Summer is winding down and I'm excited and nervous to start
the new year. I'm starting a whole new chapter in my teaching career moving
from special education 9th grade Algebra and 10th grade Geometry
to Middle School special education 8th grade math. I decided to start this blog because I want
you to come and visit my classroom from the comfort of your own home. I am hoping I have a great idea that will
be FUN and EDUCATIONAL for all my students.
This summer has been busy for me thinking of ways to engage
the students I am going to teach. While reading a Chicken Soup for the Soul:
Children with Special Needs, I came across a story that briefly discussed a
classroom economy. After reading this story, I pulled my laptop out and started
a google search for classroom economy. A majority of the results were geared
towards elementary school, but I thought to myself, I can do this for my students.
So sit back, relax, and join me in my Real World 8th Grade
Math classroom!
I am going to share everything with you I can, from my
successes to my failures. Yes, I will share with you my failures because let’s
face it, teachers are not meant to have a 100% success rate. We teach, reteach,
and learn from lessons that worked and didn’t work.
Getting my ideas down on paper from my head was rough, but
after talking to many family members and friends, I started tweaking and
creating. With the help of my husband, we started creating everything for my
mini economy, including payment coupons, career agreements, loan agreements,
utility agreements, deeds, logs, tax forms, and so much more. We spent hours
tweaking, talking, and reviewing. We stuffed folders, or what I’m calling them “starter
wallets” with all the necessary items the students will need all year.
What is this classroom economy? Here’s just a sneak peek.
Every student will fill out a career form; deciding if they want to go to
college or start in a career. From there,
they will sign rent, utility, and loan (if they decide to go to college)
agreements. The students will find out what their daily pay rate is and how much
all their bills cost.
The students will have bank accounts that their paycheck,
income, and expenses will be automatically deposited/withdrawn from. I found a
website called www.mykidsbank.org that
you can use to create your own bank and add students as the account holders. I will
have them keep a register and as long as it’s balanced on Monday after payday
(every Friday is payday), they will receive 10% interest on the week’s prior
balance.
The students will have many opportunies to earn extra income.
If they are doing what they are expected to do (on task, prepared,
participating, being generous, etc.), they will receive a green token. If they
are not following the rules (on their cell phone, off task, etc.), they will
receive a red token. At the end of the period, they will draw numbered ping pong balls for every green and red token they have. The number on
the ping pong ball will coincide with a number in my income/expense variables spreadsheet, explaining what they earn or lose money for. An example of the green
tokens: You worked and extra 5 hours, earn $50. An example of a red token: Your
water heater broke, pay $100.
There is so much more that I am doing with my classroom
economy, but you will have to join me next time in the Real World of 8th
Grade Math to find out more!
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| Variables |
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| Starter Wallet Preparation |
