My Future Finances

A Web quest designed for sixth grade mathDesigned By: Elizabeth CoteEmail: Bethsoffice@cox.net

Teacher’s Page

Conclusion

Process

Task

Introduction

Credits

Evaluation

IntroductionWhen we are young we make decisions as to what we would like to be when we grow up, but how do we know if we have made the right choice? Are we really going to like what we have chosen for the rest of our lives? And are we going to be able to afford the fancy cars and dream house?

TaskTitle Page

TaskIn this web quest you will be able to find a possible job based on activities of your liking along with you strengths and weaknesses. Using this career, you will then be able to find out much more about the finances that go along with making your dreams come true. Using all of your findings, you will be making some time of visual display of your salary, and cost of you car and house in the area you picked.

Intro

Process

Process(Reminder: Record everything as you go along!)

1. Click here to take the career aptitude test to find some ideas of careers that may interest you. Then choose the career you like best. (Record)

2. Take the quiz below to find out what U.S. city is perfect for you. Click here to find out where in the U.S. you would be happy living

3. Go to www.google.com, based on the career choice from step one and location from step two, type into the search box, “Average yearly salary for a (your answer from step one) in (your answer from step two)” Find at least 3 yearly salaries that seem valid and take the average (mean) to determine what will be used as your yearly salary (how much you make in a year). (Record)

4. Now to determine your monthly income (how much you make in a month), divide your yearly income by 12. (Record)

5. Click here to look for homes of your liking in the area you chose from step two. On the home page, make sure buy is chosen and type in you answer from step two in the location field, then leaving the other fields blank, click search. Then to get more specific results and results around the area instead of in just one city, use the questions on the left hand side under “refine your results”. Once you click on a picture of a house that you like, click on the link next to the price that says “mortgage calculator”, choose a 30 year fixed mortgage with a 20% down payment and all points, then close that window. Now, when you are looking at the price of the homes it will tell you your monthly payment and the total cost. When you decide on a home make sure the monthly payments are affordable based on your monthly income you calculated in step four. (Record the monthly payments, amount of down payment and total cost over the 30 years)

ProcessContinued

Task

Process Continued(Reminder: Record everything as you go along!)

1. After choosing your home, write a description including: area, # of bedrooms and bathrooms, location, and any other fun facts you would like.

2. Click here to find a new or used car of your liking. Use the calculators on the websites with a 5% interest rate for 36 months determine the monthly payments. (Remember you already have a house (mortgage) to pay! The total monthly cost of your home plus the monthly cost of the car must be less than your monthly income.) Record the monthly and total cost.

3. After deciding on a car, write the description, including: year, make, model, color, mileage and of course anything other details you would like.

4. Since you now know your career, salary (yearly and monthly), cost of car (total and monthly), and all about your home (total cost, monthly cost and location), create a visual display of your finances. (Ex. Graphs, Webs, Diagrams, etc.)

5. For homework, make a scrapbook or poster to display to your class. (Come into class the day it is due dressed as you would if you were going to work at your chosen career and be prepared to present your financial findings to the class.)

Evaluation

Process

EvaluationConclusion

Process Continued

5 4 3 2 1 0

Math Calculatio

ns

Calculations all done correctly

Calculations done mostly

correct

Some calculations

done

Few calculations

done

Calculations were done incorrectly

Calculations weren’t done

Overall use of

web quest

All 5 aspects were attempted

4 of the 5 aspects were

attempted

3 of the 5 aspects were

attempted

2 of the 5 aspects were

attempted

1 of the 5 aspects were

attempted

None of the aspects were

attempted

Use of Technolog

y

Were resourceful and tried all of

the sites

Tried going to most of the

sites provided

Tried going to some of the

sites provided

Tried going to few of the

sites provided

Tried going to one of the

sites provided

Didn’t go to any of the

sites provided

Graphic Organizer

Showed a lot of thought and was

creatively displayed

Showed some thought and

displayed visually

Was shown visually but

showed little effort

Wasn’t shown visually, but

showed some effort

Didn’t include a visual and showed very little effort

No final product was

produced

Presentation

Dressed up as person in that

career and described their findings very

well

Didn’t dress up but

described their findings

very well

Dressed up as person of

their career but didn’t

describe their findings

Showed their final product and briefly described

their findings

Showed their final product,

but didn’t describe their

findings

Didn’t present their final

product to the class

Total Possible

25 20 15 10 5 0

ConclusionI hope this web quest has provided you with a fun and useful way to use the internet in new ways. Many times, searching the internet isn’t thought to be very useful for math, but I think this web quest will change your mind. Both math and the internet are very useful in everyday life and as you can see from this web quest (and your parents stress levels), finances can be very complicated. (Wait till you learn about taxes!!!)

I encourage all of you to show this web quest to friends and family, it is always fun to dream!!

Teacher’s Page

Process

Task

Introduction

Credits

Evaluation

CreditsKids Career Aptitude Test:

http://www.kidzworld.com/quiz/2815-quiz-whats-your-job-personality

Where to live quiz:

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=what-us-city-should-you-live-in

Search engine used to find salaries:

www.google.com

Home Search:

www.realtor.com

Car Search:

www.autotrader.com

Conclusion

Teacher’s PageThis web quest is a fun way for you to use technology to involve your students in math through the discovery of math and use of graphic organizers. It will also be intriguing to get insight into the students’ futures and what they could ultimately become.

Please feel free to use this web quest with your class and don’t hesitate to take a look at my other lesson plans.

Learners

Process

Standards

Introduction

Conclusion

Evaluation

Resources

Lesson Plan

LearnersThis lesson was originally designed for the sixth graders at Naylor School in Hartford, CT. They are from a very diverse set of backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. Despite their many special needs, this lesson can easily be differentiated to help every learner have success.

NCTM Standards Gr. 6

Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to—build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving:

•Solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts.

•Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems.

•Monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving.

ResourcesPower Point

Computers with internet access for each student

Kids Career Aptitude Test:

http://www.kidzworld.com/quiz/2815-quiz-whats-your-job-personality

Where to live quiz:

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=what-us-city-should-you-live-in

Search engine used to find salaries:

www.google.com

Home Search:

www.realtor.com

Car Search:

www.autotrader.com