Teacher Discussion Forums

I was hired to teach high school but when I got here, found that I had been assigned to a primary school. No big deal really, but I was a little miffed at the lack of professionalism.

I have some experience teaching primary school but am trying to improve my ability to motivate and manage my third grade students. I am not only interested in learning about activities but also about philosophies and strategies for this grade, as well as "what makes these little guys tick?"

Funny when that happens. Well there's a lot, but Kids need to have fun and they have short attention spans. You'll need a lot of variety in the lesson and games and activities.

I think the Waldorf curriculum has a lot of wisdom to share about third graders and what makes them tick:
1) Stories about setting out alone, finding freedom, creation myths, and Old Testament stories are especially interesting and motivating this year.
2) Shelter building (life-size, or models), and learning about different types of houses around the world are exciting.
3) Farm work, composting or recycling projects, caring for animals, digging in dirt or snow, and doing any sort of practical/hands on/useful labor is possible finally at this age and should be encouraged (within reason).
4) Dodgeball, relay races, crab walking, sledding, skiing, skating, swimming, biking, jumping rope, four-square, and other games are good at this age.
5) Expect that this is the age when kids start to realize it is possible to dislike a teacher. Sometimes they will be rude, or unappreciative. Don't take it personally. Continue to provide a model of loving, firm authority--someone who knows things the kids would like to learn about.
6) In foreign language classes teach vocab for rooms & furniture in the house, seasons & months, animal names and sounds, like & dislike, etc.

Hope this helps!

Classroom management is an aspect of teaching that most teachers have struggled with at one point in their career. Once a teacher is unable to control a class, it can be extremely difficult for control to be restored.