Objective
Students will expand on their understanding of how to develop a budget. They will explore the world of adult employment and consider what kinds of jobs require certain skills. They will practice using their translation skills in a practical scenario.
Materials
I will need the help wanted section of the classified ads on a transparency, 30 copies of the same and a tax chart.
Procedures
- Using a newspaper, we will first discuss which jobs sounds appealing, then brainstorm what skills and experience those jobs might require. (10 minutes)
- Then, we will discuss the potential income of those jobs, based either on a listed salary or on what students would expect such a job to pay.(10 Minutes)
- Using the tax chart, students will then calculate how much actual income a person would take home based on the salaries suggested.(10 min)
- Referring back to our dream apartment we will then decide whether or not we could afford it based on that income. Students will calculate what percent of their monthly income would go to rent if so.(15 min)
Homework
This is the second part of the individual final project. Each students will select several jobs from the newspaper or an online job search site like HotJobs or MonsterTrak They will then incorporate the salary for one of those jobs into their budget plan.
Assessment
See Lesson Plan 3 Assessment.
Literacy
The students will write in their journals about the activity. What do they consider a reasonable amount if income? How much of a person's income should go to rent? Why does so much money go to taxes, and what does that pay for?
Debriefing
Some students may be uncomfortable with the activity if their parents work in low paying jobs. Be careful not to demean manual labor, while also pointing out to students that if they want the nice apartment they picked out, they need to make more than minimum wage.
