Teachers - what differences exist between teaching 2nd and teaching 5th grade?
466309
I would review my text books on the differences between the mental capacity of the two age groups.  For example, children of 5 to 6 years old tend to be more concrete in their thinking.  They have less ability to think in abstract ways and lesson plans should reflect these changes.\n\nI found a site that provides ideas of lesson plans for various age groups:\n\nhttp://www.edhelper.com/\n\nHere is a site that is a serach engine for Teachers, lesson plans and other data is available:\n\nhttp://www.lessonplanet.com/?fromgoogle=CbAG1phraselesson_plans&gclid=CN70k7v0j4QCFQe8SgodqlEZxA\n\nRemember that children are in the Pre-Operational Stage of thinking until about 7 years old which would include Second Grade.\n\nPre-operational Stage\n\n2-7 years At the age of 2 children have usually developed their ability to express themselves using language. This means that they have developed some form of Symbolic Representation. This is a key feature of this stage of development. Children do not only develop language as symbolic representation, they also develop other skills such as drawing, dance, modelling, number and music. Symbolic function develops through 4 stages:\n\n1. Deferred imitation\n\n2. Verbal evocation\n\n3. Symbolic or make believe play\n\n4. Symbolic drawings\n\nAt around 7 to 12 years of age, children DO start to think in more logical terms, so lesson plans should take into consideration the children who may be learning in either of these stages.\n\nConcrete Operations Stage — 7-12 years\n\nAgain, children make another leap as they begin to become less egocentric and start to understand and use new concepts. They can now classify things into categories, deal with numbers, take all aspects of a situation into account and understand reversibility. Children become much better at seeing the world from another person’s angle and this has implications for the development of moral behaviour. Children also develop CONSERVATION during this stage. This is the ability to understand how two equal quantities of the same matter remain equal despite changes in their appearance. Piaget tested for this using balls of clay. He rolled one ball of clay into a sausage and left the other as a ball. Children below the concrete operations stage would be unable to understand that the quantities remain equal, despite the change in appearance.\n\nChildren develop the ability to conserve the different dimensions at different times. At 6-7, they learn to conserve mass, or substance; at the age of 9-10 they can conserve weight; and by the age of 12, volume.\n\nMore Data Here:\n\nhttp://www.northern.ac.uk/NCMaterials/psychology/lifespan%20folder/Cognitivethinking.htm
616437
fifth grade that is really not good
275934
Geez, it depends on the teacher. Some teachers heavily incorporate technology while others teach in the same way as instructors did fifty years ago.
185606
Retention is a complicated issue.  Feelings often run quite high when the issue is discussed, and parents, teachers, and the general public often have differing opinions about it.  The success or failure of retention depends very much on how it is done and whether the child is a good candidate to experence increased success because of it.  When a child is retained it is important that the teacher the next year take into consideration what the child already knows of that grade level work and ensure that he doesn't simply repeat the same things in the same way.  Planning has to take place so that the child moves forward from his current level of achievement.\n\nThe most important factor to consider in retaining a child is whether or not the child will benefit from it.  Children with certain characteristics may benefit from it, while children with other characteristics will almost certainly not benefit from retention.\n\nAs mgip1 indicated, if a child is immature, young for his grade placement, it is quite likely that he can benefit from retention if the retention is done in a caring and sensitive manner.  This child needs a little extra time to mature and to be ready to handle the acacdemics.  Often younger children with learning disabiities can benefit from retention as they also often need more time to grasp concepts and learn skills.\n\nChildren with low levels of ability will not likely benefit from retention.  They are most likely doing the best they can and will continue to progress, but at a much slower rate than other children, and will probably continue to fall farther and farther behind their peers.  These children need special programming designed to meet their needs and to prepare them to lead their lives as productively and independelntly as possible.\n\nThe older children get the less likely it is that they will benefit from retention unless they are committed to it themselves and part of the decision making process.  As children progress through middle school peer pressure becomes a much more significant factor, and retention is likely to be perceived as punishment, and so is less likely to be successful.\n\nWhen retention is done well the child feels good about it. Then it will work.  I knew we had done it well when a little boy who was in fifth grade came to school on the last day of school and said to his teacher, "Mr. Smith, I've decided to stay back in fifth grade with you next year so I can improve my reading skills."  We had already discussed the issue with the parents and had planned with them to help the child come to the conclusion himself that it was best that he stay back.  Jimmy felt it was his own decision to be retained and he did very well.\n\nI hope these thoughts help.
725855
Second Grade Skill Builders-Interactive Sites\n\nhttp://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_2nd.htm
397533
I teach English part-time. It all depends on the level of my students. Adults prefer lots of role-playing, drama (speaking exercises) and learning stuff they can use at work, so the culture tends to be informal but professional. With high school students, I get them to open up and talk about stuff they're interested in and tailor-make my lessons to suit their interests. The atmosphere is casual and open where teacher and student are like friends. But with younger kids, you can't afford to give too much flexibility and freedom coz they're too young to appreciate it. I tend to be strict and to the point, get your work done or else.
409332
Caligirl, I know what you are feeling, I was there once too, just starting out, I am a teacher.  \n\nI have a Multiple Subject, Single Subject in Spanish and the BCLAD.  I have taught at one time or another at all grade levels in both English and Spanish.   My assignment now is an ELD teacher, K-12.  Included in my daily schedule is a morning 1/2 hour daily pull out instruction with a small group of kindergarten kids.  This has become one of the favorite times in my daily schedule.  It took me some time to get used to it, but one of my favorite age groups now is the Kindergarten age.  So much so, that now, when I could choose to do so many different kinds of assignments for summer school, I choose to do Kindergraten review.\n\nGo with the Kindergarten assignment.  I know you are specializing in reading and are considering teaching upper grades, but there is nothing more rewarding than working with children at the Kindergarten level.  Yes, you may not want to do it for long, or perhaps for more than a year, but it is true this experience will be rewarding and respected for years to come and for future interviews.  Reading is now introduced at the kinder level and your knowledge and experise will be appreciated by parents, teachers and district staff alike AND you will get some great initial classroom experience in pre and early literacy instruction.  If this is a public school, you will probably sign up for the BTSA teacher support program providing additional training, peer support and some classroom/materials funding.\n\nGo For It, Caligirl!\n\nP.S,\nHave you ever considered looking into the Peace Corps?  I was a training coordinator for the Peace Corps once and there are some great education programs for teachers to work in now where one not only gets some great teaching experience but can help train colleagues in other countries as well while getting a good second language and culture experience.\n\nGood Luck In Your Endeavors!
1154206
I believe it really depends on the individual student.  I also liked the 'hands on' reply.  Whether you are teaching one or many students, don't get stuck on one routine.  Vary them to keep the students interested and challenged!
423193
Has your district instituted the HOUSSE process? If you teach 2 or more core subjects, the "highly qualified" regular ed teachers can form a committee, observe you, review your lesson plans, and confirm your "highly qualified" status. I'm surprised by the posts here that there are special ed teachers not going through the HOUSSE.\n\nOn the other hand, NCLB is horrific (minimal funding, demanding 100% of all kids reading at grade level without consideration for outside interference like low SES, disabilities, ELL, etc., and blaming all failure on the teachers and schools, such as attendance rates, discipline rates, etc.).  Blech.
235469
Montessori schools believe in the "hands on" method of teaching, for instance while teaching multiplications (which they do teach to 5 year olds) they give the child an abacus and have them show the new numbers being multiplied in. I highly recommend a Montessori school for Pre-School and Kindergarten but I might not for elementary, the lack of homework will make it much harder for your child to adjust. Good luck!
401696
It depends on what your goals are.  \n\nThe beauty of education, from a teacher's perspective, while being the curse, from an administrator's standpoint, is that teachers have a great deal of ability to subvert changes they do not like.  As such it is essential that you have teacher buy-in to any implementation of curriculum.  This likely means that they will need to have a voice, if not several, in the development stage.  Having an administrative voice is also likely, for practical reasons.  Whether you then chose to have students or parents depends on the level of education and the institution for which the curriculum is being developed.  Asking a 5th grader to design curriculum is not such a good idea, where as a college student could easily be a valuable member of the team.  \n\nAfter it has been developed ensuring it success comes down to 2 things:  1. buy-in and 2. Sticking with it.  Often times it will be the administrators responsibility to get the buy-in from the various stakeholders, including teachers, and parents/students.  As referenced above ensuring that the teachers are behind it is essential if the curriculum is to be taught the way it is designed.  \n\nThe method of evaluation will vary greatly depending on the values of the institution.  Whether it is evaluated through stakeholder surveys, standardized testing, a portfolio, or something else will vary greatly depending on the place, though standardized testing is of course the preferred means in many areas now.
233789
Both, u learn in both ways.. remember: "teaching is learning twice!!"
611334
I don't know if there is a difference or not.  If not, then the biggest negative aspect I see would be demeaning the students by forcing them into a "second-best" situation: they're not good enough to be with the high schoolers in Jr. High, whereas they'd be considered highschoolers for longer.
811999
It's obviously difficult to generalize, but I can speak from personal experience. I grew up in New Hampshire and attended an excellent public school - creative, energetic teachers who encouraged a love of learning among the students. I went to college well prepared and knowledgeable about a variety of topics.\n\nI am now a teacher in Southern California and I see quite a difference. Teachers are told what to teach and how to teach it. The creativity is pretty much gone and with it, most times, the quest for knowledge and love of learning. Also, the large amount of English as a 2nd Language affects the English only learners and gives the teachers one more obstacle. Teachers are often burnt out from the many responsibilities they have.\n\nI'd go for the the smaller-town schools of the East any day.
190607
I think the success of team teaching very much depends on the compatability and committment of the individuals involved, and how well they can collaborate, and whether the team teaching is voluntary or imposed.\n\nA few years ago I knew two wonderful women who team taught in kindergarten for years.  They knew each other very well, and had a superb program.  They often had as many as 35 - 40 kids in a huge area the school set up for them.  They shared responsiblities so there was no duplication so even though they had the equivalent of two classes of kids in their area, they had less preparation work.  They did numerous themes and centers and over the years built up quite a supply of materials.  They were VERY organized.  Their room had lots of plants and there were always a couple of pets, usually hamsters or guinea pigs (probably not allowed in most schools today).  Their school was close to a high school, so high school students sometimes worked in their classroom as part of their course requirements (all high school students had to have a number of hours of community volunteering to graduate).  Their classroom thrived, was very active and energetic, lots of bustle and activity.  They were known throughout the area as master teachers.  I observed many classrooms in my career and theirs was one of the most dynamic classes I ever witnessed.\n\nUnfortunately, when they retired a few years ago, there weren't any two teachers who wanted to continue with the program so there is no longer team teaching in kindergarten in that school.  However everyone recognized how effective it was, but that was because of the two teachers involved and their dedication to their method and program.\n\nThere are many advanteages to team teaching, including:\n\nshared duties and responsibilities\nmore time for planning\nmore ideas\nmore variety for the students\nimproved learning environment\neasier to meet different student needs\nsupportive environment for each other\ndiffernt styles of instruction\nexposes students to more than one point of view\ngood example of cooperation for students\n\nA disadvantage would be that there needs to be a big time committment in the planning stage before it is implemented.  As a result of the close working relationship unforseen conflicts may arise between the teachers.  Some students may be a little disconcerted at the idea of more than one teacher, but at kdg this should be less of an issue.\n\n\nA good resource might be to check out how some good daycares or preschools operate as they often use a type of team teaching.  The last website I've included from the University of Calgary gives a good overview of the pros and cons of team teaching and the prerequisites for it to be successful.\n\nI hope this is helpful to you.
274966
My dad uses edhelper.com, for my younger sister, and it works great!\nThey have printouts and activites for you to there to learn. \n\nThey also have many catagories. So click on "math, then "5th grade" then the kind of division you are looking for.\nSuch as work problems or long division.
156287
i wouldnt be worrying so much about grades, but the content.  if they are missing a lot of key concepts and ideas that are appropriate for that age level, something needs to be done.  im an educator in texas and we have spelling activities every week, cursive is taught in third, and science is all year.  but there is so much more to school than those few things.  from what you have said, it makes me wonder what else is falling through the cracks?  i would contact the school board, the district superintendants, and whoever else you need to get this resolved.  check up on required curriculum for the state and see if this school/class is meeting those.