Y3 Maths Curriculum

[Strix]

DD is in year 2 and I met with her teacher recently to discuss her progress in maths, which is quite good but I am keen to see that she is challenged. I mentione to the teacher the previous week's homework had said to practise bonds to 10 and this was well beneath DD as she does bonds to 100 mentally, and not just numbers which end in 0 or 5. Her response was that I should be careful not to teach the year 3 curriculum or she'll be bored in year 3. But, I'm certainly not going to stop encouraging her in math just because it doesn't suit the curriculum. So, I am wondering how I might encourage math without encrouching on next year's curriculum. So can anyone tell me what to avoid?

We talk about things like multiplication, dividion, decimal points, etc. so I suspect I have already taught her some year 3 curriculum. oops.

Anyway if anyone couldpossibly tell me what specifically year 3 maths curriculum covers I would be most grateful.

My son's in Year 3. His state school bought him a subscription for Maths Whizz which is fun and supports his learning without encroaching on anything he does with his class teacher.

Looks interesting. But, we already do Kumon so I don't want to add another subscription / activity for them. (and their computer died a few weeks ago and we have not yet decided when we will replace it).

I like to do the math with DD. I just need to know what to avoid. Why is it so hard to find the curriculum laid in detail?

If you google national numeracy strategy you should be able to find the framework (ie curriculum) for maths. Perhaps getting her to use her maths in practical context might be the way to go, eg getting er to find the coins to pay for things, working out change, working out cooking times, weighing, measuring, guessing distances and amounts.

Have a look at the primary framework website. Although it is notoriously difficult to navigate around, it does set out exactly what is expected of each year group.
Yr 2 is at
nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/18234

and yr 3 at
nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/18778

The links from this page show you what is taught to children working at levels expected in yr 2 and 3 ( look at the blocks and units)
However I would initially look at extending understanding sideways! If you look at the nrich site, you can find lots of puzzles and problems just waiting to be solved! These link in to a certain extent with the blocks and units so you can link these with the work being covered in class ( Look at the content map at nrich.maths.org/curriculum ) These should keep you busy!

Just read the post properly abd goggling is not really possible without a computer! Could you ask the teacher? She'll have an outline of what will be covered each term as it's quite prescriptive.

Strix, the school sounds a bit strange to me. I can see they need to be sure of them as it's such a strong foundation, but to deliberately hold your DD back seems weird. What's the teacher's point in worrying she'll be bored in Yr3 if she's already bored in Yr2? seems v.odd logic.

I've never heard such rubbish from a Y2 teacher. Of course your dd bloody well won't be bored in Y3, because the teacher will be teaching her Maths starting at her level - that's what teachers do! I would be worried if my dc's teacher said this to me.

primarymum, those links are just what I was looking for. Thanks.

Yes, I agree that holding back my DD because her progress conflicts with their curriculum is more than a tad ass backwards. But, I do have say I really like this teacher. And, more to the point, DD really likes her. She took the time to sit down with me and go through DD's math work sheet by sheet which her son (whose birthday it was) sat outside patirntly and waited for us to finish at about 6:00pm on a Friday. The teacher who preceeded her would never have even called me back when I requested a meeting. This one comment was a bit off. But this is the first teacher who ever recognised that DD really likes math much more than she likes English and this is her thing (in spite of being a girl!). So I take my hat off to the first teacher who recognises her particular skills and doesn't just say oh girls are like x and therefore you are x.

Anyway, I have now looked at the year 3 curriculum and I'm afraid her comment is too late because we have already done the bulk of that material. ha ha ---- oops.

"So I take my hat off to the first teacher who recognises her particular skills and doesn't just say oh girls are like x and therefore you are x."

What? You are kidding me. Who said that?

Well, it's a general attitude at the school actually. If I had a penny for everytime I've heard one of the many teachers say "Perhaps this is sexist, but girls are not as good at spacial relationships" or after commenting on DS' very poor pencil control "well, he's a boy" (yeah but all the boys are noticable better than he is... and they are boys too). It goes on and on. And it's not one teacher, but the culture at the school. So, anyway, I do like this teacher on the whole.

But, yes, obviously I am not going to hold my daughter back because it doesn't suit the curriculum. And I am certainly not going to tell her she isn't supposed to like math because she doesn't have a willy.

I'll just carry on and when she gets a really high SAT score I'll ask them to challenge her. And if they don't, I guess I'll find someone who will. But, ideally, I would like it to be her school.

That's a nonsense. DS (Y3) just 'gets' maths - numbers make eminent sense to him and he is (according to his teacher) miles ahead of the rest of the class. His teacher has him doing exercises, then practising explaining to others in the class how to do it, then setting her challenges to demonstrate that he understands the principle they are working on - he still works with the class, but at a different level. If your DD's Y3 teacher is any good they will do the same.

I am flabbergasted, Strix. doesn't quite cut it!

I know the feeling, Feenie. I have had my moment of of complete shock and disbelief with the acceptance of the Victorian attitudes. But, I've just learned to take a deep breath, count to 3 (or 300) and take matters into my own hands.