Photos: Classroom Coney Island at Ferry

In a recent economics lesson, fourth and fifth graders at converted their magnet classroom into a student-operated coney restaurant. The students designed, organized and tranformed the classroom.

They served more than 150 customers in the few hours the restaurant was open. Customers included fellow students, school officials, district Superintendent Tom Harwood, families of students and others.

, uses the restaurant as an integrated language arts and economics lesson. The problem-based learning project offers the students the experience of operating a business, Fisher said.

This is the second year Fisher has used the idea in his classroom. Students at Ferry asked him as soon as he arrived this year about whether they would be doing the project as well, he said.

"The students created the menu, invite list and learned about supply and demand," he said. "I'm very proud of them."

In addition to learning basic economics, the project requires the students to collaborate, communicate and work together--skills Fisher points out are all real-life application of any work environment.

American Coney Island in downtown Detroit partnered with Fisher to provide the students with tee-shirts as uniforms and the food. The students performed the duties of being servers, cooks, cashiers and hostesses. Fisher said all of the students applied for their positions and had to explain why they were the best choice for that job, he said.

The lesson extended beyond the actual operational hours of the restaurant as the students worked on the budgeting, planning and design for about two and a half weeks prior, Fisher said.

The students also learned about loans to get the business operational, Fisher said, explaining students took out loans from the parents and had to repay them afterward.

Any proceeds earned from the restaurant were donated to Mittens for Detroit, a non-profit that collects mittens and gloves to help children and adults in the metro Detroit area during the winter.