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Each month we answer select questions submitted by our visitors about our topic of the month. The questions are answered by the KidSource moderators or by invited contributing guests. If you would like to submit a question, please visit: Monthly Q&A Column .
Question
I have a daughter who is very gifted in Language Arts, but
struggles somewhat in math. What can I do to help her? Some of it is
lack of understanding, the other part is just laziness. If it comes easy
to her - Great. Otherwise she just will not work on her on to achieve a
really good grade.
Answer
I would suggest that you help your daughter see the math that is all around
her. Math is not just a subject in school that involves numbers in a book.
Point out the patterns and symmetry in nature, work with her on real life
calculations, such as how much allowance she will earn in one year.
Constantly come up with math problems concerning real life. When you
travel
take along some math brain teasers for the kids to work on during the trip.
Help instill a love and awareness of math and that will help with the
motivation. If she has some math deficits you may want to consider
purchasing some good math software or hiring a fun math tutor. There are
many good summer programs for girls that focus on math and science, you may
want to try to find one for this summer.
Here are a few links to math related web sites. I hope you enjoy them!
Question
My child has been accepted into the enrichment program at his
elementary school. He is able to do the more challenging work but he is
often lacking in motivation. How can I get him to be more excited about
the program? He just sees it as extra work that he has to do instead of
a unique opportunity to learn, as I see it.
Answer
This is a concern I have frequently heard when discussing enrichment
programs.
I have heard of many students choosing to drop the program because of the
extra
work associated with these programs. Many times the students become
frustrated
because not only do they have to do the enrichment projects, but they
have to
go back to their regular class and make up all the work they missed while
they
were attending the enrichment class.
Many times this problem can be minimized by asking the regular classroom
teacher to use compacting. An example of this would be that if your son
missed a math assignment of 50 problems while he was in enrichment, he
would only be required to do 5-10 of the most difficult problems to prove
that he has mastered the skill. He would not be required to
do all the problems. Compacting could also be used throughout the day in
order to provide your son with additional time to work on his enrichment
projects.
Then your son may not see it as extra work, but as an opportunity to
learn new
and interesting things.
I would suggest that you discuss your concerns with your son's regular and
enrichment teachers. Maybe he would be more motivated if the enrichment
projects were associated with his particular interests. Some enrichment
programs are set up so that the students choose the type of projects that
they
will complete. When the student is interested in the topic the motivation
is
usually there and the quality of the work is much better.
Question
I would like to find out whether my child has ADD or is Gifted. Seems
there's a very fine line between the two.
Answer
Here are several links to information on Gifted and ADD:
Question
I have a five-year-old who I think is gifted. By the age of two he
knew the alphabet and could count to 30. In the past year he's learned to
read and write on his own. He has a remarkable memory. His Kindergarten
teacher thinks he's gifted, as did his preschool teacher. He's really
bored at school, and lately I've been considering homeschooling. Can
someone give me information or web sites that can help me get started?
Answer
You may want to request (in writing) that the school system do an
assessment on your son to determine if he is gifted. This assessment
should be free of charge.
Here are a few links to information on homeschooling:
There are homeschool groups in many different states. Be sure to check
out the legal requirements for your particular state--they vary from
state to state. For more information on a group in your area, you can
start at the website for California. It might link you to other states:
Other excellent resources are:
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