Comments on: PSAT Scores – 14 And Gifted

By: Penny Go

Penny Go — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:01:54 +0000

Hi Lee,
I agree, it’s a challenge to raise gifted kids. My son is academically advanced and feels that he needs more challenges. I like your suggestion to take the end of the chapter test, and only teach the parts that need teaching! How refreshing!
Penny

By: Lee

Lee — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:53:16 +0000

Karen,
When you find out the piece that is missing (Roman Numerals or something) then only teach the PIECE, don’t teach the whole chapter. Have you tried giving the end-of-chapter test FIRST to identify which concepts he needs to learn and which ones he already knows? That can help prevent him from getting frustrated, so that he is always learning something.
Good luck! I know it’s not easy!
Blessings,
Lee

By: karen

karen — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:00:57 +0000

This is why curriculum has been difficult for me to put together because both boys are academically gifted. I discovered very quickly that there were gaps from public school.
One son is working on a higher grade in teaching textbooks. First, I would give him the quiz and he would do very well so we would move on. When he did not get an 80% or higher we would go back and do the lesson. I discovered he would breeze through the assignment because it was only one section that somehow was not taught to him. He would tell me most of this lesson is easy even though he did not get 80% or higher.
For example he would get the fractions correct but miss the Roman numerals because he had not covered that in public school. Since Roman Numerals were on the same quiz he had a lower score.
My older son is doing Algebra but the text has several of the same problems in the lesson. He gets frustrated so I do not make him do all of the problems unless he is getting them wrong.
It is indeed not easy with gifted children. I find it hard knowing what to teach them.