Any 3rd grade teachers out there? I desperately need help. I'm doing volunteer teaching overseas. I think I'll be teaching 3rd. I don't leave till the 22nd and school is supposed to start on the 28th. I have no curriculum. The stores where I'm going are hesitant to stock workbooks because of the uncertainty of Covid. I think I can come up with something for ESL, but I'm worried about math. It's an impoverished country; neither the school nor myself can afford to buy workbooks for all the students unless the stores stock the cheap state-produced workbooks (which they aren't right now). I'm so desperate. I can take one set of workbooks with me and have the students work them on their own paper, maybe. Sorry, I'm rambling. Does anyone have a 3rd grade math syllabus I can look at? Just something that lays out what all to cover and when, etc? I'm a mess. I though we could get the state curriculum and found out today it's doubtful.
AboveRubies, I'd be glad to try and help, but I need more information. What country is this for? How large are the classes? Will you have just a chalkboard? A projector? What technology (if any)? Do you just need stuff for math, or for science and social studies too?
Check out Khan Academy for a lay-out of the third grade curriculum. You can see what topics are covered and in what order. Unfortunately I do not think they have an off-line competent but it might be a good place to start.
Thank you all! I'll be in the Middle East. I have a decent amount of classroom supplies, whiteboard, and TV monitor or projector. Maybe 8-12 students in class due to Covid. I have internet at my apartment, and I assume at school, but maybe not. I'd love to do science and social studies with them, but it will have to be in a simplified way since their English is ok, but limited. I'll have to check out Khan Academy! I did order one set of the Saxon 3 transitional math curriculum since it doesn't require workbooks. The folks I'm working with will be looking at curriculum about a week before we're supposed to start, but I don't want to depend only on what they may find. Sounds a bit crazy, I know. Before we worked only with refugees in a do-what-we-can-with-what-we-have kind of setting, but now we're looking a buying a school building and opening up to other students as well. It's a big learning curve for all of us.
They don’t need a workbook. If they have notebooks, great. If no notebooks, hopefully at least personal chalkboards. Take one workbook with you and use it as a guide. Write notes on the board. Have the children read the notes chorally with you and write down the notes if possible. If not possible, it’s fine. Do some practice problems together, and then have some students come up to the board to do some more. Then, give them problems to write on their own. If you’re going as a volunteer to a poor area, these are probably things they’re more used to anyway. Although we are accustomed to having many materials here in the US, you really need very little to teach. I minimize my materials and methods more each year, and often find that simple is better. You can always do chants, games, and learning activities that don’t need any supplies (Around the World and mental math competitions come to mind). Good luck!
Here’s a great workbook link, too: http://www.ahabitatforlearning.org/files/4009556/uploaded/Scholastic PreK skills (Big math).pdf It starts out easy and gets harder. I’d recommend saving it to a USB Drive in case your internet isn’t reliable. Also, be prepared that “third grade math” means different things in different places. These students could be far ahead or far behind what you’re expecting, depending on their prior education.
