What Grade Is a Big Transition?

Around here, going from 3rd to 4th is a huge transition. The others were big, but that one is the biggest.

Perhaps not academically, but I'd vote for the first year of middle school.

Our principal said 4th and 7th are the biggest transitions.

4th Grade They now are reading to learn no longer learning to read.

6th grade If this is the first year of middle school, switching classes can really throw kids off, Staying organized and keeping up with all of the work from different teachers. In school extra curricular activities.

9th grade because of the size of the school, the faster pace and the grades now count for their future education.

K only if your child never went to pre school or Day care.

4th, 7th, 9th, 11th

1st to 2nd, does not compare.

Huge difference from 3rd to 4th.

We have made it to 2nd grade so far. 1st to 2nd has been a huge increase in drama, however not much to the work.

For us, what 2nd grade had that K and 1st didn't:

Book reports. She is on her 4th book report this year. She did 1 last year.

Increase in spelling words with a spelling assignment everyday.

All the math extra's, understanding fractions, telling time, counting and understanding money, 2 & 3 digit addition, 2 digit subtraction, and beginning multiplication.

Drama, drama, drama. They all wear the same uniform, so they find other things to pick on. You can't run as fast as me, you play hockey so you don't know anything about soccer, you missed the ball, you won last night tournament so today I'm pushing you, why don't you comb your hair, why don't you have curls, your eyes are slanted, your not athletic, your in that math level, you just said the wrong word, etc. etc. etc.!

Oh my gosh...where do they have time to learn?!

1st to 2nd is no biggie. 3rd to 4th starts to get more serious, with higher academic demands. The biggest one, though, is ahead for us soon ... the move from 5th to 6th (middle school).

Third grade was a huge transition year for my daughter. Went from "here, do your homework worksheet that's due tomorrow" to "you have to study for x, x, and x a little bit each night this week because you have tests on each this Friday...AND do the worksheets that are due tomorrow." Was so difficult for my daughter to plan her time & learn that she couldn't just wait until right before a test to study. I've actually thought 4th grade has been "easier" for her, but I honestly think that's only because she developed good study habits and strategies during 3rd grade. I expect the next biggie for her will be 6th grade when she starts middle school.

I have one kid finishing 6th and another finishing 8th. So far there haven't been any difficult transition years.

My friend's kids seem to have a terrible time in 3rd grade, and I know of several kids that found the transition from elementary to Jr High to be overwhelming.

2nd to 3rd when they were in private school. I'm not sure about public school really. Daughter went from private 2nd grade to public 3rd grade and had no issues. She's a GATE kid, and they do a pull out program here, so she was absent from her "regular" class for an entire day, one day a week for the entire year in 3rd grade. Still made Superintendent's list (all As in every subject in every grading period). It wasn't that big of an adjustment for her anyway, b/c the private school was academically very strong and advanced. So 3rd was no big deal for her.
When son moved from 2nd to 3rd, he did that still in private school, and the level of math and how quickly they began moving through it was a big transition for him. Also the amount of written work (paragraphs, essay questions, that sort of thing) and amount of required reading had big jumps in what was expected.
He still did fine. But that was his biggest adjustment.

Well, until you start talking about middle/high school--then that is another ball of wax anyway, b/c they change classes and do not have the same kids in their classes all day long. And have to be organized enough to move from classroom to classroom/teacher to teacher, every subject, and remember to have what they need and write down assignments--because they won't be written on a board somewhere in the classroom at the end of the day when it's time to go home. Maybe for that one class... but not anything else.

And not having the same students move from class to class with them is an adjustment, too. In the private school he was in, his 4th and 5th grade classes both switched classes for a couple of subjects. But it was a small school, and the entire class just picked up and moved to another classroom with another teacher like a herd of cattle. In middle school, they are individuals, not a herd, moving through the hallways.

3rd grade was the hardest one for the kiddo, hands down.

I have 2 friends that teach it and they both say the girl drama and work is very difficult to maneuver this particular year.

K, 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, those seemed to be the most challenging.

I cried the last day of my son's 5th grade year. I was the school counselor there.

I walked him hand-in-hand through the school as a goodbye. He was fine, towards the end of the walk, my eyes were blurry with tears. As a former middle school professional, I knew it was the end of the innocence.

Elementary into Intermediate school and Inter to High school have been the biggest/hardest transitions in our house. When they were little, it was 3rd to 4th.