The learner will:

• identify ways that people use  money.
• distinguish between wants and needs.
• make comparisons between how others use their money and how he/she uses money.
• explore the importance of establishing a personal financial plan.
  

Anticipatory Set: 
As the learners are entering the classroom have a large dollar sign ($) displayed in the middle of the display board for all to see. Tell the class that today the topic is MONEY!  Have the learners begin to tell you the many ways that people use their money. List these ideas as they are given in a random manner around the dollar sign. When it appears that the list is complete, tell the learners that you think it might be possible to group all of these ideas under four different headings, namely: Spending, Saving, Investing, Donating.  Once you are convinced that the learners understand the meaning of these headings, have them help you determine whether a given suggestion represents spending (SP), saving (SV), Investing (I), or donating (D). Once each suggestion is grouped in a category, have the learners continue by listing 50-75 things that people buy with their money and continue adding these suggestions to the display board.

• Place the words: Wants and Needs on the display board and have the learners define for you what these terms mean to them. Lead them to agree that Wants represent the desire for something that one could physically live without, while Needs represent something useful and/or necessary for sustaining life itself. Go back over all the ideas the class offered about how people spend their money and challenge the class to now place a “W” (representing a want) or an “N” (representing a need) next to each item listed on the display board (including all those earlier suggestions. (Their will be some controversy, so allow as much time as possible for debate, but try to reach consensus concerning each item realizing, however, that in some cases both a ‘W” and an “N” might be appropriate.)
  
  
• Following a class debriefing about the ease or difficulty of these two exercises, distribute the People and Their Money Pie Chart (Attachment One) and have each learner, read and follow the directions for completing this activity.
  
  
• Then distribute a copy of My Money Pie Chart (Attachment Two) ask students to read and follow directions for completing this activity.
  
  
• Once both pie charts have been completed, distribute the My Conclusions Work Sheet (Attachment Three) to each learner and ask them to read and follow directions for completing this activity. (Be sure to emphasize the fact that the learners are to consider percentages when answering these questions and not the actual dollars.)
  
  
• Lead the learners in a discussion of their responses to each of the questions found on the My Conclusions Work Sheet (Attachment Three) (While it is assumed that high school students know and understand how pie charts are developed and used, a brief review may be appropriate in that the circle (pie) represents 100% of total and ‘cutting it’ into appropriate sizes to be representative of proportions is similar to that of cutting an actual pie.)
  
  
• Distribute My Future Money Pie Chart at 35 Years of Age (Attachment Four) and tell the class that this exercise will take a bit of imagination. Tell them to read and follow directions for completing this work sheet.
  
  
• Involve the students in a brief discussion about what, if any, changes they are anticipating in their use of money between now and when they are 35 years of age, and why they think these changes might occur.
  
  
• Give the learners a copy of My Future Money Pie Chart at 55 Years of Age (Attachment Five) and ask them to complete it for homework. Have them return it for use in Lesson Three.

Teacher Notes:
Save the words and phrases recorded on the display board for use in Lesson Two.
The homework assignment should be completed and returned for use in Lesson Three.

Give the learners a copy of My Future Money Pie Chart at 55 Years of Age -Homework (Attachment Five) and ask them to complete it for homework. Have them return it for use in Lesson Three.

• Instructional Resource: www.moneysmartchoices.org
• For related Units and Lessons see also www.learningtogive.org