testing and reviewing FIAR??

[jerushah armfield]

Hey all!
This is my first year of homeschool and for some reason Im feeling discouraged and maybe hard on myslef. My daughter is loving it but we only do about an hour to an hour and a half each day and for some reason I just cant get past the fact that I dont feel like shes getting as much as she would be if she were in school (by the way shes in first grade)
My state dosnt require testing for first grade but do you think it would be a good idea to test her at the end of the year to gauge where she is? If nothing else to show me she IS learning?
Second...do yall ever take a week to review? For example we did planets about 6 weeks ago and Im sure shes forgotten most of them....due to scheduling we have a three day school week planned after thanksgiving and I had the idea to do a REVIEW WEEK instead of rowing? Have yall done that and do you see value to it or not? Thanks I truly respect and need the opinions of you seasoned schoolers!!
:kiss:

[molly in cr]

In FL, the only state where we have done testing, it really only tests language and math skills in first grade. In fact, this is even true for my dd who took the SAT last year. There was a science section, but the teacher who administered the test did not give it.

Benefits to getting her tested... If you need encouragement on how much she is picking up, that is good. Also if she is a little behind it might be a good kick in the pants for you. But at first grade I would not be too worried.

Especially about Science and History topics. There are going to be many more opportunities for her to learn these things. Touch on it as it comes up in the FIAR books, each time she will retain a little more information.

As far as being a 'seasoned' homeschooler, what I have learned is that the early years are SO important for nailing down the reading. If you don't end up with a confident reader that will hinder so many things in the future. If you do, then a whole world of learning opens up naturally.

Next to reading in importance comes math, those basic facts.

FIAR is just the icing on the cake! This is what makes learning fun and increases interest.

My $.02. Take it for what it's worth (about $ .02) :)

[Kendall in GA]

My daughter is loving it but we only do about an hour to an hour and a half each day and for some reason I just cant get past the fact that I dont feel like shes getting as much as she would be if she were in school (by the way shes in first grade)

My state dosnt require testing for first grade but do you think it would be a good idea to test her at the end of the year to gauge where she is? If nothing else to show me she IS learning?

Second...do yall ever take a week to review?

I had the idea to do a REVIEW WEEK instead of rowing? Have yall done that and do you see value to it or not?

Relax! :yes: :group:

1. An hour or 1.5 hrs. is plenty of time for a 1st grader. I'd venture to say that your dd learns MORE in that short amount of time than she would in a traditional classroom setting. The hs paradigm is necessarily more efficient & effective than a classroom setting...One just learns more in a one-on-one setting. Don't focus on the amount of time you spending on school. Rather, focus on the quality of schooling you do with your dd.

2. IMO, standardized testing is not really a gauge of how much a student knows. I wouldn't put too much stock in great (or low) test scores. If you'd feel better having your dd tested, then go for it. I test my dd annually. The only reason that I test her is because I'd rather have the scores and not need them than need them for something and not have them ~ KWIM?

Btw, due to the fact that you are your dd's teacher and spend every day with her, you should be able to see that she's learning...Remember, written tests are NOT necessary to measure/observe learning.

3. Yes, on occasion we take a week off to review. (Btw, there is a review week discussed in the FIAR manuals.)

Alternatively, we have on-going review. I made a "Are You Smarter Than a Homeschooler" game on a trifold board for review purposes. I make up questions (1, 5 or 10 points) each week as we go along and write them on index cards. This is a fun & easy way to review. On-going review works best for my dc.

HTH!

[Julie Y]

Second...do yall ever take a week to review? For example we did planets about 6 weeks ago and Im sure shes forgotten most of them....due to scheduling we have a three day school week planned after thanksgiving and I had the idea to do a REVIEW WEEK instead of rowing? Have yall done that and do you see value to it or not? Thanks I truly respect and need the opinions of you seasoned schoolers!!
:kiss:

I'm pretty sure that I cannot name all the planets in their proper order. But I know how to read and I know how to find information so, if I need that info, I can find it. I tell you this to show you that, in my opinion, it doesn't matter all that much what you teach your child -- beyond the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic (which I know you are covering adequtely because I read your other post). Am I saying that you don't need to teach your child anything? No, that's not what I'm saying. What I mean is that it is the process that is important -- the having fun in exploring subjects, the talking and listening to each other (the longer I live and the longer I homeschool, the more I think this is absolutely key), the learning to learn and the learning to love learning. All of that is so much more important than whether she can identify the planets or the types of clouds or certain art styles at the end of the year.

Learn lots together. Some will stick. Much will not. But it will all be planted in her brain, helping her to learn more and better as the years go along. Review if you want to. Test if you want to. But don't stress about either. Have faith in the process. She's loving it, you said. But you said that in a sort of dismissive way (followed by a but ...) when you should be saying it like this:

She's loving it!! :hop: :clap: :thumb:

Hope this all makes sense. I've got a lot of chaos surrounding me right now so I'm having trouble stringing two sentences together between interruptions. But, I want you to know that it sounds like you are doing absolutley fine. :group:

[TonyaP]

I can't name the planets either. But, DH has been trying to teach me as he's embarassed by my lack of knowledge. Whenever he gives me a hard time, I just ask him to diagram a sentence. :lol:

Think about it, how much of what you learned in grade school do you remember? I remember having to learn all the names of the dinosaurs, but I can't name them all today. KWIM? I can however, find the answer in a book. That's the key to knowledge.

There are websites that list general standards for each grade level, and your state may have their own standards posted if you want a general guide to follow. But honestly, I don't expect my child to remember much about France right now. I do hope that when he's older and we study Europe in more detail, he'll have some recollection of what we've learned and can use that as a base.

[Michelle]

I can't name the planets either. But, DH has been trying to teach me as he's embarassed by my lack of knowledge. Whenever he gives me a hard time, I just ask him to diagram a sentence. :lol:



:roflol:

The most important things to me for pre school thru 2nd grade is to light a love of learning, establish a strong reader, nail those math facts (addition and subtraction) and encourge, most of all, a love for the Lord.

Once you have a reader whose skills are increasing, a child who is growing in math skills, all the other stuff seems to come so naturally. FIAR has been the love to learn FIRE lighter for us ;)

For review we do a lot of conversational narrating :)

[SarahT]

This is our first year doing FIAR, and I can honestly say that my kids have learned SO MUCH!!
We only do FIAR for about an hour each day. Over time, you see your kids pointing out things that they remember you showing them a few weeks ago.
The start to recognize flags, and they can pick out the different literary devices taught in the book while reading other books.

[carriejoy]

Hi Jerusha,

Here is a perspective of a former ps teacher regarding tests.

You've probably heard a lot about "teaching to the test". That is important to keep in mind. As a classroom teacher, i could teach my class about all kinds of wonderful things. I taught English and social studies primarily. Now think about how broad those two areas are. What if I focused on Geography and learning where things were in the world for SS and grammar for English. Now let's say my students were tested on British literature authors and civics. My students would probably do miserably - NOT because I hadn't taught and they hadn't learned but because the test wasn't testing what we learned! (Hence, teach to the test.)

So, with FIAR you're learning all kinds of wonderful things. Testing isn't going to show most of those things - not because you're a bad teacher or your daughter is a bad student or because the things aren't worthwhile. The test simply isn't going to ask questions about the phases of the moon (like what you'd learn about in Owl Moon) or naming the capitals of Egypt and France (like in The Giraffe that Walked to Paris).

The test will probably who whether or not your daughter is "on level" with ability to read and comprehend what she's read and some math facts.

Now as far as "getting as much as she would in PS". You're right. she's not getting as much - standing around in line, whistle blowing, waiting to move on to something new, waiting to get help with something she doesn't understand. To put yourself at ease, consider arranging to visit your local public school. Simply tell them you're considering moving your child to this district and ask if you can visit a couple of classrooms for a couple of hours. You'll get some nifty ideas (elementary teachers are very creative!) and you'll come away with a better sense of how the TIME is spent.

Truly, 1-2 hours per day TOTAL is just fine for this age group. Even when my kids are older, I don't plan for them to be spending more than 3 hours per day in "formal" learning situations.

It's really easy to second guess yourself when you don't have anything to compare it to. Doing a horrible job, you'll still likely give your kids a good education. Doing a mediocre-good job will result in a fabulous education! Anything in between ought to be fine.

[Kendall in GA]

You've probably heard a lot about "teaching to the test". That is important to keep in mind. As a classroom teacher, i could teach my class about all kinds of wonderful things. I taught English and social studies primarily. Now think about how broad those two areas are. What if I focused on Geography and learning where things were in the world for SS and grammar for English. Now let's say my students were tested on British literature authors and civics. My students would probably do miserably - NOT because I hadn't taught and they hadn't learned but because the test wasn't testing what we learned! (Hence, teach to the test.)

So, with FIAR you're learning all kinds of wonderful things. Testing isn't going to show most of those things - not because you're a bad teacher or your daughter is a bad student or because the things aren't worthwhile. The test simply isn't going to ask questions about the phases of the moon (like what you'd learn about in Owl Moon) or naming the capitals of Egypt and France (like in The Giraffe that Walked to Paris).




Very well spoken :clap:; but, I have to add one thing. I test my dd and she does very well (95+ percentile) every year (K-2)...That's using FIAR...Go FIAR! :)

I can also give you an example of not teaching to the test. I do NOT do any test prep. (I do not believe in teaching to the test.) Last year there was some grammar on my dd's test that we had not yet covered. She did just OK on that section. Did I fret?...Absolutely NOT! I could care less that she didn't do as well on that section b/c we just hadn't covered that material in 2nd grade...We ARE going to cover that material; but, we're gonna do it on my timeframe ~ KWIM?

[Stacey in FL]

I agree that most early elementary standardized tests are centered around reading skills and math. I am sure that there are easier ways to evaluate your chlld in those areas on your own than taking a standardized test. If she is using a math curriculum, I am sure that there are little review lessons and/or test pages that she can do. Then you can score to get an idea of her progress.

As for reading, there are many ways to check out her reading level without testing. Just go to the library and pick up a few different levels of graded readers. See which level she is able to read. Viola!

[laurie in ok]

Have you watched are you smarter than a fifth grader? Many of the people on that show are very successful at something. :) Most people don't remember the facts and data learned in elementary school. What you are dong is building blocks in their brain for future information to stick to. My education classes called it "schema". Anything important that is presented in elementary school will be covered again in much more detail in high school. (Except math and reading). The important function of elementary school is to build a love for learning and the basics in math, reading, and writing. If they come out of elementary school with those basics in place - and a LOVE for learning - you won't be able to keep them from succeeding. I promise you are teaching her more in that time than she would get in a full day program in a traditional school setting.

[Jenn Robinson]

I agree with what has already been said. I did want to add that the things they are learning at this age are also just "pegs" for later learning. In a year or 2 when you see (for example) the moon phases again -the point isn't can she remember all she learned from a few years ago. The point is, will she say, "Oh yeah! Moon Phases! Like in "Owl Moon"- I remember that!" and be happy to learn or re-learn about it because she associates it with a happy memory of a story you guys read together! :)

[Nancy Ann]

I think teaching our children HOW to learn is more important than having them memorize a bunch of facts to pass a test and than years later forget it all anyway. Learning how to read, understand what they are reading and being able to communicate it in written and oral form is extremely valuable and not what is being taught in a classroom setting.

I think in classrooms of 40 kids and one teacher there isn't much choice but to learn a bunch of facts and pass a test. In homeschool we can do much better than that! Homeschooling is much more effective in learning than a classroom setting.

When it comes to determining if my child is learning I use a goal system. I read about this in Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Curriculum book. At the begining of the year I put together some resources like state standards and World Book has a scope and sequence. I sort of put these together to make my own goals and than mid way through the year and towards the end of the year. In the middle of the year I will look through them and see how we are doing and see if I need to tweak or add somethings. At the end of the year I use about 4 weeks of school to go over things from these goals that have not been met yet and also use this time for review. For me it's important to not read these guides all the time because I will let them run my school, so I just chose those few times a year.

I think Scope and Sequence are more helpful than a standardized test.

Here are some Scope and Sequence Links:

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/scope_and_sequence.htm

http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?curriculum

You can go to your own state's Department of Education website and they should have some information on standards. I have heard that the state of Virginia has very good standards and the language is also easier to understand. Here is the link:

http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/sol.html

Even making goals and studying resources can get to be overwhelming and it's important to not let them control your school but instead let them be a guide. You also do not even have to make goals because Jane used a scope and sequence when creating FIAR. So you really could just delve into FIAR and not even worry about it.

[jerushah armfield]

thank yall! You gave some great advice...not to mention encouragment!!:group:

[Sasha]

I would agree with everyone on the testing, even though mine are very young, my Gavin is 4.5 and the stuff he knows is far beyond what he could be tested for (like filling those development sheets out, does he know his colors, shapes count to 20:eyes: ). Only after a small talk about how bees make honey last summer he excitedly pointed out a bee in our garden and said "look, mama, it's going to drink the flower's juice and make honey!" then another time he was digging at the edge of our pond with a stick and told me he was making a channel, where's the spot to fill this info in?! Then there's my two year old that tells me the leaves have turned orange, he's actually noticed that they changed, rather than that they just were orange, and he argues with us over what color something is, and he's two! So I think as mamas we know where our kids are at better than anyone. :)

[Jane Claire]

I agree that on-going review, in an enjoyable form, is the best by far! Testing is a quick memorize, quick forget thing.

[Barb from Sask]

Jerusha:hi:
My dc 8.5, 7 and 4.5 have not been tested. I decided from the beginning I would steem ahead and see how things go. My dc have no "hang ups", it's Mama with all the insecurities:eek: Our oldest is reading and answers his math with little mistakes, our second is recognizing words and answers his math with little mistakes, our youngest is a thrill and curious about everything. What more could I ask for?
Satans knows our every insecurity because we reveal it in our actions. We speak louder than words:lol:
Best wishes and Gods blessings to you.

[ShaunaCO]

Alternatively, we have on-going review. I made a "Are You Smarter Than a Homeschooler" game on a trifold board for review purposes. I make up questions (1, 5 or 10 points) each week as we go along and write them on index cards. This is a fun & easy way to review. On-going review works best for my dc.

HTH!

I love this idea!!