Writing in Math

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Daniel Edward Sagmiller on October 13, 2011 at 11:00am

What kind of grade/knowledge level are your students?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sarah Rustad on October 14, 2011 at 1:17pm

I teach high school students in a pull-out math class. 

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Daniel Edward Sagmiller on October 13, 2011 at 12:33pm

I like that you are teaching about budgets.  I dug up some notes for an old program I used a while ago, I've done a few updates, and tried to clean it up a little, take from it what interest you, shrink it down or expand on it for what ever works for your class, but here is the outline of it.

The idea is to create a time line for how their money should be changing over time, and what events happen when. 

Also, when preparing this, tell them at the end, that everyone will draw a dissaster from a hat.  The dissaster will typically cost them money in some way, and get applied at a particular point in their timeline.  Then to see how people recover from that.  if it starts sooner, it will be less, if it happens later, it will cost more.


To start it, give the kids some buckets to start with, and change the numbers of these, but limit the kids to these options.

1) Out of highschool earnings, 10/hour. (identify the year)
 - All positions get taxed 30%
 - All positions go for a 5% raise annually.
2) Savings Account interest 0.25% monthly (3% annually)

3) optionally go to college. (start jobs later, gain student loans)
 - 2 Year.
 - - = 12,000 loan, 10 years = 140/mo, or 20 years = 95/mo
 - - Starting wage, 15/hour

 - 4 year, gain 25,000 loan, 7% interest, starting wage 20/hour.
 - - = 25k loan, 7% interest annually, 5, 10 or 20 year pay off.
 - - Starting wage, 20/hour


***After school (highcschool or college)
Rent: 500/mo (Rent rises at 5%/year)
bills: 500/mo. (bills rise at 5% / year)
 - - (difference of bills/rent, house payment doesn't rise, but bills still do)
Loan: 20,000 down payment.  7% interest, 10/20/30 year option.


The project is to write values at the end of each year. 

if they graduate 2015, (we can presume the start date is 1/1/2015)
 - 2015 (report on the entire year)
 - Completed 1st year of college 2 year degree
 - selected 10 year, plan = 139.33/mo, starting after school
 - No Rent, but rent was at 500/mo
 - No Bills, but bills would be at 500/mo.

 - 2016
 - Completed second/last year of college.
 - No rent this year, but rent would have been 500 + 25 (5% rise) = 525/mo
 - no Bills, but bills would have been 500 + 25 (5% rise) = 525/mo


 - 2017
 - Earned 15/hr, 40hours/wk and 52 weeks/yr = 15*40*52=31,200
 - Tax Rate = 30% = 31,200 * 0.7 = 21840

 - Bills increased by 5%, from 525/mo to 551.25
 - Annual bills cost = 551.25 * 12 = 6615
 - Earnings left = 21840 - 6615 = 15225

 - Rent increased by 5%, from 525/mo to 551.25
 - Annual Rent paid = 551.25 * 12 = 6615
 - Earnings left = 15225 - 6615 = 8610

 - Owe 12000 in student loan = 139.33/mo * 12 months = 1671.96
 - Earnings left = 8610 - 1671.96 = 6938.04
 
 - Savings = 6938.04


 - 2017
 - Had a 5% raise, from 15/hr to 15.75/hr
 - Earned 40 hours a week * 15.75 per hour * 52 weeks per year = 32760
 - Taxes at 30% = 32760 * 0.7 = 22932

etc...

 - When they get the option to, have them purchase the house.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sarah Rustad on October 14, 2011 at 1:20pm

Thanks for the great ideas!  I like the idea of having a disaster to deal with!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Colleen Young on October 14, 2011 at 11:34am

I wonder if there is anything in the Nuffield AMP tasks or the Bowland shorter assessment tasks?

Both links on this page.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sarah Rustad on October 14, 2011 at 1:16pm

Thank you very much!  I'm new to Classroom 2.0 so I'm still learning about the available resources.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Grace Gorman on November 7, 2011 at 8:30pm

http://www.teachersfirst.com/spectopics/econ-money.cfm    I just got this from the Teacher FIrst newsletter and have not looked at it yet.  You might get some ideas.  THey have a great newsletter that gives featrued sites.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ruchita Parat on December 7, 2011 at 3:06am

We organize Hindi classes  at  various locations in  California.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kate Miller on February 18, 2012 at 2:13pm

Two things you might want to use is have your students plan a fieldtrip with outcomes and you can use elapsed time and money skills.  Another thing that they could write about it having the students write about their math vocabulary.  For example, they could write about what makes a cube, a cube, etc- you could even make them into shape poems perhaps. 

• ▶ Reply