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.