My daughter is in 3rd grade. She has done wonderful in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd. Now she is in 3rd grade and her grades are not that good, I dont know if she is just being lazy and just wanting to get her work done and doesnt care of if there is a problem somewhere, The teacher says she and a few other students are not performing at the 3rd grade level they should be according to an old FCAT test that they had to do. I know she can do better and she has so i dont know what to do. Any advice would be great.
From what I understand from my own child's experiences, 3rd grade is when learning disabilities or issues really rear their heads because that is when children stop learning to read and - instead - read to learn.
You may want to have an assessment done to see exactly what the issues are.
Don't go too long because these issues - if they exist - typically don't get better on their own.
Good luck.
make an appointment with the Reading Coach and school counselor, BOTH.
find out what is going on.
after this meeting, if you didn't find it helpful, then next request a Student Study Team meeting (sometimes called Child Study Team).
in the meantime, TALK w/ your daughter.
AND get a tutor!
FRom my experience, children can compensate in school until 3rd-4th grade and then learning challenges come to the surface. The higher order thinking, low level multitasking and the amounts of time done doing assignments individually overwhelm a system that is not ready for that. Try OT, try Neuronet, try just plain getting her down on the floor and crawling. It is never too late to integrate the left/right hemispheres and help her get more connected. Usually one side of the brain is higher and faster then the other side and this causes an imbalance. We don't have any Brain Balance Centers in FL yet but go on their website and read the information along with nutrition facts. It is www.brainbalancecenters.com
I used to teach 3rd grade, and we saw this quite frequently. Kids typically are not graded as "hard" in the lower grades. Third grade teachers have to be tougher, especially with the FCAT. (Before FCAT, 4th grade used to be the grade where this occurred.) As someone else mentioned, the earlier grades are more about the basics; once they get to 3rd grade, they must be able to "read to learn." Many children can read perfectly orally, but they cannot answer comprehension questions very accurately, or analyze what they have read and give answers that are not found "in the text."
I would suggest reading with your daughter each night and spending lots of time discussing the book--not just what's in black and white. Talk about why the characters feel/act the way they do, make predictions, etc. Also make certain to read lots of nonfiction as well. There are TONS of nonfiction books on all topics at the public library. I'm sure you can find books your daughter is interested in.
Best wishes!!!!
Well from this data I'd say something is wrong w/ the teacher-
get her a different one, or home school-
don't leave her there.
By the way, what does your daughter say?
Black belt- I don't think lazy is the correct answer.
What do you think?
best, k
Did you think maybe it's a problem with the way the teacher teaches and not your daughter. My neighbors son had problems learning last year. This year with a new teacher he is doing great. It's not always the child that is wrong. Sometimes the teacher just isn't the right person to be teaching the child.
Just work with your daughter at home with reading, have her read, read, read, ask questions and she will be fine. Use a lot of the reading websites that the schools provide. It is still early in the year, just give thanks that you know very early how she is doing. Get her extra tutoring as well if you can afford it.
I am a homeschool mom, and I have heard from homeschool moms and moms who have children in public/private school that 3rd grade is hard. Maybe she is having a hard time adjusting. Do you know of a tutor that can maybe give her a mid year evaluation test to see where are her difficulties. This way you know what areas to work on. Maybe this teacher is harder than others or she maybe having a hard time with the adjustment. Dont worry to much, just look for alternatives for her. If you need more help let me know.
Have you asked if there is any special help available for her at school? My niece, who is now in 4th grade, has always struggled in school. They just moved to FL for the start of the school year and she is already in writing help twice a week for 2hrs after school and her teacher recommended she do the reading and math help as well. Mostly in preparation for the FCAT. Maybe there is something available in your school district, we are in Hillsborough County. Good luck!
Hi,
Valerie here at Hoppy2Learn online tutoring, we are offering a summer program for $300. The online program runs for 5 weeks, has unlimited use during the 5 weeks, can be used on any computer with internet connection, interactive lessons in a game-like settings, is ez to use and covers 4 curriculums of reading, math, science, and history. Reading isn't just simply reading, its grammar, punctation, vocabulary, phonics and more. At the $300 price, if your daughter uses the program for 2 hours a day, for 5 days a week, your cost comes out to $6 a day. Its a great way to review last years work and prepare for the upcoming school.
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Thanks & good luck with your daughter,
Valerie
Hoppy2Learn site administrator
1-888-522-8339
Hi S. - I have a 6th grader doing exactly the same thing. It is said that 3rd grade is 1 of the first BIG transitions in the school experience. My almost 13 year old has just moved to middle school and I am having the same type of issues with her. She knows she is falling behind, but upon seeeing her report card on Friday it is worse than I imagined. She voluntarily handed over her MP3 player, I make her go on Study Island for 1 hr every evening. She has been cut back on her TV time, and I have told her that her effort just will not be accepted. Unfortunately Math is 1 of her problem areas and I honestly cannot help her with that. The way they are teaching it this year makes NO sense to me at all. (Plus it has been over 15 years since I was at school). My daughter was retained in 2nd grade - trust me she does not want that to happen again - she hated it. Try to find out what her sticking point is. When I questioned my daughter I did not like the answer I got, but now I know how to deal with it.
Just be vigilant and keep on the school because they will let kids slip through the cracks.
Good luck
M. F
