Teachers and volunteers transformed the fifth-grade science lab at Redland Oaks Elementary School into a construction paper cowhide-covered Chick-fil-A for a lesson those students won’t soon forget.
“We’ve been wanting to bring the real world into the classroom so students can make connections between what they are learning and how it can be applied outside of school,” said third-year teacher Staci Rutkowski.
Rutkowski, the entire fifth-grade teaching team, additional teachers, and support staff created an innovative, hands-on lesson to help their students understand adding and subtracting decimals and why it’s such an important skill.
The students grabbed a Chick-fil-A menu, picked out what they wanted, and then added up how much their meal would cost. Once they figured out how much their meal would cost, they took their play money up to a register so their classmates could check their work and figure out how much change to give back to them.
“This is the best day ever,” said one student as she added up the cost of her meal.
But it wasn’t just a math lesson. The students also learned how to interact with a fast-food employee, how to be polite, and what it takes to work a “shift.”
When Chick-fil-A heard about the lesson, it provided the students with “future team member” stickers, delicious lemonade for their “break room” and a visit from its cow mascot.
“It was a true team effort. We also had support from PTA volunteers to help students during the lesson. It was such a fun, engaging way to teach adding and subtracting decimal numbers!”
Learning money and manners with Chick-fil-A #theNEISDway
