ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

In attempting an analysis of need for this instructional unit, I identified gaps between “what is and what needs to be” in my classroom. By reviewing the National Content Standards and Benchmarks, I found that our curriculum aligns to these standards but offers limited experiences for practical applications and performance assessments. Students have access to current curriculum materials and texts, thorough instruction, and a variety of methods have been used, but they were not given the opportunity to apply their decision-making skills to the types of constraints typical North Dakota families encounter when managing their finances. In addition, by reviewing the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction Annual Adequate Yearly Progress Report, it is apparent that even though the schools that are in my Interactive TV class sites have met the 95% rule of performance in reading and math, and there are fewer scoring lower than the state average, there continues to be from 47.53%-51.44% that must meet the cutpoint in reading and 26.40%-28.35% that must meet the cutpoint in math. Again, these scores are showing less need than the overall North Dakota percentage of students that must meet the cutpoints in reading and math but improvements can still be made. Family and Consumer Science classes have the unique opportunity of applying the reading and math skills taught in core instructional classes to authentic learning situations. Therefore, my rationale for this unit of instruction is to include a family finance simulation project that gives the opportunity of life application in money management, using both math and reading skills to make the necessary decisions. Students will give justification for their choices and be able to communicate with other schools in our ITV group using the technology available. This unit of instruction will use more innovative instructional practices to address the National Content Standards: 2.1: Demonstrate management of individual and family resources, including food, clothing, shelter, health care, recreation, and transportation. 2.6: Demonstrate management of financial resources to meet the goals of individuals and families across the life span. 3.3: Analyze factors in developing a long-term financial management plan. 6.2: Demonstrate appreciation for diverse perspectives, needs and characteristics of individuals and families.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: Students will have realistic insights into the living costs that typical North Dakota fmilies must consider in balancing their income and expenses.
Goal(s):1.  Students will consider what the costs of living are in creating a spending plan. 2. Students will plan ways to balance their income with planned and unexpected expenses. 3. Students will make carefully considered decisions about financial choices in order to balance a spending plan.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. What financial guidelines can I use to manage my future family expenses?  2. How can families develop a realistic, practical, workable spending plan?  3. What amenities (or extras) am I willing to do without in order to live within my income?
Objectives: 1. Given a “new identity” or profile, career, income, and expenses, students will construct a zero balance spending plan with 100% accuracy.  2. Students will compare and analyze the realistic costs of living in order to develop a balanced spending plan.  3. Students will apply the decision-making process to make the financial decisions necessary to develop a balanced spending plan.  4. Students will evaluate the relationship between education and income/career opportunities and determine their effects on a balanced spending plan.  5. Students will respond to open-ended questions concerning their financial choices and communicate with another student by journaling on a teacher-created Web Blog using correct grammar and mechanics. 6. Students will download and print needed “Life In ND” scenario materials from the teacher web page. These materials must be printed in a timely manner to be available for project workdays in class.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? Quiz items: 1. Which flexible cost is associated with a vehicle? A. Insurance B. Loan payment C. Registration D. Gas 2. What is the recommended maximum amount one individual should pay for a home? A. No more than the annual gross household income B. 2 1/2 times the annual gross household income. C. 5 times the annual gross household income. D. annual gross household income should not be a factor 3. Which of the following is a mandatory deduction for most paychecks? A.401K contribution B.Medical expenses C.Pension contributions D.State Withholding tax. Another review game to test content that will be used is “Life in ND” Trivia. It is a Jeapardy-style game developed on Power Point that is designed to be used after the simulation.
What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? 1. Students will respond daily on a teacher-created blog entitled, Independent Living ITV. The address is: http://ITV.blogspot.com. 2. All students will be able to read comments by other students and compare their financial scenario experiences, observations, and decisions. Examples of prompts: 1. What factors determined the vehicle you chose to drive? 2. Explain how you may have had to make a difficult trade-off in the vehicle chosen because of your available income. 2. What housing considerations were you forced to consider before choosing a place to live? 3. Explain why you chose this location and living accomodations. What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? Student Produced Product: Complete an accurate spending plan that includes all incomes and expenditures for the given scenarios. This plan must have a zero balance when finalized.
What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? Rubric: 1. Write a 2-paragraph, typed, double-spaced, 12 font, with 1” margins essay on the “Life In ND” project. 2. Identify a minimum of three difficult decisions made throughout the spending plan process and two to three reasons why the decision was difficult. 3. Identify a minimum of three things learned by completing the “Life in ND” simulation. 4. Modify or accept a given rubric to evaluate the “Life in ND” essay paper. 5. Evaluate your paper with the accepted rubric. Present the final project to the ITV Independent Living class using a means of your choice (Power Point slide show, graphs, personal presentation, etc.)

Instructional Strategies

Students will be using a combination of inquiry-based and project-based learning to investigate what they know and need to know about money-management skills used to create a balanced spending plan. The teacher will hand out job announcements to each student at the beginning of class. Students will download and print the necessary materials for each of their family scenarios. As each individual or family group surveys their “lifestyle” situation, the teacher asks investigative questions such as: 1. What conditions will allow families to have large amounts of available cash? 2. What special or unique challenges do you find in your family scenario? 3. What strengths or opportunities do you notice will make your spending plan experience less difficult than others’? 4. How will you need to plan ahead for “chance” cards or unexpected events that may be costly? The teacher will then present the “Life in ND” Power Point slide show slides 1-10 to discuss the project objectives and discuss research for the scenario. Students will introduce their “new family” to the class giving name, age, education, marital status, family members, employment, hobbies, and habits. Following further Power Point slide reviews of understanding your paycheck, saving and investing, housing, credit card statements, insurance, food costs, flexible expenses, costs of raising children, and drawing chance cards, students will plan their spending plan projects. They will use information sheets with current research and statistics, calculators, and group decision skills to make financial decisions.