asynchronous learners

[VisionaryMom]

We've had snow days for 2 weeks, so DS has been home from preschool. I've been using the time to assess where he is and using various materials (some workbooks we had already and some free things online) to determine where he is. He turned 5 in January and would be starting K this fall.

Right now we're at the very end of the 1st grade math books we have, and he shows no sign of hitting the place where we need to begin slowing down. This morning we reviewed a couple of new concepts (mostly symbols because he intuitively "gets" math but doesn't know the formal expressions). I explain the concept, work 2 problems on the marker board, and then ask him to complete one. We move from there to a workbook page. That's all it takes for him to get the concept, and then he gets every question right every time. I'm thinking this weekend, I may need to look into a Grade 2 curriculum, but I really think he's probably at around a 3rd grade level. OTOH...

...he can't read. I'm really not seeing signs that he's completely ready. I think in a month or two, he will be, but right now our work is going nowhere. I'm going to take a step back and return to consonant sounds (which he knows but can't seem to translate into words). Still his reading comprehensive (or listening comprehension, I suppose) isn't exactly where I think it should be based on his language skills. I'm not sure if I'm explaining properly, but he can understand & explain pretty complex stuff, particularly about government & science, for his age, but when I read him a book and ask him questions, he doesn't follow me.

Does anyone else have a child who is highly asynchronous? I'm not sure how to proceed. Obviously I can't buy a full curriculum, but I was open to a piecemeal approach anyway.

[VisionaryMom]

just an update from the library -

I found a book called Listening Games for Elementary Grades with quite a few exercises that look as if they'll be useful. I may try to work on one of these games per day with him (and DD, too, since she has better language skills) to work on listening to what we're reading.

[Fairy4tmama]

You have just described my oldest to a T. He is incredably intuative with math and was really not ready to read at that age at all and even now (he will be seven friday) it is just starting to click and make some sort of sense for him. You might check out this thread I started last year
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...hlight=reading

I think all children develop asynchronously but some more then others. I also think that our society has a skewed perspective that earlier is better especially with regard to academics. Do some kids walk at 9 months sure do others wait until 15 - 18 months yup and its all totally normal. IME as kids get older those developmental ranges expand and what is normal can be a range of years rather months. So some kids read at 4 and others not until 8.

[VisionaryMom]

Thanks for linking to the thread. It gave me some great things to consider.

I talked with DS about reading this afternoon. He said that he wants to learn to read "a little." He was very clear, though, that he'd prefer math.

Someone gave us the whole HOP program a couple of years ago. I went and pulled it from the basement, and DS and I went through a couple of lessons. He seemed to pick it up a bit better than the way I was trying to explain it. He also was very excited when he read a word correctly.

So, we'll see how things go. DH and I read well (and pretty much of our own observation) by ages 4 and 3, respectively, so I admit that I'm probably getting antsy for no reason. It just seems life would be better/easier/more fascinating for him if he could read.

[bdavis337]

my son is older and not as obviously out of sync, but he's NOT all across the board. He's almost 9 years old and in 3rd grade, technically. He's doing early 4th grade math, reads at a 5th grade level or higher, but he has grade 2 writing and grammar/language arts skills. His reading comprehension improves when he reads aloud or listens to someone else read aloud.

I think most kids are like this, some just far moreso than others.

[earthmama369]

You mean like a 5-year-old who figured out multiplication, the zero concept, and the transitive property all on her own in the last two years but still doesn't sight read many numbers over 10?

Yeah, I have an inkling of what you're talking about.

[mom2ponygirl]

We had some testing done when my dd was 8. In her achievement testing she had more than a 9 grade level spread between spelling and math. LOL Talk about asynchronous! She's 11 now and the spelling is much better, not equal to her math skills, but the asynchrony doesn't stand out nearly as much anymore.

Play with language, have fun, he will get there.

[dogretro]

For a kid who just turned five, I do not see the big deal about him not being able to read. He's five. He will learn to read eventually. I would let it go & focus on the math stuff that he likes instead. Pressure for early reading is one of my pet peeves, so take my opinion as you will

[moominmamma]

You mean like an 8-year-old doing 5th/6th grade math whilst still writing a lot of her 6's backwards?

Or a 13-year-old who is enjoying college physics lectures but has the handwriting of a 2nd grader (and that's being generous!)?

Or an 11-year-old working through AP biology material who still likes to pretend she's a horse?

Or a 10-year-old performing a Bach piano concerto movement with orchestra who won't order her own meal in a restaurant?

Or a 6-year-old doing linear algebra who can't spell her way out of a paper bag?

Nope, never heard of anything like that.

It is to a school system's benefit to create synchrony, so much of the curriculum and group-teaching style works towards that end. It doesn't matter when you're homeschooling, so asynchronous learning is very common. More the norm than the exception, I think.

Miranda

[VisionaryMom]

Okay, I get it! Seriously, though, I'm glad to know this difference isn't abnormal. I know DH didn't *enjoy* language arts as a child, but he never said that he wasn't good at it. I'm not sure if he was or not. I was asynchronous (and definitely titled toward math/science strengths), but I was well above grade-level in every subject - so probably less worrying. I'm trying not to project and just figure out where DS is.

Originally Posted by dogretro

For a kid who just turned five, I do not see the big deal about him not being able to read. He's five. He will learn to read eventually. I would let it go & focus on the math stuff that he likes instead. Pressure for early reading is one of my pet peeves, so take my opinion as you will

You're right. It's probably not a big deal. As I said earlier, both DH and I were earlier readers by our own choice/ability - not through reading instruction. DS has known his letters since age 2. He seems so much on the cusp but just not...interested/ready/I don't know. We read books that are listed as 2nd-3rd grade level to him. He definitely considers many picture books to be "baby books," but he has no desire to learn to read himself.

We did day 2 of homeschool (not sure if we're sending him back to preschool next week; he doesn't want to go) today. We worked on geography because he *loves* maps, phonics (which he slogged through), and math. He said he's doing math for the rest of the day.

Ideas for word-related games? I think most of our are math-related.