Instruction and Management Plan

1) For this unit, there were six different lessons taught. Some lessons took one class
period and some took multiple class periods. The six lessons are listed below in the
sequence in which they were taught.
1. Introduction to Credit Perhaps the Most Important Lesson of Your Financial
Life
2. The 5 Cs of Credit and How They Impact You
3. Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft in the Age of Technology
4. Introduction to Financial Institutions Its More Than Just Banks
5. Managing Personal Finances So You Have a Bank Account, Now What?
6. Unit 2 Study Guide A Guide of the Study Variety
1) Lesson one gave students a background on what credit is and why it is important.
Students were shown a video about a college graduate who racked up thousands of
dollars in credit card debt. Students learned about the different types of credit that
exists. They learned the difference between long-term loans for large purchases
(closed-end credit) and credit cards (open-end credit). They learned the advantages
and disadvantages of credit. The main focus was to show students that credit when
used properly can be very good, but the most important thing to remember is that
all credit has to be paid back to the lender. Is it worth it to have something
immediately if youre going to be paying for that thing for years to come. Students
completed the lesson by conducting online research and completing the Credit
Score Research worksheet.
Lesson Two introduced students to the 5 Cs of Credit. This lesson built upon the
foundation that was created in lesson one. Students took notes on the 5 Cs and
then worked together to evaluate loan application scenarios. Each group then
decided if they would approve or deny the loan applicant. As an individual
assessment, student completed a ticket-out-the-door activity in which they
identified three ways they could responsibly build their credit. It is pivotal for
students to understand the importance credit will play in their lives. It is also
important for them to realize that financial decisions they make at a young age can
have a serious impact on their adult lives. Everything from their credit score to the
way they dress during a meeting with a loan officer plays a role in their
creditworthiness. The more informed students are about this topic, the better they
can prepare for their adult lives.
Lesson three introduced students to identity theft and fraud. Students engaged in a
classroom discussion to pre-assess their knowledge of the topic and address any
misconceptions they had. I shared a couple of personal stories about my familys
experience with identity theft. Both my parents and my brother have had their
identities stolen. My parents were victims of credit card fraud and my brother had
his Social Security Number stolen. I explained to students how it impacted my entire
family and the process they had to go through to remedy the situation. I wanted my
students to understand that when something like this happens it affects more than
just the person who was defrauded. After taking a few notes on identity theft
scenarios were projected on screen and in their notebooks students identified
mistakes that the person in the scenario made. Then they had to provide one step

the person in the scenario could have taken to prevent the situation. In the second
part of the lesson students read an online news article about an Army veteran who
was defrauded by a friend. They had to summarize the article and come up with
three examples that they could personally use to avoid becoming a victim of
identity theft or fraud.
Lesson four started with a brief discussion about financial institutions. Students
were asked what a financial institution was. Responses mentioned a few examples.
Some students didnt know exactly what was meant by financial institutions. I
explained to students that there are a variety of financial institutions and that
banks, credit unions, and savings & loan associations were the most common type.
In the first part of the lesson we learned about the different types of institutions.
There was particular focus paid to what are known as problematic financial
institutions. These include payday loan centers, check cashing centers, and rent to
own companies. Students learned that these are problematic because they
generally target with little, poor, or no credit history and charge very high interest
rates. Students were shown a video to reinforce what was learned about payday
loan centers.
In the second part of the fourth lesson students were broken into groups of three
and assigned a section of reading in their textbook. Each student had to read their
section and then come up with two questions that could be answered by reading
their section. Each group then discussed and chose two of the six questions from
their group to present to the classroom. After each group shared their questions the
class was able to discuss the questions and attempt to answer them. After all
groups had presented their questions, the questions were recorded and students
were informed that those questions would be used to create a quiz they would take
in the next class. In the next class students took that quiz and reflected on how they
thought they did.
Lesson five started the same day students took their quiz over lesson four. Students
had already learned about the different types of financial institutions and the
different services they offered. In this lesson they learned how to manage one of
those services, a checking account. Students were given the Checkbook Balancing
and Bank Statement Reconciling activity. They were given time in class to complete
the activity. It required meticulous mathematical computations and attention to
detail. Students also had to answer questions about the activity. Students learned
about which transactions deduct money from an account and which transactions
add money to an account. This was an individual assignment for which students
received a grade. Once everyone was finished we had a class discussion about the
assignment and discussed whether students felt like they met the objectives for the
lesson.
The sixth and final lesson focused on reviewing all of the material from the unit.
Before the study guide was handed out, there was a class discussion in which I
asked students questions about what we had learned this unit. The answers started
off broad like, We learned about credit. Then I asked students to elaborate and
they did. After further discussion I asked students how many of them thought they
could pass the test if we took it that day. Surprisingly, the majority of the class
raised their hands. For the students that didnt raise their hand I asked why. This

helped identify the topics I needed to present in different ways to appeal to different
students. After all of our discussion students were given the study guide and given
time to complete it in class. They were encouraged to ask me questions if they were
confused or had trouble with a question. Students had the remainder of class to
work on the study guide and ask me questions. This was the last class where time
was allotted for studying and completing work for the unit.
At the conclusion of the unit, students were given their unit exam. The unit exam
consisted of two parts, a Blackboard test with multiple choice and true/false
questions, and a written/practical section that had the students balance a
checkbook. After tests were completed and graded, they were handed back to
students. To end the unit, students were given a post-exam self-assessment sheet.
In it students identified what they did right or wrong to prepare for the exam. They
also provided me with feedback about how I can improve the lessons we had. All
feedback I received was extremely beneficial and help me reflect on what I need to
modify to reach all of my students.