Nickel and dimed
Christine Carrillo
So you’ve got a quarter, a dime, two nickels and six pennies -- how
much money do you have?
No using a calculator -- the first-graders in Wendy Jawor’s class
at Harbor View Elementary School in Newport Beach didn’t get to.
Although some of them debated whether 100 pennies is actually the
equivalent of a dollar, and others calculated the worth of their
change on their fingers, each student worked at understanding the
basics of finance.
They did so by working in independent groups, which, even at ages
6 and 7, taught them a wealth of lessons.
“We can help each other and, most of all, we get to don’t be
alone,” said 7-year-old Briton Valdez, who was the captain of his
group.
Divided into four groups of about four students each, the
first-graders used their knowledge of math and money in a variety of
games.
“These are so fun,” said 6-year-old Christine Weltmer, who played
Spin to Win, a game in which the students spin a pointer and try to
win as much money as possible. “I learned how to count money because
before, I didn’t know how to count money.”
After they learned how to count it, they then needed to learn how
to spend it -- a lesson many adults wish they’d never learned.
“I can get lunch in our cafeteria,” said 6-year-old Brad
Hostetler, who won $2.43 during the same Spin to Win game. “It’s only
$2. ... I’ve got tax.”
While the different money games helped the students learn and
understand the worth of mathematics, a pet food drive the class
completed earlier in the month helped them understand the social
effect it can have as well.
Having collected 258 pet food cans, which they donated to the Pet
Food Bank for animals in shelters, the students counted their way
toward success as each donation made its way into their classroom.
“They were really excited to have helped and to know they were
helping animals,” said Jawor, who initiated the pet food drive, which
turned into a school-wide project. “This [was] such an easy project
to do and it totally gives back to the community.”
Not to mention, it also teaches the students how quickly numbers
can add up.
“They learn better when they’re doing,” Jawor said. “Using the
hands-on method in the form of a game, they often don’t know they’re
learning.”
They often don’t know they’re solving problems, either.
Speaking of which, just in case you’re wondering, you’ve got 51
cents.
* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot
education writer Christine Carrillo visits a campus in the
Newport-Mesa area and writes about her experience.
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