Fiscally Savvy Students Earn, Save & Spend With Sense
My students need 18 money resources, including games, puzzles, flashcards, play money, a listening center, books and a manipulatives kit.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. H.'s classroom raised $518
This project is fully funded
I teach second graders in a public school located in a struggling urban neighborhood. Although all of my students come from 'economically-challenged' homes and receive free lunch, our school strives to provide them with both basic needs and the learning tools so every child achieves and succeeds. I am determined to empower them for today and prepare them for a better future.
My second graders are really enjoying math! They are applying strategies to improve their computation speed/accuracy and are grasping some challenging concepts in areas such as geometry. They've embraced some Project SEED techniques such as beginning an explanation with, "My fellow mathematicians..." or using hand signals to show agreement or disagreement with a classmate's answer. They are probably most motivated, however, when we learn about money!
As money is an integral part of our lives, it is also a part of our classroom learning. I want my students to not only learn coin values and calculations such as making change, but to understand economic concepts such as saving and spending with responsibility. At the second grade level, we do this by essentially both “using money to learn” and “learning to use money” in a very practical and realistic way. We have a behavior management program in which each student has the opportunity to earn ten cents of “classroom cash” each day which can be saved and eventually spent in our classroom store. Through this program they are not only motivated to behave well and focus on learning, but they also see the advantages of earning and saving versus impulsively spending money as soon as they have it and they see the need to be able to calculate monetary sums and differences. My students have reason to be responsible with their materials as well. With my own personal funds I have provided them with basics such as crayons, erasers, and glue. Each child also receives a pencil (with his/her own name engraved) each month. I have also stocked our “store” with everything from ten-cent tattoos to ten dollar remote-control cars, but the children are required to spend their money on their NEEDS (replacing any supplies they did not care for) before they can buy things they WANT.
We're asking for a variety of materials to strengthen the children’s understanding of money skills such as books, games, flashcards, and last but not least…MONEY (the plastic/paper kind). I’ve used ‘classroom cash’ for a number of years, but it has remained somewhat abstract because we don’t have enough ‘play money’ for all of the students simultaneously. The money has remained with me (the bank) and on ‘shopping days’ I give the student his/her current amount before he/she shops. One of our goals with this project is to use the Money Hands-On Teaching Kit (and extra packs) so that every student will continually maintain his/her own balance with the actual cash and coins. They can add their nickels and dimes as they are earned, pay their ‘fines’ immediately, exchange smaller coins for larger coins and bills and watch their cash grow as they resist the urge to spend in order to save for the ‘good stuff.’ And, of course, we practice paying the appropriate amount and making change when we shop.
We are also asking for some additional realistic plastic coins and magnetic and transparent money to help bring lessons to life. The hands-on math games and flashcards provide enjoyable practice for the children. (I already bought them some Hot-Dot pens which they love – but they are excited about using them with ‘money’ cards. Finally, we would like three captivating books which reinforce the concepts of saving and spending wisely.
By providing our class with realistic-looking ‘play’ money along with a variety of games and books which encourage them to use money wisely, you'll help my students truly understand some challenging mathematical concepts such calculating sums of money and subtracting amounts of money and equivalent amounts. However, perhaps more importantly, you’ll help some students who are primarily accustomed to spending anything they have as soon as they have it, the value of a dollar and the advantages of saving for long-term goals. When they can manipulate it with their own hands, it's more meaningful. These books, games, flashcards and manipulatives will not only make concepts clearer to help improve achievement, they will make learning more fun. They will not only do better on the tests they take in second grade, they will do better in life.
My mathematically-minded second graders would gain monetary understanding and develop fiscal responsibility through this project. These supplies can be used (every year) to bring the math concepts off of the page and into their hands.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Hot Dots? Flash Cards Money oney 8 L [ 8 8 8 47098-1232226285 w p , w h p @ ` d~ wX1 w w ` ` ` X P; , w H; P; l $ d~ wX1 w 4 w P; ( w ?uH ~ w W| P d~ wx w , / W| ` @* Z| d~ w
• Nasco
$9.95
1
$9.95
Math Games to Master Basic Skills Book Time & Money
• Nasco
$9.95
1
$9.95
Pigs will be Pigs: Fun with Math and Money
• Nasco
$6.25
1
$6.25
The New Totally Awesome Money Book for Kids Arthur Bochner, Rose Bochner, Foreword by Adriane G. Berg
• Barnes and Noble
$8.95
1
$8.95
Kids' Money Book: Earning Saving Spending Investing Donating Jamie Kyle McGillian, Ian Phillips (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$5.35
1
$5.35
GG844 - Money Extra Student Pack
• Lakeshore Learning
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. H. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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