Everyday I receive e-mails from teachers all over the world asking me about some of the things I do in my classroom and about my webpage. I have finally decided it’s time to start a FAQ page with all of the questions and their answers. Click on the topic below to see if your question has been answered.
If you don’t see your answer here, please e-mail me.
I pay my kids $10 to get started. However, they don't just get it. They need to do something for me to earn it. Perhaps wipe the boards down, water the plants - anything but it has to be approved by me first. (This is done before jobs are applied for so they aren't doing anyone’s job. After introducing the idea of the economy, this would be the first thing you would do. With the $10, they kids need to pay me $5 of it for 12 checks. We cut up the checks and they enter in their information on each check. Since most checking accounts numbers are 10 digits long, I have each child use their phone number. (I was amazed at the number of kids who didn't know their number!!!) After they cut the checks up and have all their information on it, they make a checkbook cover using construction paper.
It’s very important that you constantly model every new thing you introduce to the students when it comes to everything – even the classroom economy. One thing I recommend is start slowly. Here is a timeline that you can play around with:
Week One: Introduce the Banking aspects and talk about rent. Have the students earn their first $10 by doing something for you. Go over writing checks, deposits, etc. I don't incorporate fines this first week but they can begin to earn bonuses this week (that way they are collecting money already for rent). I tell the kids that fines and bonuses can change throughout the year. If you plan on doing a Swap Shop, I would start that this week too.
Week Two: Introduce your jobs through the help wanted section. I DO NOT post the different job’s salaries, as I don't want someone applying for a job just based upon pay. We also discuss how salary is usually private and isn't discussed amongst people. Do your interviews this week so by Week Three you can have offer letters to the students by Monday and have them begin their jobs.
Week Three: Introduce fines and start issuing them. I have my officers keep track of these. Once I can get back into school I'll post pictures on how this is done but basically it's a folder with a fine sheet for each student. (I separate the class so each officer is only responsible for a few students. They will write down the fines (all students have a fine sheet so they know how much), what happened and the date. At the end of the day they collect all the fines and give them to me.
Really make sure you are modeling and checking students check registers daily so you know they are doing it correctly. Everything else, I would introduce one week at a time to keep things fresh.
How long do the students hold their job position?
I don't like to switch jobs often. I want kids to become masters at their job. However, perhaps someone is not doing what they are supposed to and I will give them warnings. Three warnings and they are pink slipped. I only had this happen once.... I always make sure I have a back-up job for them to apply for. However, I think after about 4 months, I will allow students who want to perhaps try another job to put in a two week notice. Only the student's jobs who wanted to switch are posted this time. So if none of the Police Officers want to switch (and they are doing a great job) I won't post those jobs. If students stay with their jobs for longer than 4 months and are doing a good job, I'll give them pay raises. Anywhere from 10-15%. :-) Generous, huh?
Will you share your templates with me?
I am currently in the process of creating a Classroom Economy Package which will include all my information and templates. Hopefully this will be available for purchase soon. :-)
Is there anything else I should know about implementing the classroom economy?
Remember to have fun with it. If you start to feel stressed out because of your classroom economy, slow down. Don’t implement too much in the beginning until you find a way to make it work for you and not against you.
What is Homeworkopoly?
Homeworkopoly is a motivation tool used to increase student completion of their homework. You can find more on how I use this exciting game by going to my homeworkopoly page – click here.
What is Reading BINGO?
First, let me start by saying I did NOT create Reading Bingo. This idea was used in many classrooms at the school district I student taught at. I’m not sure who originally created it but here are the basics. Students are required to read five books per quarter in a selection of different genres. Their goal is to get a BINGO and pick a prize. You can see the forms and book reports by clicking here.
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What do you use to create your classroom webpage and who hosts it?
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Do you have any other recommendations on building a website?
What do you use to create your classroom webpage and who hosts it?
I use Frontpage 2003 to create all of my pages. I find the program is very user friendly especially for someone who didn’t know anything about web design. I also use Adobe Photoshop to personalize any graphics that I put on my page. I purchased and host my domain through Yahoo.
Where did you get your graphics from?
I have always purchased my website graphics from PC Crafter. They have a great variety and I love their sets. However, there are many other places that you can purchase graphics from. Here are a few:
But there are also some great sites that have free graphics as well – check these out:
Do you know where I can host and build a site?
I don’t have any personal experience with any besides Yahoo and I pay $12 a month but I know there are many places that specialize in teacher webpages. Here are a few:
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TeacherWeb (I believe they have a yearly fee of $39)
Do you have any other recommendations on building a website?
Yes – start slow. Map out only a couple pages that you feel are important. I know many teachers start with a basic homepage, supply list, contact info and perhaps a little information on themselves. A homework page is also very popular but you must be willing to update it.
Ask yourself these questions:
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How much time you are willing to spend on your site? Do you want to update it daily, weekly, monthly or yearly? I update mine on almost a daily basis since I post homework assignments. It usually takes me less than 5 minutes. However, this entire site is probably a cumulative of hundreds of hours. I don't recommend it for everyone and even I started out with only a couple pages. :-)
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What do you hope to accomplish with your website? I built my site to be a communication tool for parents, students and other teachers. I like for my parents and students to be able to go to the site and find answers or games to play to help with skills. However, I also LOVE to share ideas with fellow teachers. What is it that you want your site to be?
