THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN...LET'S DO THE MATH:

When the Government Shutdown occurred, I instantly knew I wanted to have this discussion in my class with my students. So I created a way that we can talk about the shutdown & still have rigorous Math instruction.

My students‘ discussions were so impressive! Many of them already had their opinion (and slick shade) about the shutdown. Like with anything I do, I present things in an unbiased way. I facilitate my students' discussion and let them share their opinions respectfully.

Shown below, is the copy of the worksheet I used to provide facts about the shutdown and I incorporated some Math skills. Standards 4.NBT.2 , 4.NF.1 , 4.NF.3 , 4.NBT.4. were the main standards included in this lesson. 

1ST PAGE!

2ND PAGE!

After we discussed some facts about the Government Shutdown, we talked about real-world situations that can occur to affect many people, even people who are not government employees. I really wanted my students to see how one event can affect a lot of people. Shown below are two real-world situations that I prompted my students with. They did the Math and created additional problems to finish situations.

THIS WAS A REAL-WORLD SITUATION I WROTE THAT WAS INSPIRED BY A SMALL-BUSINESS WHERE I LIVE. AN EMPLOYEE WAS HAVING A CONVERSATION AND ACTUALLY MADE ME REALIZE HOW MUCH BUSINESSES CAN BE AFFECTED BY THIS. AS WELL. OF COURSE, I HAD TO SPREAD THE KNOWLEDGE TO MY STUDENTS.

THIS WAS MY FAVORITE PART OF THE ACTIVITY. MY STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO CREATE SCENARIOS ABOUT HOW THE SHUT-DOWN AFFECTED OTHER PEOPLE THAT WEREN'T GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.

Once again, I am the queen of authentic experiences and incorporating real-world topics into instruction without compromising the integrity of the content. This activity achieved just that. It was aligned with academic standards, utilized mathematical practices, fostered discourse, all while informing my students about a real-world situation.