From: elg@elgamy.sccsi.com (Eric Lee Green)
Date: 9 Sep 92 21:01:00 CDT
Newsgroups: misc.education
Subject: Re: combined elem classes
Distribution: world
Organization: Eric's Amiga 2000 @ Home

From article <1992Sep8.193804.23936@tfs.com>, by tab@tfs.com (Theresa Breckon):
> Has anyone heard of the practice of combining grades in elementary
> school?

I went to a very small private school that combined grades. The 1st/2nd
graders were in one room, the 3rd/4th graders were in another room, the
5th/6th graders in the third room. Basically, what happened was that the
teacher kept VERY busy. While one group was doing independent practice (the
math problems, the reading worksheets, silent reading), she was working
with the other group on the part that needed direct teacher instruction.
There wasn't a whole lot of peer tutoring or anything in these classes, and
no second grader did first-grade work -- a second-grader would have sneered
if the teacher dared.

Currently I teach a class in a behavior unit where the students are reading
from 1.1 (first grade first month) to 5.5 (fifth grade fifth month). This
is quite a bit more challenging. Basically, I'm having to teach things like
social studies and science all together orally for most of my students
(they're all 4th graders except for one 5th and one 6th grader -- the 6th
grader, though, is autistic and is really operating at about the same level
as the 4th graders), with specially-tailored worksheets for their own
particular cognitive and reading level (student IQ's range from 73 to 110,
supposedly). Reading and math, on the other hand, can't be done all
together. The kid with the IQ of 73, for example, is only doing 2nd grade
math (everybody else is doing 4th grade math, except for the 5th grader),
and frankly that's stretching it with him. The kid with the IQ of 73 is
only barely reading at a first grade level, so I can't even get him into a
second grade book yet -- I'm currently taking him through a developmental
reading kit, rather than witness his sad attempts at decoding. The
scheduling here is a nightmare. A total nightmare. Only the 5th grader is
truly capable, intellectually, of operating independently -- the others
have major decoding problems (I'm going to put them in a phonics kit real
soon). And that 5th grader isn't emotionally capable of working
independently -- that's how she got into the behavior unit in the first
place.

Yet everything eventually does get done.

I wouldn't worry about that second grader in the mixed first/second grade
class. If he has a good teacher, there should be no problem.

> My friend is very concerned with this situation. While he did say
> that the class seemed smaller then the other 2nd grade clases, he
> was worried about his child sharing a classroom with 1st graders,
> repeating things he had learned last year, etc.
>
> Anyone familiar with this practice? Any comments, reassurances, or
> warnings welcome. THanks in advance.

I hope that my comments helped. I really wouldn't worry about the kid
repeating things he had learned last year -- in my experience, it doesn't
happen. All that happens is that the teacher ends up doing twice the
work for the same pay... which is probably why the classroom is smaller
:-). (I won't even begin to talk about MY job... heck, the teacher's
editions alone for kids on three different grade levels operating at five
different functional levels... it's a wonder the shelves don't collapse!)

--
 Eric Lee Green  elg@elgamy.sccsi.com         Dodson Elementary
 (713) 437-6908  uunet!nuchat!elgamy!elg      Houston, TX
                "Kids are kids, no matter what"