labeled LD, but have some
> suspitions that in all reality her ability is too low in
> terms of actual IQ—if that amakes sense.
>
> Anyway, her math skills are at a third grade level from her
> what is in her IEP. The teacher has her in a 5th grade math
> book. Anyone have any input inregards to keeping her in the
> 5th grade book verses going back down to where she is
> academically. She is REALLY struggling with this book.
>
> Any input will be great!
best wishes
The others are right-you have to take’em from where they are. Wishing they were in a higher level doesn’t make it so. How does a kid who doesn’t know multiplication do long division?
Good luck to you-you are a parent’s dream come true: somebody who is interested in helping a child.
Re: where to start
Math is taught in a linear fashion. If she does have her third grade skills in hand, how can she possibly function in a 5th grade book?
Why not do an informal assessment yourself and determine from your own perspective where she is at in terms of math? Then instruct her at the level that you clearly see is appropriate. Of course, if the classroom teacher is just going to keep her in the 5th grade book, she’ll still need help there as well.
To me the phrase is - they need to be caught up while still keeping up.
Good luck doing that.
The most efficient learning takes place when a child already knows about 80% of the material and only has to “reach” to master the next 20%. The child you describe will probably get zippo from working in a 5th grade text. She needs to be taken back to a 3rd grade level and worked up to grade level from there.