For the next four weeks, I will be teaching two elementary school-aged math classes at a community summer program (where I previously worked as a counselor, and was a camper before that >_< ). My first class each day is "Math Fun and Games," where I'll try to convince students entering 3rd-6th grade that there's more to math than worksheets and drills by encouraging them to look for patterns and think creatively. The class for kids entering 1st-3rd grades is called "Number Sense," and I hope to give the younger students an idea of what different physical quantities look like by learning how to measure and record.
Classes start on Monday, and I honestly have no idea what to expect:
- The kids are outside of my typical age range for teaching or tutoring.
- This is my first time in charge of an actual class.
- I've come up with the lesson plans myself, and don't know how good they are.
- I don't yet know how old the kids that signed up are, or why they're signing up.
I'm pretty sure I find out part of that last one tomorrow. It's only really an issue for the younger class, because there's such a wide range in what I can do with a 5 y.o. fresh out of kindergarten, and a 7 y.o. who just finished 2nd grade. (All made more annoying by the fact that NJ doesn't have statewide math standards, nor does my school district across schools.) There will be a lot of modifying to do after the first day or two of class, but I feel like I'll manage to not screw up my campers too badly the first time I teach this.
Fun- and preparation-filled weekend ahead. I'll keep all y'all posted.
(Looking at past posts, I'm good about writing at the start of a "semester". I'm going to break that habit this summer.)
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