Another great opportunity to practice math skills is ordering a meal from a menu.

A great resource for menu math is Remedia Publications. You can purchase a book with one menu and various scenarios for purchasing food, or just purchase a set of menus. I use the Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor menu and the Hamburger Hut menu. I

have students order for three friends, and ask them to add a 20% tip, plus 9% tax. On the way back to school from our field trip to the local library, we eat lunch at

a local restaurant. Before we go on the field trip, my students place their order by writing on a copy of the restaurant menu, and bring in their money to pre-pay. While they enjoy eating their lunch at the local restaurant, they seem to have more fun with their fantasy lunch and dessert—perhaps their fantasy lunch is more fun because they don’t have to worry about expenses, and can order anything they want to. All of these math-based projects provide opportunities for my students to learn

about money, budgets, and the real world. My students become practiced in budgeting, and really enjoy these finance simulations. They hunger for these types of projects, and often tell me what exciting items they have purchased. Whether it is a bracelet that they have made themselves, or imaginary wands, restaurant meals, and two-bedroom homes, my students love using money to learn real-life skills.!

Resources

Several PDFs of useful classroom materials for the studies mentioned above are available fromMs. Kugelman’s website.

Francie Kugelman is writ- ing a book about innova- tive ways to teach upper elementary math. She was the director of a corporate sponsored art gallery before she became a teacher. She has taught all subjects in fifth and sixth grade at a Los Angeles Unified School Dis- trict public school in South- ern California. She is a TAS volunteer for DonorsChoose, and an advisor for Scholastic News magazine. You can contact her at her website.

WRITE FOR CONNECT A CALL FOR TEACHER-AUTHORS!

Submit your work for publication in America’s only independent, digital, hands-on science, math, and integrated technology magazine! If you have an article idea for our online magazine that will fit the themes below, please contact us.

Collaborating with Your Community MARCH / APRIL 2012

Our communities hold a wealth of experts who have wisdom to impart, as well as people in need who could use a hand. When we connect to the world outside our classroom doors, we create differentiated opportunities for learners. Students can create a playground, assess the health of the community, or create relationships with the elderly, for instance, by building birdhouses or teaching computer skills. Data collection, communication, planning, and analysis can be key in these studies. ARTICLE DEADLINE: JANUARY 30, 2012.

Reptiles and Amphibians MAY/JUNE 2012

Whether you live in the tropics, the desert, or in temperate climes, reptiles and amphibians are a part of your environment. Some are keen indicators of the health of local ecosystems. Some call to mind links to dragons and dinosaurs. From vernal pools to migration to life cycles, these creatures offer us chances to observe and examine life close-up. Youngsters as well as middle schoolers often are intrigued by the lives of these herpetological wonders. Which have you observed with your students? ARTICLE DEADLINE: MARCH 30, 2012.

For more information, contact: Heather Taylor, Editor Toll-free: 800-769-6199 heather@synergylearning.org or connect.synergy@gmail.com

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