upper el: not finishing work, it is driving me crazy

[carmel23]

So my son is in upper el, 4th grade, and he is not finishing things he starts. Now if he started 10 things, say, and didn't finish 1 or 2 of them-- no biggie, right?

But he is starting 10 things and maybe finishing 1 (this is just an example) over several weeks.

I think he should be writing a lot more for 4th grade, and given feedback on it (grammar, spelling, etc.) and this does not seem to be happening at all.

How do I bring this up with his guide? sure, in a perfect world, children would just naturally want to go look up spelling words, etc. But it isn't happening.

Mediocrity is being executed, and mediocrity is being accepted (this is my perspective, anyway). How can I address this with his teacher?

It is mainly the area of writing that is bothering me... everything else seems okay...
TIA!

[RiverTam]

I hear you. I have an 8 year old in upper el (4th) this year, and he's screwing off a lot.

I'm biting my tongue and saying "Trust the method, trust the method, trust the method" under by breath a lot. But I'm a hypocrite. My DS is required to do one math lesson, one entry in his reader's journal, and one 20 word vocabulary lesson at home each week. (It's not Montessori. I know. I can't stand it, though.)

My coworker's kid just finished 5th grade at our school. His DS had excellent math, science, reading and critical thinking skills. He had very mediocre writing skills when he was done. They were grade level, but very average. This was disappointing for a kid who was above grade level in nearly everything else. He just needed more practice.

I would go to the teacher and just level. I'd say "Hey, I'm bothered by how little DS is finishing. I think he should be encourage to finish more stuff. What do you think?" and "I'm concerned that he isn't getting enough practice writing. How can he get more writing practice?"

If it helps, lots of reading is the number one predictor of good writing skills at the high school level, IMHO.

[Rose-Roget]

I'd also ask what the guide's observations are about why he's not finishing his work. Maybe he needs to set shorter term goals - be taught how to prioritize his longterm work plan and break it into more manageable pieces. Maybe he's resisting because it's too hard/easy. Maybe it's a distraction issue or a dynamic in the new classroom. Maybe it's a fine motor difficulty. Etc. Once you can figure out the "why," then you can work with the guide to problem solve. The ultimate goal is independence, but I think some kids need more guidance getting there.

For writing, I'd also ask specifically about what kinds of writing expectations are set in the classroom and what she hopes students emerge knowing and able to do.

[carmel23]

Honestly, I think it is a little bit of perfectionism, distraction and laziness.

He has excellent motor skills, writing cursive and beautiful printing as a 2nd grader. He is a very strong reader, and has great language skills. But he is a kid who will read and read and read about a subject, master his knowledge of it, and then be bored by the writing process-- he has moved on in his mind and doesn't want to do the work to write about it.

He will read all day if I let him, loves to read fiction and nonfiction. He has excellent speaking skills, but I do think he gets overwhelmed by the amount of information he has, and has trouble organizing it, and then when he has done all that, he is not interested in it anymore.

Maybe it is developmental? I just know that writing is a process and learning to rewrite is a skill. We tell him that it doesn't matter if he writes well, he just has to write something, and then he can correct it later...

Maybe I just need to trust the process and allow it to happen, until he grows into it?

He can write very well, if he wants to... but I'd like him to learn that sometimes it takes work... but maybe that will come as he gets bigger. He is only 9, after all.

I'll talk with the teacher, and am thinking about having a writing tutor come to the school for a writing workshop....

[WiscMama]

An interesting post from the NAMC site talks about the various characteristics of elementary-aged children. For 3rd graders, it says:

" The average third grader is curious and emotional, becoming easily inspired or upset. They recognize the needs of others. Third graders…

* tend to be extremely active and are sometimes impetuous
* are quick to laugh and can be silly
* are able to assume some responsibility for their actions
* may take on more tasks or projects than they are capable
* are self-critical "

(Original link: http://montessoritraining.blogspot.c...ent-lower.html )

So it may be a phase that your son will work through with some help from his teacher.

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by WiscMama

An interesting post from the NAMC site talks about the various characteristics of elementary-aged children. For 3rd graders, it says:

" The average third grader is curious and emotional, becoming easily inspired or upset. They recognize the needs of others. Third graders…

* tend to be extremely active and are sometimes impetuous
* are quick to laugh and can be silly
* are able to assume some responsibility for their actions
* may take on more tasks or projects than they are capable
* are self-critical "

(Original link: http://montessoritraining.blogspot.c...ent-lower.html )

So it may be a phase that your son will work through with some help from his teacher.

Yes, I can see this being okay in lower el, but we're months into upper el (4th grade) and I would hope that there would be more emphasis on *finishing* the work. Of course a child's natural inclination is to perhaps not want to, because they are now bored with the subject. But it is a different skill set--acquiring information and then demonstrating/organizing information. I don't see a lot of emphasis on the latter skill.

[carmel23]

Okay, so I looked through my son's portfolio... and my goodness! He has been writing quite a bit. It is just that when researching something, he might learn a lot about it and then be burnt out on the subject and not be interested in writing about it.

So he has been writing a lot of creative stories, and an essay here and there... he *is* finishing stuff, but he is still starting way more then he finishes.

But that is okay.

[MattBronsil]

Originally Posted by carmel23

But that is okay.

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by MattBronsil

yeah, I just need to chill out.