Math Week 3

Today's post by Susie Sosa, STAR Math Teacher:

It was another exciting week at STAR in the math department! We can’t believe that we are in our third week already. The students have been busy little “adults” in the world of life. After successfully purchasing homes, or renting apartments, purchasing cars and the dreadful insurance that goes with that car, the students are figuring just how far their paychecks will go. We have moved from the computer lab back into the classroom to punch the numbers on their calculators.

First, the students had to figure out how much they would be paying in utilities. This was done by drawing three dollar amounts for each utility they needed. The utilities included electricity, phone, cable TV, and the internet. Sorry, we didn’t figure out the cost of a cell phone and text messaging, maybe that will come next year. After drawing their dollar amounts, the students figured out the mean of the three numbers for each utility, and that was their final cost.

Each student received their own checkbooks followed by a lesson on how to fill out a deposit slip, the proper way to write a check, and how to fill out a check register. After recording their starting monthly income, each student needed to write a check for each utility, then keep a running total of their monthly expenses in their check registers. The students were AMAZED at how fast their money was spent, and how little was left after paying all their bills. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!!!!!

The end of this week the students will be reviewing rates and ratios, then take what they have learned back into the computer lab to start shopping again. They will log onto different grocery story websites and begin purchasing food for their families. After filling their cabinets with food, they will move onto the other necessities of life, shoes and clothing.

The students seem to be enjoying finding out just what it takes to run a household, and they are commenting on how expensive life really is. They have all been working so hard and are proud of the purchases they have made so far. Please take the time to ask your children about their purchases and what they have learned. They have come so far in just three short weeks. As always, thank you for sharing your students with us, it has been a pleasure teaching them about Math in the Real World!