Handling the curriculum

Well I work on the decoding to get them as close to their grade level first but then we echo read the chapters and discuss the vocabulary in each chapter. Actually my daughter’s best subjects in middle school were science and social studies. Yes there was a lot more vocabulary but we were able to plow through it by visualizing and verbalizing the chapters. We would illustrate the vocabualry words, use them in sentences, do lots of reflective listening and discussions so that she could comprehend the material and understand what she was to do on her homework. Science was very hands on in regards to creating and making projects for comprehension of the science material. Plus we had an interactive CD rom which went with the textbook with lots of resources for vocabulary, practice multiple choice tests…etc.

It is a rough road but the key is to do an intensive program to get the decoding up to speed and then improve the vocabulary and sight words so they have the comprehension.

My son is in all regular classes and has managed in social studies and science (he’s finishing 8th), he’s actually improved in his reading skills since being in middle school (a big jump this year). Somehow the hands on things that his teachers do have been a great help. I am one of those moms who read the book occasionally to him as ‘bedtime story’, especially when math took over an hour to do and he still had 2 chapters of soc. studies left.

For his english class, they read Anne Frank this year as well as his literature book, he and a few students went to the resource room during advisory to listen to the books on tape while they read the book and then read in reg. class. The resource room teacher actually lent me the lit book tapes and let me copy them all. Some really good literature, can’t decide if I should keep them or donate them back to her.

Books on tape have been suggested many times here, it is a viable option for keeping up on the info while working on the reading skills.

Honestly, I found the reading load to be similar to 5th grade but the writing load is a bit larger, especially 7th and 8th grades when research papers are being assigned.

That may have been a teacher thing, my son’s science teacher this year is also an English teacher, the science project/research paper she assigned was more complicated than anything I had ever done for school and I majored in pol.sci/history in college.

I hope this helps some.
Amy

My son has an auditory processing deficit and although he can decode, has problems with comprehension. He is going into 5th grade and the speech and language therapist (private) recommended that we have his textbooks transcribed to tape so that he could listen as he reads. In our area (Philadelphia), there is an agency, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, that does this for a reasonable annual fee (under $100).
Sincerely, Eileen

Hi, Karen,

I’m interested in what others have to say on this issue, too.

My older son hit middle school this year. He’s not LD but does have an IEP for mental health issues. So, he can, but sometimes won’t, read his text in school. The school gave us a complete set of textbooks for at home so he doesn’t have to lug them back and forth. That was helpful. He’s still falling behind so their suggestion was to drop his electives (Spanish and band) so he would have extra study hall peiods, ie more time, to read. That isn’t a good idea in his case and we are still kicking around ideas.

Different issues then you asked about, I know, but maybe it will help.

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Looking back over this year! I think in the beginning we struggled because our district started using connected math program (language based math). That started the first go round — I felt they should use their IEP goals for language arts if its language based. This should not have been decided when parents complained, but a phone call telling us they were going to change the plan. Yes! I was upset about this one.

This issue was resolved by copying the math books so notes and overheads could be written write in the area it was being discussed — not having more than one notebook.

Also, reading — I became acquainted with library director in our district. I requested the reading list both in and outside of class. So, I had time to track down the necessary materials. Inner library loans take time.

Social studies and science here are out of kits. They are wonderful for a kinetic learner. We honestly didn’t have a lot of problems. There were some worksheets that were fill in the blank. I did have one friends that’s daughter struggled so they cut it down to half the material. I have heard good things about it.

Language arts – dd son struggled, he doesn’t like it. We had to change his plan of attack to doing it first when he got home rather than after everything else.

I think the greatest gifts to get to know in middle school especially with hard working kids are the library director (she either has the books on tape or knows where to get them), resource room teacher, and any paraeducators that work in the classes your children are taking. That way when directions are lost or your just not quite sure you can contact them for help. Honestly, we see them everywhere ballfields, practices, etc., These people are usually involved in their communities and know where to find information.

Also, at anytime your administration should allow you to look at the curriculum. If your daughter has trouble remembering to bring things home have an extra set of books at home.

I would like to make a suggestion if it is a MEAP year have accomodations discussed at your IEP. I would even look up what accomodations are available for your state.

Take care,
Shel

I would donate those tapes to who you feel will value them. In my area they would be like GOLD. I would donate them either to the resource room teacher (hopefully, their not retiring) or the library director in your district. I would not recommend donating them to the district library things don’t always come back, and I think those should be used for spec ed students first.

I agree with you entirely — dropping Spanish and band is most often a bad move, especially the band.
The message is that you’re failing language, so you should stop doing everything that you’re good at so you can spend even more time doing what you’re bad at. And kids are expected to like doing this and learn from it?
Band in particular teaches many things that can feed back and improve reading in surprising ways — therapy at very low cost. And a second language if well taught (admittedly rare to get good teaching) can feed back all sorts of understanding of your first language. These two courses may be the most valuable in middle school, as well as developing interests and providing other places to succeed.

This isn’t edifying, but I know well over half the kids in my son’s seventh grade class never read the chapters for history and science. They answered the questions at the end of each section by searching through the book. In both subjects the teachers gave study guides, so the kids would go through the chapters hunting for a few points on each topic, which they would write down and study. They have mid-year finals and the hunt for these study guides was monumental. (My own son does this—this is how he can get it done on his own, which he feels he needs to do. I am hoping that that his desparate late-night experiences on this round of finals will finally open him up to listening to me about more organized ways of approaching the material.)

Isn’t that how we all got through college? There was no way you could read everything that was assigned.

Deciding what is *important* is a crucial skill.

Very good point Marie!

I believe the school is responsible for the texts on tape - not you - that’s why it’s FAPE

Victoria,

On another post (somewhere on this BB) you mentioned immersing young children in a foreign language early on so they will be a little ahead of the game when they get to high school. What would be the best way to do this? Are you talking computer games, community ed classes, or what?

The only way to do it effectively is to get real human beings. Here in Montreal we just have to pick a school to send the child to. In other areas there may be regular schools, private or even occasionally public, that offer immersion in a language. There may be after-school or weekend classes — for example, an Armenian friend taught in an all-day Armenian Sunday school that taught a little religion and a lot of language and culture. Or, you can have the child babysat by a nice mother who speaks a different language at home and pay her to *not* speak English. The two important things are time (minimum ten hours a week, and the more the better) and consistency.

This is all too true, but I have always considered it an example of shooting-yourself-in-the-foot pedagogy. If the text is so long and unreadable that you as a teacher need to make up all those summaries and outlines, then you need a more appropriate text. Just think what lessons are being taught to these kids: faking is OK, even recommended as a way to get through a job; superficial is the way to succeed; someone else will do all the summarizing and thinking for you, and all you need to do is short-term memorize and regurgitate.
Do try to encourage your kids to read the text *ahead of time*, not cramming at the last minute just for the test — it’s amazing how much reading you can get done if you just sit down and read, rather than running in fear. Try to convince them to read just to find things out, not to fill in yet another “study guide”. Consider reading the texts aloud to them as well. Kids are often amazed at the interesting material in those books and at how it all connects — al the things that make the subject worthwhile, and that get left ouyt of the cram-under-threat approach.
Changing this approach to studying will not show overnioght effects, but after a while grades start to climb up as the subject becomes a connected system of thought instead of hateful trivia; and a habit of lifelong learning may even get staqrted.

That is why I don’t think the approach these kids are taking is the least bit edifying. At least this year my son did sometimes read the text (compared to last where he never did). The study guides are just lists of terms and concepts they should know—not full blown outlines or summaries. But a student can definitely get a B on the tests by just rummaging through the book for brief descriptors of the listed items and remembering them for the test. Much as I crammed throughout my school career, I have really come to dislike educational approaches that reward this technique. I tell my kids constantly that I am far more interested in how much they are learning and retaining than I am in their grades. (Unfortunately, dh comes from the A=success school of thought so I’m not sure how much of my message is getting through.)

I worked full time through school. I had friends who read everything, would study for hours on end but never seemed to know what the important information was.

I found that just focusing in class and taking good notes was more important than reading everything. It is definitely a skill. A skill that many don’t have.

I like a teacher who gets down to the nuts and bolts. Sometimes less is more. What are the important skills, ideas that need to come across here.

I am something of an efficiency nut. I couldn’t stand aspects of working in an ivory tower institution where many, albeit, brilliant individuals expounded on their theories for an entire meeting and we left with nothing actually accomplished. It was hard to get some people focused on the important aspects of the task at hand.

I think it is important to get kids to analyze all the information and pull out and focus on the important parts. It will help tremendously in college.

I agree! I believe in teaching our children where and how to find the information rather than beating a dead horse. Unfortunately, in our district with budget woes..our elementary librarian was replaced with a district librarian. The students don’t get the time with a librarian showing them how to use a card catalog or search engine.

I think by the time they get to middle/high school they are expected to know this, without the time spent in the library. I also, can not believe students are expected to type papers in middle school, but keyboarding is not taught until high school. This has been a struggle between parents and teachers. The technology team is suppose to be working on this.

I spent my college years highlighting what was said in class and writing notes directly into my text books. I need all information in one place. Level 300 and 400 classes were group work. There is always someone who has your greatest weakness covered. Oh! mine is writing absolutely detest it.

Well, there’s important and there’s important. In the big picture of things, what do you want your child or yourself to take away from that class and remember in later life?

Many teachers give out review sheets and make up tests on pointless trivia. Even the teachers generally agree that it is pointless trivia. The system of “reading guides” and over-frequent testing and multiple choice encourages trivia and discourages deeper thinking.
Yes, it’s a good thing to summarize and review the central ideas of a class or a meeting. In my experience, that is the exact opposite of what this kind of teaching does. The main ideas and the big picture get lost in the paper shuffling and blank filling, and the main ideas don’t make good multiple choice questons, while random irrelevant trivia is great.

One way to get your kid excited about school lessons is to be interested in it yourself. If the teacher is just teaching to a study guide, we have to provide the enthusiam and show connections to the real world and current events:

You’re studying ancient Summeria. Look at the map. That is what we now call Iraq and Iran!

I glanced through my daughter’s social studies chapter on India, and began discussing some of the topics: Buddhism (we discussed how it compared to our faith), ruins of an ancient city (I got excited by the indoor plumbing), and Aryans (so that’s why the term “Indo-European” languages.)

Another fun way, if you have the time, is plan family field trips to a science or art museum, play, or cultural festival. Visiting the Asian Art Museum in SF tied right in to her studies on India and China. The pictures in the book were now real objects in front of her.

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I’ve got the child who can’t listen and write at the same time. She won’t be able to take notes - she’ll need a “note taker” If she listens to the information she can get it. Even though she has a very significant APD. I don’t get it. Middle school teachers, I’m afraid, are going to be a bear.

A Few suggestions:

I would suggests your daughter using a tape recorder in class for lectures.
I would also suggest that you ask for copies of over heads rather than her copying during class periods. I would also find someone in those classes as a back up in case your daughter misses a class.

My LD middle school son can take the notes, but unfortunately his penmanship is good,his spelling is horrid. It took me, a long time to figure out what he was talking about. Asking him, I got “I don’t know.” This what we did to help him. Also, in our district the review sheets are what is on the social studies and science test.

Be warned teachers will not like the tape recorder — fight for what your daughter needs. Also, maybe the teacher already has typed out notes that she can use. I make it a point to invite next year teacher’s to may IEP’s, I want them aware that I am involved and what I expect.

Hope this helps.
Shel

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I can tell my kids have been spoiled these past 3 yrs in their school system. They are in the DODDS system in Germany, I have been most impressed with the majority of their teachers. When my older son was in 6th grade, his social studies teacher was teaching the kids about the multiple intelligences, how to use Cornell notes and the SQR3 (sq3r?) method of studying the text (definitely something I could have used in high school and college). Basically you read the chapter questions at the end of the book, look at all the captions on graphics, look over the bold headings and then read the chapter. It gives a clue about what subject the chapter is about and important info to be on the lookout for.

My youngest son is in 6th grade this year. I have counted 15 out of 23 of his 5th grade classmates on the honor roll each 9 weeks this year, 8 of those were on the 4.0 list. If you figure 5 of the 5th grade classmates moved last summer that leaves only 3 kids not making the honor roll. His elementary school only had 300 students as a total, only two 5th grade classes.

Both of my son’s Terra Nova tests results came back this year with their highest scores in social studies , high average and above average. I don’t know if this is genetic (my dad minored in history, I majored in poli sci/history, my husband is a crim. justice major) or the fact that my interest coupled with our living in Europe has contributed to their scores. I am thinking a combo of all of the above, plus our travels have helped the boys to be interested and excited about social studies. So I definitely agree that getting them excited about the subject helps them learn it (want to learn it).

Bear in mind that both my kids have adhd with the oldest qualified for sp.ed services since 4th grade (he’s going into high school next year).
I am worried about how they will do next year in reg. public school, not so much the younger son, but the atmosphere is so much different than in public school. They have learned so much and done so well here in Germany. There will be a lot I will miss when we move, not the least are the supportive teachers (I won’t miss this year’s 8th grade math teacher though LOL!).

Best wishes.
Amy