Is this just too hard for a 6yr old?

scheming_gypsy

Dead easy.

1 - At 6 years old I'll never need to say collaboration.
2 - At 6 years old I shouldn't be able to spell collaboration.
3 - This week's homework is to use the word collaboration in a sentence.
4 - This sentence contains the word collaboration.
5 - This sentence also contains the word collaboration.

peachyprice

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

Dead easy.

1 - At 6 years old I'll never need to say collaboration.
2 - At 6 years old I shouldn't be able to spell collaboration.
3 - This week's homework is to use the word collaboration in a sentence.
4 - This sentence contains the word collaboration.
5 - This sentence also contains the word collaboration.

Yup, those are my DD's stock replies when she can't be @rsed with spelling and sentences.

My fave had to be "Mrs Smith can't spell completely, it is not completley"

VfM4meplse

Mojisola wrote: »

That's tough on the children who don't have supportive parents willing to spend the time with them.

Yes, but isn't it symptomatic of the inequalities in parenting across the board that reflect in educational status? I don't see why talent should be held back because the wider system doesn't respond.

daska

Is collaboration that hard? Phonetically I would have thought it relatively straightforward for spelling and thinking back I would put money on DS1 having understood the concept at that age - but DS1's language skills were always quite advanced unlike DS2 with his severe problems, makes it very difficult for me to know what's 'normal'. Compared to the confustification that can be caused when trying to spell a list like foe, low, dough, sew etc. Personally I can't see anything wrong with stretching kids with vocabulary - if you always use simple words they already understand how do they learn?

DVardysShadow

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

4 - This sentence contains the word collaboration.
5 - This sentence also contains the word collaboration.

At 6 years old, probably 'collaboration is an OK word. But self referential sentences?

scheming_gypsy

DVardysShadow wrote: »

At 6 years old, probably 'collaboration is an OK word. But self referential sentences?

say what? .

Newly_retired

My daughter is distressed because her daughter does not get any homework!
She is in Year 2 and only gets occasional sheets or projects at half term.
The school does not bother about spellings before year 3.
She would be delighted if they gave such tasks as your granddaughter gets.

tibawo

off topic a bit but dd2 is in reception and follows me round the house doing her tricky word box. This is annoying .. i'm thinking of putting a lock on the loo door and hanging ear plugs behind it. LOL

Mojisola

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Yes, but isn't it symptomatic of the inequalities in parenting across the board that reflect in educational status? I don't see why talent should be held back because the wider system doesn't respond.

I'm not suggesting they are. There will always be inequalities because of the types of parents there are but I think education should be as equally provided as possible.

If homework is only possible if there are supportive parents with enough time to spare to help out, I don't think it should be set. Homework should be something that reinforces work that children have done in school that they are capable of doing by themselves.

Gingham_R

I think it's a wonderful choice of word for a year 2 class.

Collaboration is something they should all be learning about every day and just because they may not have heard it before shouldn't stop them learning about it - all the more reason to learn about it in my opinion.

I know that lots of children struggle with vocabulary, (and sometimes this is because they don't have much conversation outside school) but I don't think it's beyond the grasp of most 6 year olds that we should work together - and that working together is called collaboration. They may keep forgetting the word until they've used and heard it a few times but then it WILL stick with most of the class.

With collaboration we can get our lego picked up quickly.

With collaboration we can move this heavy box.

I can collaborate with my friends to make a new playground game.

etc - put it in context in a few sentences for her and she'll understand. Tell her it's an interesting way of saying working together, that's all.

I read recently about the problem of children underachieving in school and one big factor was that some families just don't really have many conversations with their children. They don't sit around and talk about stuff. The language they do hear is 'Put that down.' 'Get your shoes on.' 'Get your homework done' etc - in other words the day to day stuff that we all say to get through the day - commands, requests - instructive language basically. Conversation is different and for some of the children they are deprived in this area. So a teacher who's saying 'let's teach these kids some interesting words' gets a big thumbs up from me - for all the children - those who do live in talky families and those who don't, regardless of how wide the vocabulary in their household is.

Children need to know this stuff - vocabulary gives them power over both language and their future. I'm SO pleased to see a teacher being ambitious for the children in the class. MORE of this from more teachers is what I'd like to see.