Basic Skills using Business Math materials

Hello. I am a math and science teacher for Vermont Adult Learning in Addison County, Vermont.  I just joined the Math and Numeracy Community and look forward to some good discussions and ideas from other members.  

Two years ago I attended a training that introduced me to activities from the EMPower and Hands-On Math series.  I incorporated some of the activities in my Pre-Algebra and Basic Algebra classes.  Currently, I am attending an ANI training which also use these materials and I am finding new things to incorporate into my lessons, like the m&m Math activity from the Hands-On Math Pre-Algebra book and the Match Up Fractions, Decimals and Percents activity, which we did as a group during the training.  I think both will be useful in my teaching.

I do have a question.  Does anyone know of a good Business Math text or curriculum that includes basic skills review?

Comments

Welcome Natalie! Glad to hear that you are already familiar with the EMPOWER and Hands-On Math series.  My learners seem to really like the Clothes in My Closet activity - and looking at data!  What type of Business Math are you looking for - just interest (compound and simple), budgeting, economics?

Brooke

I have a student who would like to own a business some day.  For now, she needs to improve her basic math skills.  She is better at applied math than at computational math.  I would like to review basic math skills using a business math text, that way it will be more meaningful for the student.  Topics such as inventory, interest, payroll, in addition to the basic math is what I was thinking.

I would recommend starting with an accounting unit and balancing spreadsheet.  This provides practice in basic operations.  I would then shift to payroll with gross pay and net pay calculations.  I have gotten some good worksheets from the following sites:

http://www.beatricepublicschools.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2007/03/07/45eeefa780a24

http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/nwt/mathskills/moneymath/moneymath.pdf