2nd grade - employment, money, purchasing and construction

OBJECTIVES:
 
* Learn what it is like to be an “accountant” and a “builder”.
* Practice staying on task so that you can get the most work done in a fixed time period.
* Adding and subtracting money.
* Planning and budgeting.
* Construction.
 
BASIC LESSON:
 
Students are given a classroom task worksheet. Each task pays a certain dollar amount as ‘salary’ to the builder. Students pair up so that one person is the “accountant” and one person is the “builder”. The accountant has to check that the builder’s task is completed satisfactorily in order to check it off the list. Student builders who have completed each task receive the designated payment for that task. Students tally up their task sheets as they work. When builders have sufficient funds, they can buy INTOOBA pieces from the shop to design and build a house. After a fixed time, the students switch roles so that everyone gets a chance to be a builder and earn money for their pieces. The image shows how many INTOOBA connectors and rods of various colors can be purchased, and their total cost.


 











The teacher/shopkeeper can vary the complexity of the exercise by, for example, having a ‘flash sale’ discounting prices on certain items throughout the activity. Teachers can also have specifications for the building, or they could have students fill out a “purchase order” for their INTOOBA pieces. There are a variety of ways to extend the exercise.

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