management

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Home : 2005 : May : 31

management
By Pam

I am also going to teach 4th grade next year. In the past I have managed my classroom like an economy. Each student had a job, which they had to interview for at the beginning of the year. Their classmates conducted this
part. They filled out an "application" with references to support the job they wanted. As a class we set the amount the class would get paid each month for their jobs. We also talked about taxes and what it pays for in the real world. I told them that in the classroom they would pay taxes to cover the supplies and materials. They also pay rent for their desk. All of these fees are

discussed and decided on with the whole class (with your guidance of course). It becomes a great math lesson too. One of the jobs is the bankers who pay each student on the last or first day of the month. They kept their money in a zipper pouch in their desk or cubby. When talking about the rules we called them "Laws" and decided on how much of a fine they would pay for breaking the law. We also talked about bonuses for good behavior and work habits. They were able to use their money to buy coupons or to spend on "Market Day". On this day students bring in products they have made at home. We encourage them to make inexpensive products to "sell". Doing this around a holiday makes it easy b/c they will make some really cute things like magnets, pins, painted flower pots, homemade picture frames,different types of food, etc. I've even had students provide a service instead of sell a product like painting faces. They have to decide on a reasonable price, a product name, and advertisement. Some students brought in posters, while others made coupons and handed them out a few days before the market day. Parents are invited to come and they LOVE it!! It teaches all the aspects of economy and how it works. The next day we talk about supply and demand, the importance of advertisement, and more. The students get a lot out of it. We did this as a whole grade level and the students are aloud to shop from class to class. Our administrators loved this idea too. It sound like a lot of work, but really the students do it ALL!! If you're interested I have a list of all the jobs and more specifics that can help you.