Show Me the Money

How did you modify this unit for use in your own classroom?: The original project was designed for 3rd – 5th grade students. Therefore, I had to make modifications for my kindergarten class. 1) Coins were limited to pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters 2) Going to the Candy Store” replaced the mock checkbook activity. Both activities required the students to use money to make purchases.

List your primary instructional objectives for your students.

What role did technology play in this curriculum unit?: 1) Students watched the video Dr. Rock's Math Adventures: Counting Money to learn about money. You can access this video via PowerMediaPlus.com if you are a member. 2) Students learned how to enhance slides in a PowerPoint presentation. They had to enhance their presentation by adding titles and clip art, using WordArt, and coloring slides in their presentation. Note: Our technology teacher, Ms. Walker, applied the designer effects to the pictures in the presentation. Our school’s computers do not have designer effect software so the students were not able to make these enhancements.

How did you assess and evaluate student performance?: 1) Students had to identify the monetary value of pennies, nickels, and dimes. 2) Students had to be able to calculate the proper amount of money needed to purchase their candy with 100% accuracy. 3) Students had to accurately complete the “Handful of Coins” pictograph.

Please tell us briefly about your background & teaching experience: Entering the teaching profession has provided me many opportunities to work in various places in the world. I began my teaching career as a second grade teacher in Allentown, PA. After a couple of years of teaching in this traditional setting, I entered the Peace Corps in Armenia. In Armenia, I taught ESL classes. When I returned to the United States, I moved to Washington D.C. Here, I taught my first kindergarten class. Presently, I am a kindergarten teacher at P.S. 35.

What are your recommendations for other teachers interested in adapting this unit?: 1) Provide students an opportunity to make purchases. For young students, you could have them purchase “penny candy”. 2) As the author recommended, pre-test your students to determine their knowledge of money.

Samples of Student Projects

	Watching the video Dr. Rock's Math Adventures: Counting Money
	Call_Sample1.pdf
	Students’ pictographs
	CallSample1.pdf
	Students’ PowerPoint presentation
	Call_Sample2.pdf
	callSample2.pdf
	Call_Sample3.pdf
	CallSample3.pdf