How does a parent go from hands-on, exploratory, interest-driven learning in the early grades to the super-structured, credit-driven, academic standards content of high school? The middle grades (about 5-8) are a time to prepare students for the expectation of high school. It might not be around the corner, but it is down the street!
Here is something that comes up often in the Curriculum Consulting department. A parent of a 12-year-old has a moment of reckoning when the child is asked to write a book report. Up to now you have been reading aloud and discussing stories. Your child shows you they understood the story by answering your questions. They are well-spoken. They are using new vocabulary words correctly. It seems only natural that your student could put their answers to paper, except it often isn’t.
The parent is probably quite good at language arts themselves. They can easily put words to paper. Alas, they have made an assumption that their student also has a natural talent for composition. Is it too late? It is not too late, but time is of the essence to develop a pretty complicated skill. What do I do? You start from where you are and move forward.
What does this look like? You will likely need some structure for both you and your student. Perhaps a comprehensive English/language arts (ELA) program with a solid composition element is in order. Maybe you go for a 3rd party teacher on video? You can use this ELA comparison chart to narrow the options. This allows for flexibility in other ELA elements like literature where you may choose 4-6 lit guides in a year. Here is a comparison chart showing the various options for literature guides.
When choosing a program to guide you in the transition process, ask yourself, “Will this get my student where they need to be for high school?” If the answer is no, don’t choose that one. It may hold appeal for a variety of reasons, and not be the best choice. This question applies in science, math and history too.
The irony is not lost on me that we are asking students at a grumbly age to do something really hard. Tune it out and hunker down. This is important. You want your child to be able to express himself confidently and competently. The struggle is worth it to get this result.
Remember that you are not the first or last parent to be in this position. Call us Consultants and we can talk you through some options and help find what is the best solution for your unique situation. We will consider your time and energy, the student’s motivation and ability, any preferences of worldview you have, all with the idea of getting you through this transition.
Call us at 888.841.3456 M-F between 8:30-5pm CST, or email us at consultants@rainbowresource.com. You can also use our online chat during business hours. This is a free service we provide at RRC. ~ Sara
