Wednesday Blues

Welp, the election is over. Hallelujah!

Regardless of which party/candidate you were for/against, I am sure we will all welcome some kindness and peace on social media and in life in the coming weeks once the madness dies down! My students so enjoyed all of the election day-themed activities we have been doing for the last two weeks, but it's time to put that aside and begin preparing for Thanksgiving!

I think the best way to reach my struggling learners is to make math relatable to them. Not only are they able to connect to the content easier, but they see a purpose in what they are learning. I try to avoid the question,

"....but when will I actually USE this, Miss I?!"

This year, I re-vamped my behavior system to include money. I find that with the increased use of debit and credit cards, many of my students aren't exposed to coins and physical bills the way I was as a child. Gone are the days of checking between the sofa cushions for a few coins that fell out of someone's pocket. I have been encouraging my students to practice using money when shopping with mom or dad or by counting the coins in a piggy bank every so often, but as the years have passed I realize students are less exposed to physical money than ever.

How it works:

Each of my students now has their own "penny pouch" that they keep their coins in. I purchased a ton of these on amazon (click on the photo below for a link!). They earn a coin each day for good behavior, but its a very fluid system where students can lose coins or earn bonus coins by completing challenge work or giving a great response/being extra kind to others. They must trade in pennies for nickels, nickels for dimes, etc.

Once they accumulate enough money (10-20¢), they can "buy" something from the prize bin. Most prizes are 10¢, but a few special ones are 12¢ or above. Within weeks, I can say that all of my students in grades 1-5 know more about coins than they did in September! I was afraid this would be tricky to keep up with, but fingers crossed, so far we are good!

"Penny Pouches"

xoxo, 

Miss I