Can you please help my 1st grade niece ?

Question

she had a spelling test and got none right and my niece studies and everything but she said she can't remember that is why she gets none right. Could there be something wrong that can cause you to study and study but still can't remember how to spell words. She is in 1st grade. The teacher says that she got upset during the spelling test , she is having alot of trouble in school.
Her mom told her tat she got a F on her paper and she was so upset when she was told that and she said she hates spelling test. There is someone working one on one with her. I told her mom she is crying out for help. She had alot of trouble in kindergarten and she is still having alot of trouble and she is in 1st grade.
I love my niece and i want her to get whatever help she can get and i don't like seeing her suffering and having so much of a hard time in school.

Do you have any suggestions and ideas?
Do you think she has any special needs or what?

Answer 1

We use a common practice at our school LOOK SAY COVER WRITE CHECK

each day she LOOKS at the word and says it
Then she COVERS the word up
Then she WRITES the word down
Then she CHECKS to see if she gets it wrong

Each word she gets wrong she should write 5 times

If she does this each day, it should come easier

Answer 2

Some kids don't test well.
In some cases it's just test anxiety, some cases it's a learning disability.
I'd start with taking her for a full checkup - including a vision exam. Consider testing for ADD, Dyslexia, and other learning disabilites. DO NOT let the school make the sole diagnosis on that! See a medical professional - such as a neurologist or educational psychologist. If all of these show no problems, consider a place like Sylvan Learning Center to help her learn good testtaking techniques.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Sometimes children (and adults) just do not test well. Sometimes chldren have real difficulties learning certain concepts. You said she had a lot of trouble in Kindergarten and is still having a lot of trouble. Did she master the concepts being taught in Kindergarten? If not that could be a significant part of the problem.

Her mom might consider having her repeat Kindergarten. I know it sound bad and carries a stigma but in the long run it might be the best for her. If she continues as she's going she is going to have a very hard time.

Each grade gets more difficult and she might fall further behind -- worse yet she might grow to HATE school.
I think its better for a child to repeat a grade and master the concepts being taught which will then give the child more confidence to learn and master new concepts than to advance the child to next grade simply for the sake of advancement.

Just a thought.

Answer 4

It is possible that she has a mild learning disability. I was diagnosed with mine when I was in the 3rd grade. I know what it is, but I cant spell it, lol. It is a LD that causes my brain to work faster than what my arm can write down. My brain is always in overdrive so to speak. It takes me 3 or 4 times to just write a letter to my kids teacher about changing of routes home, but you give me a computer or a typewriter... and I am home free. I can type as fast as I am thinking. My main problem was test taking. I would study and study and then do very poorly. I was first tested by my regular Peditrician and he then sent us to a child psycologist. She taught me skills to help me cope with the problems I was having. I also had to be medicated. I took ritilin for about 3 yrs till I learned how to "deal" with it in middle school.. I still have times now where I will be talking and get lost because my brain has already finished that converstaion and moved on to something else.... Good luck.. I am sure she will do great when you can figure out what is going on.... (and no, I dont think I spelled some of the medical terms right, sorry)

Answer 5

Some children freeze up when they are taking a test. They can spell them just fine the night before at home, but bomb the test. They just get nervous. What I have done is we have a practice spelling test the night before, and she has to write them down just like in school. Also everynight go over her words with her, and it also helps if she will write them 3x each once during the week. Just keep repeating the spelling words all week long, and maybe that will help. If not she may need to be tested for learning problems. Just be consistent, and work with her every night, and make it fun for her, and she will learn more.

Answer 6

She may have ADD, which makes it very complicated to remember things, and hard to sit through tests. She may have dyslexia, which makes it harder for her to read the letters correctly, thus making her learn them in the wrong order. She may have a variety of things. What's important to remember is A. She's perfectly normal. Most childhood "disorders" are really just the school's inability to handle the different ways children learn. Take her to a child psychologist and get her tested. Also see if there are other ways to help her study for tests. Is she musical? make up tunes that teach spelling (my kindergarten class had a great one for hippopotamus). Maybe she needs to see things written out. Maybe she needs to write things down herself. But don't worry. She'll be fine with you and her mom there to help her. the most important thing is to make her keep trying, and finish school.

Answer 7

First , ask the teacher for help or the school.
Spelling is usually Phonetic except for sight words... getting a game (like hooked on phonics) could help. (Try to make practice fun for her.) There are many things that can cause problems with learning including vision. If she is still writing letters backwards( fairly common in K and 1st) it could mean that she needs tutoring. If she is not yet reading she may just lack maturity and need to have another year in Kindergarten, especially if she has a summer birthday.
I'm a certified Teacher... email me for more info.

Answer 8

I'm sure she doesn't have special needs! she most likely just chokes and forgets it. expesically if everyone's on her case about it, she'll be under so much pressure she will forget. And this is probobly making her feel like a faliure. you need to explain to her that test are not really that hard. Give her the study guide once, let her read over it, then take her to the park. Let her loosen up. Then get some work sheets and show her how smart she really is. Once all the pressure is off, and her confidence is up, she will do great!

Answer 9

Make studying fun. Use magnet letters on the fridge. use alphabet cereal. Paint the words with finger paint. Change up the way the studying is done. Some first graders need different ways to see the words---paper and pencil skills may be lacking.

Talk openly with the school and teachers--they could do some testing to check to see if she has special needs.

Sometimes as parents we put high expectations on our kids and they get stressed out wanting to perform. Is there too much pressure to be perfect?

Praise accomplishments. Be patient. Try new things to make learning fun.

Answer 10

Some kids just can't spell. Does she have problems in any other of her classes, like reading for example--very important for all classes--or math? Or is it just spelling? Have her practice spelling the words to a simple tune like Mary had a Little Lamb. Quiz her on them right before she goes to sleep, they will get in her subconscious. Does she know all her letters and sounds? Read to her!! One of the best things parents can do to help kids like reading is reading them books they like, Dr. Seuss is great, all that rhyming and silly words. Curious George books, Barbie, or whatever she is interested in! Mostly, spelling takes practice and she may just have been having a bad day or maybe she needs extra time or even she could be test phobic. Go talk to the teacher now before things get any worse for he and the frustration causes her to act up. (Some kids would rather appear "bad" than "dumb.") Don't give up and let her know you love her and are there for her with unconditional love and support. Just by asking this question we know that you care--good luck!

Answer 11

I think there needs to be some input from the teacher and the school. I am surprised there has not been any. I believe she should be evaluated--where I live these are called CORE evaluations. I do not know if this is the same name everywhere--but I know they have the same thing everywhere. This evaluates whether there are special needs and if not--what things can be done to help your niece.

This should be done ASAP. This is such a critical time for a child. Do not let her get off on such a wrong step.