Consumer Math

Course Meetings: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (8:25-9:17)

Location: Ashley Carruth’s classroom
Instructors: Christine Imming
E-mail: christine.imming@animashighschool.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Consumer Math course is designed to prepare students for daily living beyond school. The course
will cover a variety of areas that you deal with in life such as taxes, loans, housing costs, vehicle costs,
and budgeting. These skills are covered in simple examples that show the basic ideas of what to do and
look for when choosing insurance or investments as an example. Supplemental material such as online
calculators, Google sheets, guest speakers, trips to businesses, and worksheets are used throughout the
course to solidify the importance of the math skills needed for daily living. ​This is also a concurrent
enrollment course which means that you will receive college credit upon completion of this course.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
● How do you manage your financial life through thoughtful, informed decisions?
● How do you navigate the basics, and potentially advanced, aspects of living on your own?

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

A. Gain facility in use of financial calculators.

B. Understand key concepts for all topics..
C. Improve algebraic manipulative skills.
D. Understand the basic language of financial mathematics.
E. Apply the skills learned to solve problems in pricing, taxation, insurance, and investment.
F. Recognize valid and invalid financial claims and construct valid financial arguments.
G. Analyze a complex financial decision.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: ​AHS is committed to providing a college preparatory curriculum through

project-based learning. While consumer math is an elective and therefore does not have the same time
commitments as a core class we are still dedicated to providing a class that focuses on our core values of:
real-world application, common intellectual mission, personalization, and preparing all students for
post-secondary success. ​ ​Through these core values, PAPER, and the content students will walk away
 with the ability to critically think about their finances and be informed enough to navigate life
independently.

Course Learning Outcomes ​mapped to program learning Activities/Products

outcomes

The student reflects on his/her own practice and analyzes the Inquiry Journal, Reader Response
implications of their financial decisions. Briefs on required readings, budget
template completion, Final
The student applies his/her understanding of personal finance project/paper

The student engages in collaborative action with colleagues to

address how to navigate life through personal finances. Inquiry Journal, Final project/paper

Readings:
The course readings will be developed as the course progresses throughout the semester. Rather than
have prescribed readings, we would like to adapt to the needs of our students and utilize readings to dig
deeper into an area that the class is interested in learning more about.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS and ACTIVITIES

Students will engage in a number of activities in which they are familiar with through other AHS courses:
reflection, observation, dialogue, peer critique, interviews, critical analysis of text, course session
feedback and evaluation, a final project integrating theory and practice, and presentations of learning.
Here are the major assignments for this course:

1. Inquiry journal​. Students will maintain an Inquiry Journal in which they record observations,
reflections, analysis, and questions deriving from course activities.
2. Final budget and reflection​(described below).
3. Final Project ​(description below)
4. Digital portfolio​. Each student will post key documents or other work artifacts from the course to
his or her digital portfolio, as part of an ongoing archive of products, reflections, and analysis
throughout the program.

Final Budget and Reflection

We will spend the semester developing a budget. The beginning of the course you will be introduced to
all of the elements that make up a budget, and through the completion of the budget you will learn most if
not all aspects of personal finance. The reflection aspect will consist of you reflecting upon your learning
as well as how you can apply your learning.

Final Project
Create a unique and playable game of Life or a Book of Life including all major concepts covered in
class. The player/reader should learn and take knowledge away from the experience. The final product
will be played/read by students

15 pts-Content
15 pts- Creativity
15 pts-Knowledge
15 pts Participation
Content:
·​ ​Budgeting
·​ ​Investments
·​ ​Taxes
·​ ​Mortgages
·​ ​Career/Pay
·​ ​Debt/Credit Cards
·​ ​Banking
·​ ​College Cost/Student Loans
·​ ​Insurance

● Accurate LIFE game

○ The Book of Life

Digital Portfolio
Students are encouraged to record course learnings and reflections in their digital portfolios.

COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change)

DATE WHERE ASSIGNMENTS (due for current session) FOCUS OF Week

Week 1 Digging into prior

Bring to class:​ Inquiry Journal knowledge and
Read for class:N/A setting the stage of
In Class: the semester
● Norms
● Routines and rituals Budget/Cost of
● Financial Happiness Article Living/Minimum
● Minimum wage game Wage
● What is personal finance and what do you
want to learn
● Accuplacer exam

Week 2 Bring to class: Budget

Read for class:
In Class: Spending
● Career Interest Survey
● Budget creator
Week 3 Bring to class: Budget
Read for class:
In Class: Price Point/Price
Per Unit

Week 4 Bring to class: Budget

Read for class:
In class: Saving

Week 5 Bring to class: Budget

Read for class:
In Class: Credit Cards/Debt

Week 6 Bring to class: Budget

Read for class:
In Class: Investing

Week 7 Bring to class: Budget

Read for class:
In Class: Insurance

Mid Term

Week 8 Bring to class: Budget

Read for class:
In Class: Mortgage

Week 9 Bring to class: Budget

Read for class:
In Class: Student Loans

Week 10 Bring to class: Budget

Read for class:
In Class: Misc

Week 11 Bring to class: Final Budget and

Read for class: Reflection
In Class:
Week 12 Bring to class: Project Time
Read for class:
In Class:

Week 13 Bring to class: Project Time

Read for class:
In Class:

Week 14 Bring to class: Project Time

Read for class:
In Class: SCCC Final Exam

Week 15 Bring to class: POL Prep

Read for class:
In Class:

CREDIT HOURS
This is a full semester class that will gain you either a math credit (for those of you who need a math
credit) or an elective credit for AHS. For those of you who elect to take this as a concurrent enrollment
course, upon passing the Accuplacer at the beginning of the course, passing the final exam, and passing
the class you will receive a non-guaranteed transfer college credit as well.

EXPECTATIONS & ASSESSMENT

This course is a concurrent enrollment course, which means that we will have a mid-term and a final
exam. Both of these exams are in the traditional format and students will be supported in studying and
passing these exams. Our major assignments will have a class generated rubric in which the student can
choose to either be grade through a dialogical method with the instructors or solely by the instruction.
The bulk of the grades will come from classroom engagement as measured through warm-ups,
discussions, and exit tickets with their final budget, final project, and exams making up the final aspects
of their grade.

LATE POLICY: Students are expected to turn assignments in on time. All assignments(including
warm-ups) that are more than one week late will be considered with 50% deduction in points.