My Budget Teacher s Guide Introduction to the Unit... 2 What are the activities? What is the assessment? What are the activity descriptions? How does this unit align with the Common Core State Standards? Alignment with the Common Core State Standards for Reading... 3 Alignment with the Common Core State Standards for Writing... 4 Alignment with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics... 5 Activity Descriptions... 6-10 Category 1 Financial Planning... 6 Category 2 Budgeting... 7-8 Category 3 Spending... 9 Category 4 Be Creative... 10
Introduction To the Unit 2 What are the activities? My Budget contains 21 current activities that let your students do so much more than just read and answer questions. They will use their reading skills, writing skills, math skills and creative skills while they learn how to budget their money so they can make it on their own. The activities are divided into the following four categories: Financial Planning Budgeting Spending Be Creative Each activity includes: One or more reproducible student pages A teacher s key with answers Step-by-step math solutions where appropriate What is the assessment? An Assessment is included that can be used as a pre-test as well as a post-test to evaluate what your students have learned and to identify those areas that might require additional instruction. The assessment includes: 20 True or False questions 3 multi-step math problems. What are the activity descriptions? This guide includes a detailed description of each activity in the unit to help you choose the activities that best meet your needs. How does this unit align with the Common Core State Standards? The anchor standards for Reading, Writing and Mathematics are listed on pages 3-5 and each anchor standard that aligns with the activities in My Budget is indicated with a red arrow. Each activity description on pages 6-10 also includes one or more of the following statements indicating if the activity aligns with the Common Core State Standards for Reading, Writing and/or Mathematics.
CCSS Reading Alignment 3 Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects Each of the following anchor standards for reading which is aligned with activities in My Budget has been marked with a red arrow. Where a specific term or statement is particularly applicable it has been highlighted. College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading Key Ideas and Details 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. 2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. 3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. Craft and Structure 4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. 5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. 6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. 9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
CCSS Writing Alignment 4 Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects Each of the following anchor standards for writing which is aligned with activities in My Budget has been marked with a red arrow. Where a specific term or statement is particularly applicable it has been highlighted. College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing Text Types and Purposes 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and wellstructured event sequences. Production and Distribution of Writing 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing 10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
CCSS Mathematics Alignment 5 Common Core State Standards For Mathematics Each of the following anchor standards for mathematics which is aligned with activities in My Budget has been marked with a red arrow. Standards for Mathematical Practice 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4. Model with mathematics. 5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 6. Attend to precision. 7. Look for and make use of structure. 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Activity Descriptions for Financial Planning 6 Category 1: Financial Planning Financial Goals Students will make a list of eight financial goals they would like to reach over the next four years. They will read descriptions of five individuals and families and make a list of financial goals they think would be appropriate for each. Bill s Financial Plan Students will read three financial plans Bill is considering in order to buy a car of his own and explain what they believe is good and/or bad about each plan. Colleen s Financial Plan Students will create a financial plan that Colleen can use to reach her goal of attending college and becoming an elementary teacher. They will take into consideration the costs of four types of schools from community college to private university. Steve s Financial Plan Students will create a financial plan that Steve can use to reach his goal of moving out of his parents house and living on his own. Sad But True Students will read the sad tale of Todd who dreamed of moving to New York and becoming an actor. They will explain what they believe Todd did wrong financially and how he should go about getting back on his feet.
Activity Descriptions for Budgeting 7 Category 2: Budgeting Alicia Moves In Students will calculate Alicia s monthly net pay and the percentage of her net pay she spends on rent. They will calculate the amount she spent on food, household and personal items on a recent shopping trip. They will also make a list of Alicia s other monthly expenses. Alicia s Budget Students will calculate Alicia s monthly net pay. Using a one-month calendar of Alicia s spending, they will calculate what she spent in each of 17 budget categories. They will decide if she is living within her means. Ellie Is On Her Own Students will make a list of the things they believe Ellie needs to do in order to move to St. Simons Island and start a new job. They will calculate her biweekly net pay and create a monthly budget for Ellie. Reuben s Budget Students will calculate Reuben s biweekly net pay as a firefighter in Davenport, IA. They will answer questions regarding his monthly expenses and create a monthly budget for him. Gary s Budget Students will calculate Gary s biweekly net pay as a machinist Des Moines, IA. They will answer questions regarding his monthly expenses and create a monthly budget for him.
Activity Descriptions for Budgeting 8 Category 2: Budgeting Tanya s Budget Students will calculate Tanya s biweekly net pay as a nurse in Fort Lauderdale, FL. They will answer questions regarding her monthly expenses and create a monthly budget for her. Cutting The Family Budget Students will calculate a family s total monthly spending. They will then determine which spending categories to cut in order to decrease the total family budget by 20%.. Family Financial Worries Students will graph the results of a Gallup Poll taken periodically from January, 2007 through April, 2010 in which Americans were asked the most important financial problem facing their families.
Activity Descriptions for Spending 9 Category 3: Spending Teen Spending Students will do calculations and answer questions using a one-week spending diary kept by four different teens. How Young People Spend Their Income Students will calculate average spending by young people under age 25 in 1990, 2000 and 2008. They will calculate the percentage of total spending by budget category and determine if young people on average spent more than they earned during those years. They will also answer accompanying questions.
Activity Descriptions for Be Creative 10 Category 4: Be Creative Pam s Place Students will write eight episode titles and plot lines for a situation comedy titled Pam s Place. The show is about a young woman discovering the costs of living on her own for the first time. Dollars And Sense Students will design a poster based on the theme Dollars and Sense with visual representations of how to successfully budget your money. Lights, Camera, Action Students will play the part of a staff writer for the educational TV series Living Today. They will list the main points to be included in an episode about budgeting. They will choose one of three segments of the episode and create a storyboard outlining that segment. Bill Bailey Bites The Dust Students will write a fictional account of how Bill Bailey began living on his own, but found himself back home living with his parents eight months later. Jenny s Journal Students will write (for better or worse) the journal entries for Jenny who moved into her own apartment the first of June and decided to keep an electronic journal of how things went for her financially. The Think Tank Each student or group of students on the think tank team will create a financial plan for one of four single people who have just gotten their first jobs and are starting out on their own. As a team, the think tank will discuss the four plans and write a final report ranking the plans based on their chances of success.
C. W. Publications My Budget Cutting The Family Budget Eric and Marcy Weston have been married less than two years. When they finished school, they were both able to find good jobs so money hadn t been a real issue. But things have suddenly changed. Neither has lost their jobs, but both have had their hours cut. As a result, they would like to cut their monthly spending by 20%. 1. The table below shows the amounts they spent in a month before their income was cut. Compute their total spending for the month and enter it at the bottom of the table. Monthly Spending Rent... $850.00 Water and Sewer... 0.00 Trash... 0.00 Yes/No $ Electricity... 155.24 Cell Phones (2 plans)... 140.00 Internet... 45.00 Cable TV... 85.00 Vehicle Payments: Car... 352.40 Truck... 373.28 Vehicle Insurance... 269.40 Vehicle maintenance... 34.82 Food: Groceries... 285.42 Dining out /Bringing in... 342.54 Entertainment... 231.98 Clothing... 125.64 Student Loan Payments... 350.00 Credit Card Payments: Minimum Payments... 137.50 Additional Payments... 100.00 Personal Care: Manicure and Pedicure... 65.00 Haircuts and Styling... 75.00 Uncovered Medical Costs... 58.23 Miscellaneous Household Items.. 122.47 Savings... 200.00 TOTAL SPENDING $ $ 2. Calculate 20% of their total spending for September. Total Spending x.20 $ 3. In the Yes/No column of the table, write Yes or No based on whether you believe they can make a short term adjustment to their spending. 4. In the last column of the table, enter the amount you think they should spend in each category to meet their 20% goal. 5. Do you think it is reasonable for them to cut their spending by 20% in the short run? Why or why not? Sample Do Not Reproduce Name: Period: C. W. Publications PAGE 1
C. W. Publications Cutting The Family Budget Answer Key: Page 1 / #1 Total September Spending = $4,398.92 Page 1 / #2 $4,398.92 x.20 = $879.78 Page 1 / #3 The categories that are most easily cut in the short run include: Food Entertainment Clothing Personal Care Miscellaneous Household items Savings Page 1 / #4 No specific answers are required. Page 1 / #5 No specific answer is required. Sample Do Not Reproduce C. W. Publications KEY