As a special education teacher, we are responsible for writing a lot of IEP’s. Something I always notice when giving the surveys we use to write our IEP’s is how students wish they had more information or knowledge on how to use and look at their bank accounts. I am sure I am not the only one who checks their bank account one, two, maybe even three times per day just to make sure everything is correct. This got me thinking of a fun and educational way to help students read their bank accounts/statements by using the game Monopoly.
Going into our game, students have used many different strategies to either save money for the long run, purchase every property they land on, or simply use their money to purchase other properties from their classmates. Using the check ledger, students are making decisions based on the amount of money they currently have. Students are even bartering with each other over the properties they want. We are now to the point where students are building houses on their completed sets and seeing their check ledgers take hits, but then they see the financial gain of those investments when others land on their properties.
Hearing the students think aloud, barter, trade, decline trades based on reasoning, and use a check ledger to make these decisions is really what this fun opportunity is about. The students get to deal with everyday problems in a fun and educational way. My hope is they can take this knowledge and apply it to real world settings and everyday life.