Third Grade Math with Confidence was published in Spring, 2023: PDF first (and only from WTM Press), then paperback to follow, from WTM Press and multiple vendors. The Instructor Guide is available from ebook vendors.
Click here for complete information about the curriculum.
What's new in Third Grade MWC?
Third Grade MWC has one Instructor Guide but two student workbooks, Student Workbook A and Student Workbook B. To use the curriculum, the parent/teacher needs the Instructor Guide and each student needs both Student Workbooks. The workbooks are sold individually or as a set. You will need both books to complete the grade level.
Why are there two workbooks? Each lesson has 3 pages instead of 2 as in Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade MWC. The additional page made the Student Workbook large and unwieldy for smaller hands, so we split it in two.
Workbook A covers units 1-8; Workbook B covers units 9-16. The Instructor Guide is still in one volume. It provides the daily lesson plans for both Student Workbooks.
What is included on the 3 pages of each lesson?
Every core lesson now includes a Lesson Activities page in the Student Workbook, in addition to Practice and Review. These pages provide practice exercises, visual models, and game boards all in one place to streamline your lessons.
The Lesson Activities pages are designed for you to complete with your student/s during your hands-on teaching time. They are not meant to be independent work for the student/s.
There's an icon with one head or two head at the top of each page. One head indicates that the student should work independently; two heads mean that the parent/instructor should do the work with the student/s.
What amount of teaching time should I expect?
Most pilot families spent an average of 25-35 minutes on each lesson, with 10-15 minutes of parent-led instruction and 15-20 minutes of independent work. (Second grade had 20-30 minutes total, with 15-20 minutes of parent-led instruction time.) The goal is to keep the parent-led time to about the same level as for the rest of the series, even as student independence increases.
The format is simplified in Third Grade MWC (and beyond) in order to streamline the teaching and allow parents to make the most efficient use of their teaching time.
Is my student ready to start Third Grade Math with Confidence
Your student is ready to begin Third Grade Math with Confidence if s/he:
- Can count by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s to 1,000.
- Can read, write, and compare 3-digit numbers.
- Understands place-value in 3-digit numbers.
- Knows the addition and subtraction facts mostly by heart. (He should be able to
recall the answers to most within 3 seconds or so.) - Knows how to use place-value strategies to solve mental math problems like 55 +
37,36 + 8, 90 - 42, or 74 - 6. - Knows how to add and subtract two- and three-digit numbers with the standard
written process. (You might know these problems as "stack math" or "borrowing
and carrying.")
All of these skills are reviewed in the first few units, so don't worry if your student/s need/s a
refresher on a few of them.
If a student is not fluent with the addition and subtraction facts but knows the rest of
the skills listed above, s/he is probably ready to begin Third Grade Math with Confidence.
Make sure to add 5 minutes of daily addition and subtraction facts practice to each
lesson until students are fluent with the facts. If you need a supplement to do this practice, you can get the Facts That Stick books: Addition Facts That Stick and Subtraction Facts That Stick. These books use quick games to help your child to mastery.
What are the learning objectives in Third Grade Math with Confidence?
The student will be able to -
- read, write, compare, and understand place value in numbers to 10,000;
- add and subtract numbers to 10,000;
- master multiplication facts (up to 10 times 10) and division facts (up to 100 divided by 10);
- use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve word problems (including two-step word problems);
- multiply one-digit numbers by multiples of 10;
- find the area and perimeter of rectangles, squares, and shapes composed of rectangles;
- read, write, and compare fractions;
- identify simple equivalent fractions and add and subtract fractions with the like denominators;
- solve measurement problems involving elapsed time, length, weight, and capacity;
- identify right angles, rectangles, squares, and rhombuses; and
- identify faces, edges, and vertices in 3-D shapes.
For more detail, see the Scope and Sequence.
What will I need to include in my Math Kit?
You’ll use the following materials regularly in Third Grade Math with Confidence. Stash them in a box or basket and always keep them ready for your next lesson.
- Base-ten blocks (at least 50 units, 20 rods, 10 flats, and 1 large cube)
- 50 small counters
- Coins (20 pennies, 20 nickels, 20 dimes, 10 quarters)
- Play money (20 each of one-dollar bills, ten-dollar bills, and hundred-dollar bills; 10 each of five-dollar bills, twenty-dollar bills, and thousand-dollar bills)
- Clock with hands
- Fraction circles
- 1-foot (or 30-centimeter) ruler, labeled with both inches and centimeters
- 2 packs of playing cards and 2 regular, six-sided dice
- Blank paper
- Pencils
- 1 page protector and 1 dry-erase marker
- Binder with about 10 page protectors, optional
You can find the list of suggested supplementary books here.