Classroom Economy

During my student teaching, I worked with two amazing teachers who masterfully incorporated a classroom economy into their daily routines.  It worked beautifully, and I was inspired to learn more about it.  There are quite a few teachers who have great resources; my favorites are Laura Candler and Beth Newingham.  Just click on their names to check out how they do it.

I've used various combinations of all three versions of the class economy each year.  One thing I particularly loved about how my cooperating teachers handled it was that they allowed the children to earn money for their behavior during various parts of the day.  This was great for students with unique needs, and I've found that it works really well for certain classes and students.

I always pair the class economy with class government, so in addition to applying for jobs, students elect class officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Representative... or a variation of that, depending on the grade level!)

Here are a few tools I've used to set up and run our class economy:

This one is our income sheet, and I'm trying it out for the first time this year (2nd grade).  We will update it throughout the day, then total it right before dismissal.  On Friday, we will total our income (great way to practice those addition skills!), evaluate our performance during the week, and set goals for the upcoming week.





I also use "The Classifieds" to advertise for class jobs & announce elections.  I modify it almost every year, based on student interests.  The amount paid for the job also changes based on what students are expected to master in math that year.  I used this version in both 4th grade and 5th grade.





In the upper grades, we are typically working on responsibility and planning for long-term projects.  In those cases, I set permanent deadlines for speeches and job applications.  Typically, they are due the last Wednesday of the month, and we vote on the last Friday of the month.  I will always preview student work and provide feedback, if it is given to me by the start of the school day on the last Monday of the month.  This becomes important to the children when they realize that I will select only students who have crafted high-quality letters to work in the classroom.  It is also the main reason that we reapply and reelect monthly.  I want each child to have the chance to learn from any mistakes they have made and see the positive results of their perseverance. 

This is a letter I've used to keep parents in the loop about how the process works.



In lower grades, applications and speeches are part of our centers or writing time.  This way, I can provide support and guidance along the way. :)

I love this process, because it helps the children take responsibility and ownership over their learning environment.  I've found that they transfer this over to their learning and become interested in asking more questions and seeking more information about the world around them.