Reality Check: Can You Afford Yourself?
Reality Check - to see if students can afford themselves
This lesson engages 12th-grade students in a reality check to assess their financial readiness for post-graduation life. Through active and experiential learning strategies, students will calculate potential expenses and income, and reflect on their financial preparedness. This lesson is crucial for helping students understand the importance of financial planning and making informed decisions about their future.
Active Learning, Experiential Learning
- Briefly introduce the concept of financial planning and its importance.
- Explain the objective of the lesson: to assess if students can afford their desired lifestyle after graduation.
- Provide an overview of the activities: completing a budget worksheet and participating in a discussion.
Step 2
Worksheet Activity
15 mins
- Distribute the 'Reality Check Budget' worksheet to each student.
- Instruct students to use resources from EducationQuest and MyFutureAZ to research average costs and potential income.
- Guide students to fill out the worksheet, calculating their monthly expenses and income based on their career interests and lifestyle choices.
- Facilitate a discussion using the 'Financial Reflection' questions.
- Encourage students to share their findings and thoughts on their financial readiness.
- Discuss strategies for managing finances and making adjustments to their plans if needed.
- Summarize key takeaways from the lesson.
- Encourage students to continue exploring financial planning resources and to think critically about their future financial decisions.
