Sarah Hyland is one of the many IMS teachers who had to retrofit her middle school curriculum to thrive in a remote setting. Instead of feeling deterred by the demands that came with teaching math creatively and remotely, she decided to turn lemons into lemonade.

 

“The driving question for this project is rooted in our school’s founding motto,” Ms. Hyland says. “I asked students to think about the ways in which they can create a profitable lemonade stand to raise money for charity.”

 

Independently and collaboratively using educational technology, students embraced the challenge. They considered what lemonade stands look like, how they can stand out to customers, what materials are needed. As they moved into the next phases of their project, students developed their own business plans and advertising strategies.

 

“The results have been impressive so far,” says Ms. Hyland. “One student is deciding to let his customers choose their own price, which could be a high risk/reward situation.” Through a series of video posts, students have been seeking feedback on the types of snacks they should sell and the most strategic locations for set-up.