Christmas bells were ringing in Mrs. Mize’s classroom on Wednesday and the tune was ruffled papers and the smell was ink and sale papers!

Mrs. Mize’s classroom gave meaning to the chapter they just finished in 6th grade (Decimal Operations) by creating a budget for Christmas spending. Each student came up with their own dollar amount for Christmas spending along with choosing up to 4 people they want to buy Christmas presents for. The students then used the sale papers and magazines to cut out pictures of the gifts they wish to give their friends and family. Each student added up the totals of their desired purchases to determine how close (or how far off) they were from their original budget.

It would not be a true lesson in purchasing if tax was not included! Mrs. Mize used the sales tax to help each student figure out how much in tax they would have to pay. As an extension, each student was asked to come up with a way to earn money to purchase Christmas presents, and as a final assignment, each student was asked to research an alternative Christmas present that can be homemade for less than $10.

“My desire for this project was to give value and meaning to the skills I taught my 6th graders in regards to decimal operations. I want the group to walk away from this project with an awareness of cost. Ultimately, I want them to understand what it means to be cost effective, the importance of budgeting, and that gift giving can be more than a dollar amount.”
Let the holiday season begin!