Vision, Courage, Integrity, Profit?
1/24/2020
We often talk about our school mission and having vision courage and integrity. We educate students to have those intrinsic traits as well as being exceptional learners and independent thinkers. One way to develop those traits is to follow the examples set by others. In this case Martin Luther King Jr. By celebrating this as a day 'on' rather than a day 'off' we can learn from his example and what he stood for. By having the integrity to do the right thing, the courage to stand up and speak out in the face of adversity and the vision to see a better future for all Americans. Educating students to have and value these traits in themselves and others and to not be afraid to give voice to what you believe in will only benefit society as students grow up to be leaders of the next generation. With Brown Bag this week we had the grand opening of the fourth grade store 'New Year Treats'. This was the end result of our project answering the driving question; "How can we design, market and sell a product to create a profit?" This originally stemmed from our persuasive writing unit where we used language to convince others of our point of view and how advertisements and commercials do the same to make you buy their product. With the holiday season and a cold snap occurring the idea of a store selling delicious treats was conceived. The students really became invested in this project and were impressive in their ability to run the store independently. They completed all the research, pricing, advertising, buying of items as well as actually making and selling the products during lunch and brown bag time. The skills they used and developed are transferable real life skills that will be used throughout their life. Such as; learning how to handle money, (which coincidentally tied in very nicely with the 4th grade math unit of fractions, decimals and percentages). Learning how to stay within a budget and financial literacy. Estimating quantities and measurements. Planning and organizational skills, as well as learning some restraint in not actually eating all your own product before you sell it! To advertise the store 4th grade made radio and TV commercials. The radio adverts were played across the school during morning announcements with the TV commercials being shown as a small intermission between Brown Bag acts. While it may have been slightly embarrassing to hear and see yourself acting on the big screen or on the announcements it brings a sense of accomplishment as well as being proud of oneself to see your hard work displayed and well received by others. However the driving question was "How can we design, market and sell a product to create a profit?". The money the store raised has yet to be counted so we are not sure yet if we managed to make a profit. However all profit that is raised will be going towards new playground equipment for the whole school to enjoy! While teachers and students strive to uphold PNA's mission every day, it is never more evident and on display as during Brown Bag. Each year this event shows how our students really and truly embody the mission of the school. It takes a lot of courage to get up on a stage with a roomful of people watching and do something that only you have envisioned. The integrity shown not only by the performers, but also by the audience each and every day is amazing. With spontaneous clapping to singing out forgotten lyrics to applause after each and every performance, the students really and truly do support each other, from kindergarten all the way to 8th grade. Comments are closed.
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Martina HenkeMartina Henke has been a K-8 educator for 30+ years. A life-long learner, she loves working with kids of all ages, new technology, great books, fiber arts, and her wonderful family! Archives
April 2021
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