Personal Information
Welcome, I am Kathryn Castel and am a soon-to-be graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I have been working for a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in math and minor in science. Through the course of the last two years, I have gained pre-student teaching experience in the Dearborn school district, and the Plymouth-Canton school district. During the Winter term 2002, I have had the wonderful opportunity of student teaching in the Redford Union school district. The first grade class at Keeler Elementary School has been my second home for the past four months.
 

District and School Information 
The Redford Union School District is home to three one high school, one middle school, and four elementary schools. Of the 5,000 students enrolled in the school district, about 500 attend Keeler School located on Brady in Redford. The technology available to staff and students is more than adequate. Within our classroom we have three computers, two of which are connected to the internet. Every other classroom in the school has at least one computer with direct internet access. There is also a computer lab housing thirty computers, not including one computer linked to a large monitor mounted in the corner of the room. The thirty-one computers in the lab have filters enabling the students to browse the internet safely. In addition to the computers, we also have a scanner, digital cameras, video cameras, VCRs, projection devices, and calculators.

There are 16 girls and 12 boys in the class.  The first graders in Redford come from working class, middle income families.  They are racially mixed with diverse backgrounds.  About one third come from single parent homes.  Many of our students qualify for Title One services.  They are open to new adventures and are very receptive to variation in the classroom.  Our classroom is a very open, comfortable learning environment. 
 

Students
The children tend to be very comfortable with the computers in general. As part of our weekly schedule, the children go down to the computer lab Thursday afternoons for one half hour. During this time, the children have free time to explore a software program selected by the teacher. We also use the computers in the room at times when the students complete their work ahead of time. With this experience, the children have some prior knowledge of how to navigate through software programs. 
 

Unit Contents
Lesson 1 Objective:Students will learn how to make different values using pennies and dimes. They will also see the direct relation of ten pennies and one dime in a variety of forms. 

Lesson 2 Objective:Students will learn of the different possibilities of creating twenty-five cents. They will practice adding different values to ultimately reach twenty-five cents and will become even more familiar with the values of each coin. 

Lesson 3 Objective:Students will compare prices to determine the most and least expensive items. They will also get good practice in adding, subtracting, and telling time as they work to earn more money. The students will get practice stamping out different values with their money earned to use exact change for purchasing items.

Lesson 4 Objective:Students will become familiar with the purpose of a calculator nad how to use it.

Lesson 5 Objective:Students will get more practice with the calculator. They will also apply their knowledge of the value of each coin as they calculate the total of a collection of coins on their calculator.

Culminating Activity Objective:Students will apply all they have learned about money and the use of the calculator. They will calculate the total of their purchase from the classroom store. They will use plastic coins to purchase their items. When all students have made their purchases, they will report and compare the amount of their purchase.