My dd is also 6.5 and in ‘first grade’. We have been taking a slow-but-steady approach to her school work since the beginning of last year and I have been extremely pleased with the progress we’ve been making. I am completely sold on the concept of short, focused lessons. It may seem like you aren’t doing ‘enough’ but when you look back over how far you’ve come after a few months or a year of this approach, you will be amazed. (At least, I have been.)
When we first started doing copywork dd hated it. It was the one subject she completely balked at. There were days when I would only ask her to write 2 words. I also scheduled it last so it was right before snack break, which helped as a motivator (and also didn’t ruin the rest of our school-morning if she decided to be…well, let’s say DRAMATIC about it…) Now, a bit over a year later, she has beautiful print writing, easily copies 1-2 sentences at a time, often chooses to write things by her own choice, and we are learning cursive at her request.
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I also posted this on another thread last week which may be helpful to you as well:
As far as time goes….we spend about 1-1/2 hours eMy dd is also 6 and in “first grade” right now. She is easily reading the 2nd grade level Pathway Readers.
If your dd is reading at a 3rd grade level, I don’t think it’s necessary to have formal reading lessons anymore. I would have her read out loud to you regularly, however, and you can address any “gaps” in her knowledge on an as-needed basis. This is what I do with my dd.
For spelling, it depends on what you want to accomplish and what you think your dd needs. I am using All About Spelling with my dd now. It isn’t very CM, but I happen to prefer a little more direct instruction in this area (one small area where I depart from a pure CM approach.) My dd was wanting to write more (letters to grandma, lists, etc) and constantly asking how to spell this or that so I felt like it was a good time to start giving her the “tools” needed to do this for herself. We had also not used a strict phonics approach to reading and so I wanted to reinforce this. I have seen an increase in confidence in both spelling and reading since we started this program, so it’s working well for us. We also do copywork, so she is getting ‘pictures in her mind of good spelling’ ala CM as well. My plan is to continue with AAS until 4th grade and then switch over to a CM-style Dictation approach. (Obviously we’ll re-evaluate that as we go along depending on what her continuing needs are.) I don’t think it is recommended to try dictation before age 9 even with a strong reader, just because it is so many skills that need to come together (spelling, writing, remembering, etc.). If you don’t think she needs a direct approach to spelling right now, then you can just stick with copywork until then.
As far as time goes….we do about 1-1/2hrs of “formal” learning on any given day. This includes poetry, calendar, Aesop, history, math, cursive, spelling, copywork (all of these daily) and one of these: art, character development, nature study, or geography. This does NOT include chores Bible, literature, reading practice, or French as these items are spread out throughout the day and continue even when we are taking a “break” from school. They are such a part of our daily routine we don’t really think of them as “school” even though really they are.
HTH,
Jen
