Mrs. Graham's 5th grade

Today I went on my last visit to TZ intermediate school. I was kinda sad to be done, but really learned a lot through my 3 visits to TZ. I have decided that I really like the concept of an intermediate school and I think it adds a different vibe to the "elementary school" setting.

Today I went to Mrs. Graham's 5th grade class. I was surprised to find out that at TZ each grade has its own special ed teacher who has their own classroom. Mrs. Graham is TZ's 5th grade special ed teacher. Because TZ is an inclusion school, I got to travel with Mrs. Graham from classroom to classroom. It was really neat to look at inclusion in practice with proper special ed support.

Below is a picture of one of Mrs. Graham's students using an alpha smart. I think alpha smarts are so cool and allow students to get typing experience without being on an "actual" computer.


On of the neat things that Mrs. Graham and the other fifth grade teachers do is a classroom economic system. The kids in the 5th grade are "paid " to do their classroom jobs, "paid" for accomplishments and "paid" for good behavior. You can see the money below. Not only do these 5th graders make money, but they also have to pay up!! The students are charged taxes, insurance and are fined for talking during quite time, forgetting to push in their chairs etc. I thought this was a really unique way to get kids thinking and understanding economics!


As you can see below, this is the jar that students deposited their "insurance payments". Students could also spend money on special treats like a lunch out with the teacher ($100) or for convenient things ($50) to turn in a late paper for full credit!

During my visit I was also able to sit down and help struggling students. It was a fun day and I really enjoyed getting a peak into Mrs. Graham's life as a special ed teacher!