Let's admit it, even the least materialistic of us spend some time shopping in this consumer driven world! This math inquiry project connects real life (shopping) to math instruction to answer the all too common student question of, "How does this connect to my life?" In this math enrichment, students will start off by activating their schema and understanding of money by estimating how much they could purchase if given a thousand dollars. Using a teacher-created "mall" (Think lots and lots of catalogues, the students then check their predictions by going "shopping", carefully calculating the use of their money, summing up total costs of purchases, including sales tax, refunding returned items, and doing all the things that real shoppers do! A little bit of character education is brought into the project with the stipulation that 9/10 of the shopping must be for others, not the self! Students are asked to spend time thinking about the important people in their lives and the gifts would bring them happiness. Students are held accountable for calculations with "Order Sheets", where all transactions must be recorded for teacher assessment. Following their shopping excursions, the students will complete a reflection to assess their conceptual understanding of money. They will explore how their actual purchasing power matched up to their original wish lists.
Students will gain authentic real world skills by shopping til' they drop! This project has plenty of room for differentiation, modifications, and teacher customization. All paperwork is included with this file. The only thing you need to provide is your own personal flair, and the mall stores (catalogues)!
Thousand Dollar Inquiry Project by Robyn Rimler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
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For the past five years, I gained experience as both an elementary and middle school educator in the New Jersey Public School System. In addition to scaffolding my students academically, socially and emotionally, my professional contributions extended beyond the classroom walls. Seeking extensive professional development, conducting individualized tutoring sessions, coordinating school events, presenting at workshops, and collaborating with faculty and administration to design, integrate, and differentiate curriculum name just some of the ways that I explored the depths of my position. Teaching for me was far from the “9 to 3/ Summers Free” career that those outside of the world of education so often envision. It was a calling; a chance to make an impact on those who will be impacting our tomorrows. I relished the opportunity to get to know each of my students as a unique individual with unique talents, affinities, struggles, and needs. Many of my students remained a part of my life, through ongoing communication, even when our ten months together was through.
