I tutored again today, and after a long hiatus, I tried Scrabble with the 2 older ones. The little one got all bent out of shape because he couldn't play, but I remained firm, saying he wasn't old enough and didn't know enough words. He had a tantrum, but I think it's good for him to realize he can't have everything he wants. Sometimes, he just won't get what he wants. Maybe it'll inspire him to want to read more and learn more words, but that's so long-term, I don't think so. He just has to learn that crying doesn't get him what he wants.
The other 2, the girl and the boy, played without keeping score, so I could help whoever was stuck trying to figure out what to do. The boy wants to play it again on Sat. with his friend, the oldest boy, who only gets a lesson on Sat. That should be interesting!
I think if they stay interested in the game, it will increase their vocabulary immensely. The girl was saying things like, "Is blos a word?" I had to say no. But she was thinking of combinations, and if she thought of a word that she didn't know, I'd tell her.
Then we had regular lessons. The boy is reading about zombies, and it's not easy reading, since they don't provide this kind of info for kids. Why not? They are much more interested in it than in Thomas Jefferson or the Boston Tea Party!
If I had the time and energy and knowhow (which I might have if I wanted to spend the energy), I'd like to post reading for elementary school kids on all those topics they want to know about that I think adults want to protect them from, that they think are inappropriate, like how zombies are formed by neurotoxins, how the atom bomb destroyed 2 Japanese cities, Hitler and the holocaust, even Houdini, all subjects the boy has asked for and we've covered. He is much more willing to struggle with hard reading material to learn about this than he would be with easier stuff on a subject he doesn't really care about.
Other than that, I see their real problem is applying what I've taught them grammatically to their writing. I can't think of any way other than that they write a lot and I correct what they get wrong.
Recently, I asked the boy what kind of grammar they learned in school, and he said that I focus on it a lot more. I think schools are so afraid of boring the kids and turning them off to learning that they go too easy on what kids need to know. But I do remember grammar being a really boring subject, too, so I can see their reasoning. I just wonder if it's right.
Another problem I see is that the kids aren't reading between the lines and drawing conclusions. I've looked up worksheets on this, and I hope to get them more into thinking about what they read. I think that develops as they get older, but if I start them thinking, then they may be ready for such questions.
The other 2, the girl and the boy, played without keeping score, so I could help whoever was stuck trying to figure out what to do. The boy wants to play it again on Sat. with his friend, the oldest boy, who only gets a lesson on Sat. That should be interesting!
I think if they stay interested in the game, it will increase their vocabulary immensely. The girl was saying things like, "Is blos a word?" I had to say no. But she was thinking of combinations, and if she thought of a word that she didn't know, I'd tell her.
Then we had regular lessons. The boy is reading about zombies, and it's not easy reading, since they don't provide this kind of info for kids. Why not? They are much more interested in it than in Thomas Jefferson or the Boston Tea Party!
If I had the time and energy and knowhow (which I might have if I wanted to spend the energy), I'd like to post reading for elementary school kids on all those topics they want to know about that I think adults want to protect them from, that they think are inappropriate, like how zombies are formed by neurotoxins, how the atom bomb destroyed 2 Japanese cities, Hitler and the holocaust, even Houdini, all subjects the boy has asked for and we've covered. He is much more willing to struggle with hard reading material to learn about this than he would be with easier stuff on a subject he doesn't really care about.
Other than that, I see their real problem is applying what I've taught them grammatically to their writing. I can't think of any way other than that they write a lot and I correct what they get wrong.
Recently, I asked the boy what kind of grammar they learned in school, and he said that I focus on it a lot more. I think schools are so afraid of boring the kids and turning them off to learning that they go too easy on what kids need to know. But I do remember grammar being a really boring subject, too, so I can see their reasoning. I just wonder if it's right.
Another problem I see is that the kids aren't reading between the lines and drawing conclusions. I've looked up worksheets on this, and I hope to get them more into thinking about what they read. I think that develops as they get older, but if I start them thinking, then they may be ready for such questions.
