Description
Introduce the concept and practical application of handling money with our Money Handling Lesson Plan, which equips students to create a small budget, practice wise spending, and identify and define terminology related to money and handling money. Challenge students to consider the happiest time of their life and determine the cost of that happiness as a discussion point to underscore the value of relationships, experiences and time over money, which is a tool that when managed well can bring more people together to experience more happiness.
Sample Classroom Procedure / Teacher Instruction
- Hold up a $20 bill or other available bills adding up to at least $20.
- Say to students and ask: I have $20 here. We as a class must decide how we are going to use the entire $20 for something that will benefit the entire class. What are some of your suggestions?
- Display a list of the students’ responses. Once the suggestions have been exhausted, ask students why everyone may not have had the same suggestion.
- Allow for responses and discussion, lead the students to discovering that everyone, adults included, usually handle money differently.
- Distribute the Activity page and Price list. Review the instructions for the activity.
- Once students are done, collect the pages FIRST and ask students: What was easy or difficult about budgeting the $100? Allow for responses and a discussion.
- Distribute the Money Handling content page. Read/review aloud with students, emphasizing the bold print throughout the text.
- Allow the discussion to go where it needs to go for students to understand the value of money, spending wisely, and value in general, in addition to “money not bringing happiness.”
- Distribute a 2nd activity page. Have students complete it once more. Once all students are done, return the first Activity page and ask students if they made any differences, and why.
- Allow for responses and discussion.
- Distribute Homework and review the next day.
- To close the lesson, ask student volunteers to share the happiest day or moment of their life. Ask how much their happiness cost. (The majority of time, there should be no cost, unless money was spent to get them to a favorite vacation spot, or similar event, which could lead to the people they were with or the circumstances brought the happiness, not the money.) Lead a closing discussion about handling money.
Common Core State Standards: No Specific State Standard
Class Sessions (45 minutes): At least 2 or 3 class sessions
Additional Resources:
Want more math resources? Check out our other Math Lesson Plans!
