my grandchildren are being home schooled and they are 9,7 and 5 can a teacher tell me what they should know?

Question

I would like to know if they are up to par on their education. So if there ia a teacher out there tell me what they should be able to do and know at their age group of 9 ,7 and 5. I am afraid they are way behind. Thank you a NYC Grandpa from the East Village

Answer 1

Why would you believe they are behind? I don't know what circumstances you have, but I know that the majority of home schooling parents have the best intentions of having their child get the best education.
There is a great book called "You're Going To Do WHAT?" I would recommend you read. It shows you practical ways you can be an encouragement to your family and explains what home schooling is all about. It was written for Grandparents and other family members that aren't sure about Home Schooling.

Answer 2

Oklahoma has similar requirements for public school kids, but the website for our district is a little easier to read
http://www.norman.k12.ok.us/088/page2.html
The PASS curriculum is based on federal recommendations.

At such a young age, they really only need to work on a love of learning and the fundamentals of the three "R's". Community living should provide much of that, anyone who can go shopping for a family can pretty much do the basics of elementary, without the table time required in schools. Once they hit highschool age, then it's time to look more specifically at graduation requirements. You'll also find that it takes the average homeschooler only two hours a day to accomplish what the the public school does in seven hours. Teaching is specialized and direct, and there is little time wasted on discipline, specialized ed for other students, traveling from area to area within the schools, etc.

And please reassess what you mean by 'behind'. As homeschoolers they don't have to maintain an artifical status quo created by the public school system. The PS's must have defined goals for each year, or else the system does not work smoothly. A homeschooler on the other hand, can take as long or little to master a topic as they wish, because they have all the time in the world.

Answer 3

I really hate "shoulds" for education for a specific age. Why? First of all, what is mandatory in one state isn't mandatory in another. "Should" the states that do something later than other states do rearrange their curriculum so that their students are doing the same thing? Why? For what purpose? Is there some law of development that says that a child HAS to learn that thing at that age?

Secondly, it presumes that only by fitting into some externally decided mold is the child okay. This is ridiculous. Some kids in school take longer than others to master all kinds of things. Not to mention that not learning your ABC's at age 5 is not going to ruin you for life. Abraham Lincoln didn't learn to read until the age of 14. Until recently, many children did not attend school until they were at least 7 or 8. In some European countries, the teachers are forbidden to teach reading before age 7 or 8. An externally decided mold about how a child "should" be and what a child "should" know means nothing.

How about this for shoulds? A grade 4 child "should" be able to read a book at a gr. 4 level. But I know a 16yo who was only reading at about a gr. 2 level in gr. 4. His mom pulled him out of school and more or less unschooled him. When he was 12, something clicked and he began reading voraciously. He graduated from high school at 15 and has already got a few college courses under his belt. Did the "shoulds" and him not meeting them mean anything?

Don't you worry about your grandchildren unless the parents are planning on putting them in school sometime soon--that's when the 'shoulds' matter, so that they can function well in a classroom. And as for your 5yo grandchild, if s/he can count to 10 and knows the names of colours and has an idea that letters represent words/sounds, s/he's doing fine. While some areas try to push 5yo's into reading, and some Montessori preschools help children that age read, many places just allow 5yo's to be kids, to have fun, no pressure.

Answer 4

Hm. Okay. There are two ways to look at this.
One: If you are the guardian of the children and you are the one responsible for their education ......??? Well. Are you? If so you can go to the provider of the material that you have chosen to use. Most curriculum suppliers have a course of study to utilize.

Two: If you are not in a position of authority over the children -- as in DIRECTLY. As in Raising the Children. My advice to you is to butt out.

What are they behind? Whom are they behind?

The word "behind" should NEVER be used in connection with a child unless it is for a swat.... J/K.

Seriously, *behind* is a misnomer when it comes to education. No child is behind if they are learning at a pace that is unique for each and every one.

Your grandchildren are very special -- they are gifts from God to their own parents. Grandparents are not the decision makers in most homes. It is the residing parents having the authority over the family. As a Grandfather you have a very honorable role. One of love and help --- if you are afraid then your love and help will be hindered. Don't be afraid.... instead of that -- BE a helper! Ask the parents if they need money toward curriculum and field trips. Don't dictate ANY course of learning. Encourage them to always do their best. Smile and be kind. Tell the children that their parents are the most important people in their lives.

9, 7, and 5 year olds need to know many things. The most important is HOW to learn from their parents. Other things are HOW to be obedient, how to listen to mom and dad, how to work within the family for a common goal.....

Don't question the children nor the parents. Encourage with kindness, bring them joy by letting them know that you will support their decision to educate the children at home.

Ask if you can attend with the family a homeschool conference. Ask for information about home-school statistics. Don't judge --- become a cheerleader.

Answer 5

To answer your actual question, you could check out the series, _What Your x Grader Needs to Know_ by E.D. Hirsch (the "x" is for Kindergartener through 6th, one book for each year). This will give you an excellent overview of what should be taught each year. There's also the World Book scope and sequence lists for each grade (see link below).

That said, don't expect your grandchildren to fit either of these molds. There are advocates of more relaxed schooling (including Ray and Dorothy Moore and John Holt) who would say children need more "childhood" and less school up until they are about 9 or 10 years old. Then "formal" education can begin.

This may sound harsh, but these are not your children. If the parents feel their kids (your grandkids) should have more freedom before they begin "sit-down" learning, it is not your place to b*tt in. As long as there is no abuse (physical, sexual, mental), I'd have to say let them be. Otherwise, you could be jeopardizing your relationship with both your kids and grandkids.

Answer 6

Well, I can tell you that a five year old should be able to write his name, catch a ball, colour a picture and other simple kindergarten things, and I don't think a five year old has to be in school yet legally.

A seven year old should be able to read simple words like cat, ham, dog, gun, hen and do simple (3+5=8) calculations.

A nine year old should be able to read at a grade four level. Write simple sentences that include adjectives, adverbs, verbs and other parts of speech that they know how to name. "Super Fudge" is one great book for kids around that age. Mad Libs are one of the greatest ways to teach a kid the parts of speech, so if you want to help, play these fun and crazy games with your grandchild.

Sometimes the public schools can butcher a job of teaching someone who needs a little attention. Give the kids and their parents all the support you can, and you'll reap the benefits!!!

PS. It might help to ask in the "Teaching" section or to have the kids evaluated by a developmental psychologist who will take into account the fact that all kids are different.

Answer 7

Your state board of education probably has the state standards published.

Have the kids taken any standardized tests? That will give some insight as to how they are "stacking up".

Are you just concerned that the parents aren't teaching them enough? Are you for, or against, their HS'ing? I'm thinking it's the latter and you're trying to "check up" on them.

Do you know why they are being HS'ed? Perhaps it's because they *are* behind and the parents feel they can do a better job of helping them catch up than the "assembly line" of public school.

You could offer to pay for them to get standardized testing to ease your mind.

Answer 8

You are afraid they are 'way behind' what? My son was in public school until the 8th grade and he was way behind the school's expectations but the school did not have a solution to increase his productivity. He spent long days in school, I spent long days at work and we came home to homework. Each year he was given special help so that he could pass the EOG tests and whether he passed or not, he was promoted to next grade.
We realized the insanity of this several years ago but didn't realize there was a sane solution until 2 years ago. I recognize many of the questions and answers here on Yahoo!Answers home school section that remind me of myself a few years ago. I still don't know much, and am certainly not a home school guru. I do, however, know more about the public school than I do home school and public school does not 'work' for the majority of students.
Please enjoy your grandchildren and support their parents for doing what they are convinced is best for the children. I hope you share your knowledge and time with them. If you feel that there are certain things they should know but don't know, ask for permission to help teach them.

Get in the boat and pick up an oar! (smile)

Answer 9

World Book offers what they call "Curriculum Standards" for each grade at this web address: http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?curriculum

Now keep in mind that this is just a rough idea. Depending on the home schooling method being used, they may know everything in their grade level or bits of theirs and bits of grades above or below. Even schools sometimes address these concepts at different grade levels. Plus, what kids really need to know to be functioning adults is certainly debatable. Is it more important that they know every battle of a war or just the approximate time period, the causes, and effects?

Answer 10

I don't know the situation of your grandchildren, but here is a link to the core curriculum for New York. Please remember that this is just a guideline. Teachers are supposed to get this taught by the end of the year, but it doesn't mean it always occurs. Kids learn at their own pace, and certainly don't always retain all of the information.

Good luck!

http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/cores.htm