Jessica Rottinghaus

EDP 621

Summer I, 2002

Title: Show me the Money

Goal: An introduction to working together towards a common goal while developing cooperation skills within the group.

Abstract: Students will begin to recognize, record and use money up to $1.00 by finding another student with the same amount of money stamped on a card.

Materials: Cards stamped with various money amounts up to $1.00. Make two cards for each amount on two different colors. The amount can be written on the back of the card for checking. Example: a blue card may have 2 quarters on it, and a red card may have 1 quarter, 2 dimes and a nickel on it.

Procedures:

1. Entire class- first complete a short lesson to review the value of coins (penny, nickel, dime and quarter) and counting money up to a dollar.

2. The teacher hands out a card to each student, some will have a blue card and some will have a red card. Be sure there is a match for each card.

3. The students count up the money on there own card individually at their seats.

4. Next, students walk around the room trying to find another student in the class with a different color card showing the same amount.

5. When two students find matching cards they go with their partner to a designated spot.

6. If someone is left or the last two do not match, the rest of the class is to check again to see if they are correctly matched.

Tips: use two colors of cards to prevent confusion (any colors will work)

If there is an uneven amount of students:

· make three cards that match – ex. 2 dimes, 1 nickel; 1 quarter; and 2 dimes and 5 pennies

· pair two together

· the teacher can become part of the activity by taking a card

This lesson is a cooperative lesson because it involves skills that enable students to interact successfully. The students must listen to each other, be respectful of each other, and help others when necessary. This lesson could be adjusted for many levels of teaching including special education. The students are required to work together and all are working toward a common goal, one in which everyone is aware of. The lesson can be evaluated a few different ways; by checking the pairs for accuracy, if the answer is on the back of each card, students can self check, they can also give an independent demonstration of counting coins which not only shows individual skills but is also fun and rewarding for the students. When children are working together they seem to build more confidence in what they are completing. It is a random pairing, but could be “fixed” if necessary this allows students to learn from and teach each other. In chapter 6 of Mara’s book she comments on how this type of grouping “avoids the stigma of being in the “slow group” or the arrogance of being in the “high group.”

Working with money is something that we do every day in our lives so this lesson can be connected to the real world in many ways. Task interdependence is also a part of this lesson, in order to meet the goal everyone must participate. Each student is responsible for having learned something, which is also important in a cooperative lesson.

This lesson also keeps from pointing any one student out. There are times where a student may manage to do little to take part in the group but by only using 2 in a group, there is no chance of this happening. If done properly there will not be any students left out of the game. All students should feel as though they have accomplished the goal at the end. This lesson could be taken further as well. Besides the students individually counting their money out loud they could quiz other groups. The teacher could put two groups together who could then ask each other to show the amount of money or to come up with other ways of showing it using different coins. There are many ways to adjust and modify this lesson for individual students and individual learning styles. It allows students to work together and also self correct to achieve a common goal.