Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 31, 1993 TAG: 9312300005
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOE KENNEDY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Zach Zuro ``thinks it's going to be a ton of work,'' says Lynette Martin, his mother. Zach has gotten the word from a friend who has moved on to the fourth grade.
``I have heard that there's a lot more homework, a whole lot more than they had in first or second grade,'' says Andrea Lucas, whose son, Justin, will begin the third grade at Mountain View Elementary this fall.
``As they get up in grades, they'' - meaning teachers - ``expect more and more,'' says Kathy Delp, whose son, Dwayne, was in the third grade last year. She has three older children, too. She ought to know.
It seems that the further a child moves from those playful days of kindergarten, the less playful that child's days become.
The third grade, with its increased demands for independent work and responsible behavior, is a noticeable change - ``not a great shock, but a gradual thing,'' says Jackie Turman, counselor at Mountain View. A few years ago, the change was more sudden. Even parents were surprised by it, and they called counselors like Turman to let them know it.
Since then, school officials in Roanoke city and county have taken steps to prepare children for what lies ahead. In some schools, third-grade teachers visit second-grade classes in the spring of each year, to outline their expectations. Practically every third-grade parent hears the drill on Back to School night, the traditional first meeting of area Parent-Teacher groups.
Teachers and administrators say they try to keep third grade similar to second, at least for a semester. Then the changes become evident. But by then, Turman says, ``they don't even realize they're getting more, because they're ready for it.''
Theoretically, at least.
``When you first get them, they are small enough that they can do the small things and are delighted with that,'' says Deloris Bowles, a Roanoke City teacher with 20 years of experience in the third grade. ``In the second semester you can really see a change in them, where they become more independent and they're able to do a lot more than they could at the end of the second grade. Christmas time - that's when you can really see them growing and developing and becoming more independent.''
It's rewarding to watch them mount their first major project or practice their first big speech. ``They're taking the same basic skills they've learned, but now it's application, in-depth study,'' says Mary Hackley, director of elementary education for the Roanoke city schools.
``They are able to do more seat work,'' says Deanna Gordon, assistant superintendent of Roanoke County schools. ``Their attention spans should broaden. They should be able to accept more responsibility for things like homework. We get a little more textbook oriented ... and we expect reading comprehension to have reached the stage where they can master short reading assignments'' and answer accompanying questions.
When they've taken on all these things and shown what they can do, they feel like small adults. But their job isn't finished. The fourth grade lies ahead, and that, says Hackley, is as big a change, or bigger, than third.
``I compare fourth-graders to sixth-graders, where you have that transition into teens,'' she says. ``Fourth grade is the focus for the preteen years. Not only academically do you begin to see changes in them, but they're changing in the kind of clothes they wear, their friendships and what they do with their peers.''
Boys who didn't mind girls suddenly are wary of them - and vice versa. Kids who never quarreled have spats. Peer pressure begins to rear it's upsetting head. Counselors sometimes get involved, though Jackie Turman encourages the youngsters to solve their own disputes.
``They can really get into that and take all of a counselor's time,'' she says.
``Third-graders are still trusting of their teachers, and school is still the most important thing in the world,'' Hackley says. ``In fourth, they're saying, `What is this place? Where do I fit in here?' They're still babies and then they're not. They love attention, but they don't want people to know they still like to be hugged.''
The challenges keep coming. Fourth grade, says Sibyl Taylor, a city school teacher, seeks to enhance critical thinking skills and to provide ``life skills'' that will introduce kids to the world they live in.
Fourth grade also is ``the target year for testing.'' Children take Iowa tests and a practice run at Literacy Passport tests. Teachers have specific materials that pupils should master before confronting the tests. The results help teachers with individual instruction, she says.
``We are striving to help these children become independent learners.''
Parents who witness the explosions of expectations their children face should stick with them through every challenge, educators say.
``They still need to know there's someone they can depend on,'' Hackley says. ``That whatever stage they're going through, it's OK and there's an adult to help them through it.''
They need a parent or guardian's ``interest and support,'' Gordon says - the sort of day-to-day attention and patient questioning about school, and most of all support during the rocky times.
``Every child needs somebody to help them through this maze called life,'' she says.
by CNB