We recently stumbled upon Ms. Perry's project "Calculators for First Graders", and were so inspired by the request we had to share it. Ms. Perry requested new calculators for her students, so they could complete a project that would teach them about giving back to the community and real world math skills.All year long, Ms. Perry's students collected plastic bottles and cans, which they then recycled. With the funds from recycling the thousands of bottles, Ms. Perry's students purchased non-perishable food to donate to a local food shelter. Before doing so, they scoured grocery store circulars and calculated exactly how many food items they could purchase with the money they earned. The entire class then traveled to a local grocery store to choose and pay for the groceries.
Says Ms. Perry of the experience: "With this project, students [learned] about mathematics, caring for our environment, and the importance of making a difference in our community. The students really felt like grown-ups and got to experience why and how mathematics applies to their every-day lives."We want to know: what real-world skills do you think are most important for students to learn in school?
