Teaching students mathematics means being able to present core concepts in a meaningful and purposeful way. Students who realize that they can use the information presented are likely to learn it. Thus, a major objective when teaching mathematics is to guide students in constructing personal knowledge that comes from meaningful experiences learned inside and outside of the classroom. When learning the concepts of decimals and money, my third grade students design their own restaurant menus. Students are given play money to purchase and pay for meals they choose at a classmate s restaurant .
Students then engage in actual payment for their dining selections.
The restaurant owner must count payments received and often must make proper change in return. Students are encouraged to help mom or dad count out the correct change when dining out in real life situations. In music class, Mrs. Hyrne uses math when the fifth and sixth graders talk about note values. For the younger students, Mrs. Hyrne asks her students to count the number of times they clap or stomp during a musical activity. Each day Mrs. Gregg s students graph the weather, record how many days they have been in school, and draw or write about something that was learned that day in school.