Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, December 1, 2012

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Who Doesn't Love Shopping? Adding and Subtracting Large Numbers!

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Who Doesn't Love Shopping? Adding and Subtracting Large Numbers!:


Who Doesn't Love Shopping? Adding and Subtracting Large Numbers!



Adding and Subtracting Large Numbers
Hmmmm...How can I make adding and subtracting large numbers fun? What do I love almost as much as new technology? Shopping of course! And my students loved it as well!

A Document, Computer, and a Calculator
I told my students I was giving them $10,000 to spend on the students in our school.  They could buy them anything they wanted.  I gave them a blank shopping list, and let them go! I let them use a calculator because they are proficient in adding and subtracting large numbers. I only asked that they find the difference between $10,000, and their remaining money, without a calculator.

The Conversation
It was interesting to listen to my students as they worked. Many different concepts came into play. The first was about what they should purchase, and which websites to go to to get it. They also discussed how many of each