Money skills help our students navigate through life with fewer financial struggles and better prepare them for the real world. As part of the Mathematics Common Core State Standards, money skills are important for students to learn in the classroom. Yet, it is more essential for students to generalize and apply these skills in real-life transactions. Below, I have rounded up 3 ways I teach money skills in my special education classroom. Read on to learn more!
1. Identify, match, sort, and skip count money
This is the direct instruction portion of my money skills unit. Students cannot learn transaction skills until they have basic knowledge of the topic. Identifying, matching, sorting, and skip counting are all essential skills used when working with money. Allow ample learning time for students to develop a concrete foundation on these skills.
2. Solve word problems involving money
Your students can now Identify, match, sort, and skip count money – great! Next, it is time for students to apply learned concepts in a structured setting. Before sending students out in the real world, let your students practice their newly learned skills in the safety of their own classroom. We want students to develop solid computation skills when working with money – this will help them be successful in the real world.
3. Shopping at the classroom store or local stores
Your students have mastered applying money skills in the structured setting – YAY! It is time to let our students use these skills in real-life settings. After all, that’s the reason we teach money skills to our students! I run a small-scale classroom store in which students buy their snacks using our class funds. During Christmas time, my class goes on a field trip to the Dollar Store to buy presents for their parents.
You can learn more about community outings here.
Money skills are such important skills to teach our students. However, they can be tricky for our students with special needs. It is imperative that we set our students up for success through this learning process.
How do you teach money skills in your special education classroom? Leave a comment below and let us know!
