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Resource Reviews Why Can’t I Have Everything?, by Jane


Crawford, is an outstanding resource that examines what money is; where it comes from; what is “enough”; how do we earn it; whether to save, spend, or share it; and where to keep it. This comprehensive guide offers helpful background information as well as thorough and clear instructions for teachers of pre-k through second-grade stu- dents. Counting games, making change, and comparing prices are just a few examples of over forty activities that build upon each other from chapter to chapter. Each lesson includes questions to get students to think in bigger terms about money. Important con- nections for parents are also included. With a preface written by Marilyn Burns, this book is a wonderful example of the relevant, coherent, insightful, and masterful help available to teachers through Math Solutions. Why Can’t I Have Everything? Scholas-


tic, 2011. 246 pages. $34.95. You can also order from Math Solutions: 800-868-9092.


Exploring Economics, by Jennifer Lar-


son and Robin Nelson, is a series of six excellent nonfiction early readers. Titles include Do I need It? Or Do I Want It?, What Can You Do with Money?, What Do We Buy?, What Is Money, Anyway?, Where Do We Keep Money?, and Who’s Buying? Who’s Selling?. These are short books with vibrant photos, bright col- ors, and one or two simply stated sentences per page. Concepts such as saving, spending, earning, impulse buying, history of trade and currency, production and consumption, and banking. Each book con- tains a glossary and a cou- ple of activities to try. An additional bibliography is also included. These books are well-suited for students in first through third grade.


PAGE 20 • Connect Exploring Economics. Lerner Classrooms,


2010. 32 pages each. $7.95 each. 800-328- 4929.


I Can Count Money and I Can Do Math


Word Problems, by Rebecca Wingard-Nel- son, are new books for young learners. Part of the I Like Money Math! series, large, sim- ple text accompanies bright photographs to introduce concepts with plenty of examples and questions posed to the reader. In Word Problems, the reader is led through four distinct steps for transferring word problems into equations. The step-by-step, simple, and sequential approach to problem solving is especially helpful to children with learning differences, but the books are suitable for all children. Other titles in the series include I Can Add Bills and Coins and I Can Sub- tract Bills and Coins. I Can Count Money and I Can Do Math


Word Problems. Enslow, 2009. 24 pages. $6.95. 800-398-2504.


Math by All Means: Money, Grades 1–2,


also by Jane Crawford, is a collection of activities that are designed to serve simulta- neously a number of different young learners who possess different degrees of familiarity and mastery of money. Divided into sections titled, Whole Class Lessons, Menu Activi- ties, Connecting Math and Literature, and Homework, the guide also includes blackline masters, recording sheets, and a bibliogra- phy. Filled with sound advice from a master


©SYNERGY LEARNING • 800-769-6199 • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012


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