My students need clocks, a money pocket chart and play money that they can manipulate to better understand the concepts of telling time and identify & making money.
The best kind of learning is hands-on learning. My students are in first grade at a small, rural K-6 school.
I came into this school district replacing a retired teacher. Many of the resources that were left for me are outdated. Worse though is that what few things are here are not enough for each student or even small groups of students to share. Particularly in the primary grades, hands-on experiences make learning much easier. When students can manipulate (or "play") with objects it can make abstract concepts more concrete. I want to give my students as many opportunities as I can to have authentic experiences to help them learn.
Many young students have a difficult time with the concept of money. About half of my students are able to identify coins, name their values, and count money successfully. The other half are hit or miss. Some of them can name the coin but can't remember its value, etc. My students were not working with authentic materials. Having a set of play money will allow each of my students to have enough coins to manipulate. They will be able to practice seeing them in their actual size and color. The pocket chart will be incorporated into our daily math meeting where we make amounts of money. This begins at the beginning of the year to expose students to money even before it comes up in the math book.
Telling time is much easier for students when they are able to show it on a clock of their own. This is particularly helpful for elapsed time. Students have a hard time with finding what time activities will end. Using a clock makes it easier to visualize.
Your donation will help my students have better success with telling time and using money. These skills are not only needed in our first grade classroom, but they will use them for the rest of their lives.
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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 Mrs. Dougherty and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
