Unit Title: Financial Literacy
Grade level: 11th and 12th
Length of unit: 2 weeks
Stage 1 Desired Results
Meaning
Enduring Understandings/Generalizations:
Essential Questions:
Financial responsibility and planning are lifelong skills that
lead to successful financial independence.
Developing financial goals and establishing a budget are
essential financial planning skills.
Credit is an essential tool used to establish financial
independence.
Maintaining good credit is the cornerstone for financial
responsibility.
How do individuals develop short- and long-term financial goals?
How do financial choices affect your standard of living?
Why is budgeting beneficial for personal finance?
How does an individual create a monthly budget?
What is the purpose of credit?
What is the relationship between debt and credit?
Why is it important to establish good credit?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using credit?
Knowledge & Skills Acquisition
Learning Goals: (e.g., Iowa/Common Core standards.)
21.9-12.FL.1 Demonstrate financial responsibility and planning skills to achieve financial goals for a lifetime of financial health.
21.9-12.FL.2 Manage money effectively by developing spending plans and selecting appropriate financial instruments to maintain positive
cash flow.
21.9-12.FL.3 Make informed and responsible decisions about incurring and repaying debt to remain both creditworthy and financially
secure.
Students will know
Key Financial Concepts:
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Financial Goal
Budget
Spending Plan
Income
Expense
Savings
Credit
Debt
Bankruptcy
Credit score
Resources/Materials:
Giant sticky notes (4)
Individual whiteboards
Whiteboard markers
Budget sample
Budget template
Computers/iPads
Internet access
Comparison of Credit Card Costs and Features
o Cardtrak.com
Current Loan and Credit Card Rates
o Bankrate.com
Credit Law Information
o Ftc.gov
o Federalreserve.gov
Students will be able to
Develop short- and long-term financial goals.
Distinguish between wants and needs.
Identify the purpose of a budget.
Understand the components of a budget.
Establish budget goals based on personal needs and wants.
Demonstrate effective decision-making in spending.
Explain how budgeting is beneficial for personal finance.
Create a personal, monthly budget.
Identify the purpose of credit.
Identify ways to establish credit.
Identify personal responsibilities of using credit.
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using credit.
o Creditunions.iowa.gov
Stage 2 Evidence (Assessment)
Types of assessment: Selected-Response (tests, quizzes); Personal Communication (interview, oral exam, discussion);
Written Response (short constructed response questions, entrance/exit slips, essays); Performance Assessment (role-play,
Simulation, labs, dramatization)
Pre-assessment:
Carousel Brainstorming Activity: Students will rotate around the classroom in small groups, stopping at 4 different stations for
approximately 3 minutes each. The topics at the stations will include financial literacy, financial goals, budgeting, and credit &
debt. While at each station, students will activate their prior knowledge of these topics (what they already know), as well as what
they want to know, through conversation with peers. Ideas shared will be posted at each station for all groups to read. Through
movement and conversation, prior knowledge will be activated, providing scaffolding for new information to be learned in the
proceeding lesson activity. If students know a lot about one or more of the topics, I will know not to spend as much time covering it
in class and can focus on another topic they want to learn more about.
Formative Assessment:
Exit Slip:
o List 1 of your short-term goals and why? List 1 of your long-term goals and why?
o Why is budgeting beneficial for personal finance? List 2-3 reasons.
Think-Pair-Share:
o What does the term financial goal mean to you? And how to individuals develop financial goals?
o Why is it important to establish good credit?
Vocabulary quizzes (two) on words related to financial literacy
o These will be the same vocabulary words and in the same format (matching words and definitions) they will see on the unit
exam
Cause and Effect Thinking Map: Good and bad examples of establishing credit.
Guest speaker summary/reflection (1-2 paragraphs)
Conferencing: Check in with students while they are creating their personal, monthly budget
Summative Assessment:
Monthly Budget Plan: Students will create a budget for 1 month. In their monthly budget, they will include monthly income
(paycheck), as well as their monthly expenses (rent, utilities, cell phone bill, car payment, gas money, groceries, savings, and
entertainment). Each student will receive the same monthly income of $2,000. I will also provide a total for utilities ($180.50) and
groceries ($295.75). Then, students will research apartments, cars, and cell phone plans and pick the place they would like to live,
the car they would like to drive, and which cell phone plan they will have. They will also use the short-term goal and long-term goal
to figure out how much they would need to save each month in order to reach the short-term goal in 6 months and the long-term goal
in 1-5 years (depending on what it is). Once they pick a car, they will have to research its average miles-per-gallon to determine how
much they will need to spend in gas per month if they travel 400 miles per month. The purpose of this assessment is for students to
live within their means.
End-of-Unit Exam: Students will be assessed on what they learned throughout the entire unit. The exam includes matching
vocabulary words with their definition, fill in the blank questions, short answer questions and an application problem. The types of
knowledge that will be assessed include key financial concepts (vocabulary), identifying the advantages and disadvantages of using
credit, explaining why budgeting is beneficial for personal finance, how financial choices affect an individuals standard of living,
and decision-making skills in real world situations.
Stage 3 Learning Plan
Use these questions to help guide the creation of your pacing calendar (learning plan).
How many days will your unit last?
How will you sequence/organize learning your unit in an iterative/incremental way?
What opening activity will you use to hook or engage student learning in this unit?
How will you ensure students know where the learning is headed in this unit?
How will you introduce students to your Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions? At what points will you have your
students re-consider these understandings/questions?
How will you sequence/organize your assessments in an iterative/incremental way?
How will you foster critical thinking and problem solving in this unit? Self-reflection? Curiosity and imagination? Collaboration?
Innovation/Creativity? Adaptive thinking? Accessing and analyzing information? Oral and written communication?
What active instructional strategies/learning activities might you use to engage students in learning (You need to use at least 3
different types of instructional strategies)?
How will you differentiate for individual student needs in this unit? What differentiated instructional strategies will you use (e.g.,
student choice, flexible grouping, jigsaw, choice boards/menus, tiered assignments, anchor activities, etc.)?
How will you use technology to support and facilitate student learning in this unit?
