Instructional Software

Lesson Idea Name: Financial Planning

Content Area: Mathematics
Grade Level(s): Algebra (High school)

Content Standard Addressed: MMF.A.1 Students will use basic functions to solve and model problems
related to stock transactions, banking and credit, employment and taxes, rent and mortgages, retirement
planning, and other related finance applications. a. Apply linear, quadratic, and cubic functions. b. Apply
rational and square root functions. c. Apply greatest integer and piecewise functions. d. Apply exponential
and logarithmic functions.

Technology Standard Addressed: 5. Computational Thinker Students develop and employ strategies for
understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop
and test solutions. Students: a. formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as
data analysis, abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions. b. collect data or
identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate
problem-solving and decision-making. c. break problems into component parts, extract key information, and
develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving. d. understand how
automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated
solutions.

Selected Technology Tool: Open Possibilities

Other used tools: BrainPOP/ SPENT

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): http://playspent.org/

http://openpossibilities.nbcuni.com/content/open-possibilities-financial-literacy

Type of Instructional Software:

Drill and Practice Tutorial Simulation Instructional Game e-books/e-references

Features of this software (check all that apply):

Assessment Monitoring/Reporting
Allows teacher to create customized lessons for students
Multi-user or collaborative functions with others in the class
Multi-user or collaborative with others outside the class
Accessible to students beyond the school day
Accessible via mobile devices
Multiple languages
Safety, security and/or privacy features

Blooms Taxonomy Level(s):

Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

Level 1: Awareness Level 2: Exploration Level 3: Infusion Level 4: Integration
Level 5: Expansion Level 6: Refinement

Summer 2017_SJB
 Instructional Software

Lesson idea implementation:

The concept behind the lesson would be to have the students create a fictitious family/roommate/culturally
relevant living situation and then create a financial plan that includes budgeting, mortgage prospects vs.
renting, retirement planning, education, and child care. The goal would be to have students post their
financial plans online in a format that shows the class as a community that you would be able to click each
person to get a detailed financial plan of their pretend family. The students would explain their financial
decisions using graphing tools and equations, for example exponential growth equations to show their
retirement planning choices. The goal of the online presentation would to give the community insights that
would help improve their financial decisions.

This project could be performed over an extended period of time and when new math content is introduced
to the class the students should be prompted to see how the new material could be used as a tool in the
project.

Students would have group discussion where students would role play different family members to critique
the budgets to ensure the budgets students create promote a well-rounded living environment. The insight
that students would give should include personal experiences with siblings and parents, promoting a better
understanding of lifestyles outside of our own. The collaboration would give opportunities of students to
share ideas and teach one another on different methods of financial decision making, providing high
performing students with opportunities to share knowledge and low performing students to get resources
and support.

The teachers focus would be to facilitate students to help them gain access to resources that families in their
community would have access to, for example bring in a local banker to explain mortgage and retirement
options. The teacher would also create an array of families that are representative of the financial situations
of the local community to help aid the students in choosing their families.

Summer 2017_SJB