Past projects 64
I'm Out of Money
Funded Oct 27, 2014When my middle school students heard about this project, and saw that they were going to be working with the kids at our elementary school they were so excited. We have been busy learning about the economics concepts they will be teaching the kids. When they books arrived, each of them loved reading the story for themselves. The process of creating the materials for the activity portion of the project has been so fun, but also a lesson in working together.
The middle school students I am working with have spent much time preparing. They have been divided into teams, as they will go into the classroom in pairs. Each group has been practicing reading the book aloud, and practicing reading in a way that they will also be able to present the pictures to the kids as they read. Each student group has also been researching the concepts that they will be discussing with the kindergartners in their assigned class. The concepts we are focusing on include: opportunity cost, saving, and financial decision making.
Like most students in kindergarten, the kids that my middle school students worked with wanted everything they could see. They loved the book, and like the main character, wanted everything. However, after discussion and also the money/spending activity, many of them began to see that "stuff" does cost, and sometimes they can't get everything -- unless they save for a while.
It was an amazing learning experience on multiple levels for two different groups of students. My middle school students reinforced the economic concepts, and even learned them at a deeper level as they would be teaching it. It was also a great experience for them to work in small groups in the planning process. They even worked on their presentation skill. On the other end, the kindergartners were able to begin to understand the concept of money management. We were able to do this project at a time when they were just starting to learn about money, so the timing and impact of the lesson was impact.
Again, thank you donors for your support of the students in my school district.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Hawkins
This classroom project was brought to life by Economics Arkansas and 6 other donors.Economics, Government & Your Future
Funded Dec 5, 2014When my students arrived in class and say the new classroom set of books, they started asking questions. We were all excited to begin reading the book. I have found that my students love to be read to. They here honored to find out that strangers were interested in helping our classroom get the resources needed.
We started reading the book, and almost instantly my students were drawn into the story. The characters are believable in the setting, and many are close to the age of my students. It has a very "Hunger Games" feel, which is still a popular story.
We have begun to tackle lots of interesting topics in the book. Topics range for socioeconomic status, politics, supply and demand, government systems that assign jobs to the members of their society. I have been impressed at how responsive the students have been to the material.
As a teacher, it is not every day that students come in asking "can we read today." This makes teaching exciting. As an added bonus students are engaged in social and economic discussions that go far beyond normal classroom discussion. Your contribution to my classroom in having an impact. Thanks you so much.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Hawkins
This classroom project was brought to life by Economics Arkansas and 2 other donors.Betty Bunny Wants Everything Economics Lesson
Funded Dec 3, 2013When my middle school students heard about this project, and saw that they were going to be working with the kids at our elementary school they were so excited. We have been busy learning about the economics concepts they will be teaching the kids. When they books arrived, each of them loved reading the story for themselves. The process of creating the materials for the activity portion of the project has been so fun, but also a lesson in working together.
The middle school students I am working with have spent much time preparing. They have been divided into teams, as they will go into the classroom in pairs. Each group has been practicing reading the book aloud, and practicing reading in a way that they will also be able to present the pictures to the kids as they read. Each student group has also been researching the concepts that they will be discussing with the kindergarteners in their assigned class. The concepts we are focusing on include: opportunity cost, saving, and financial decision making.
Like most students in kindergarten, the kids that my middle school students worked with wanted everything they could see. They loved the book, and like Betty (the main character) wanted everything. However, after discussion and also the money/spending activity, many of them began to see that "stuff" does cost, and sometimes they can't get everything -- unless they save for a while.
It was an amazing learning experience on multiple levels for two different groups of students. My middle school students reinforced the economic concepts, and even learned them at a deeper level as they would be teaching it. It was also a great experience for them to work in small groups in the planning process. They even worked on their presentation skill. On the other end, the kindergarteners were able to begin to understand the concept of money management. We were able to do this project at a time when they were just starting to learn about money, so the timing and impact of the lesson was impactful.
Again, thank you donors for your support of the students in my school district.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Hawkins
This classroom project was brought to life by Economics Arkansas and one other donor.You Are Hired . . . The Apprentice Manila
Funded Sep 14, 2012I am writing to express my deepest thanks for your recent donation to my career orientation classroom . Generous gifts from donors like you provides the financial and moral support needed to continue offering my students interesting ways to explore the learning process. With your contribution for the new Samsung Tablet in my classroom, my students will be able to share their work in a new and unique way.
Your support has played a key role in our success in sharing about careers in our area. Student's filmed, and will continue to film, people from different occupations throughout our community. They are then sharing those clips with the other students in their career orientation class. It has been a very enlightening activity for my students to get to see that there are many career opportunities here in their hometown.
There is no way for me to fully express my gratitude for your generosity. The teachers at my school are continually inspired by the dedication and generosity of donors like you, and others on DonorsChoose.org, who answer the call to give again and again.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Hawkins
This classroom project was brought to life by Economics Arkansas and one other donor.