Classroom Simulation (100 points)

This task is limited to only a few efforts. The objective here is for you and a partner or two to create a lesson plan where the classroom itself becomes a financial lesson. The students in our class must experience an actual simulation of life lessons, including decision making and consequences. The lesson should last approximately one 'normal' class period (45 minutes), and have an end result where students feel as though there was achievement (or failure). Extensive discussions with me prior to initiating the lesson plan is essential. This cannot be done without my prior approval and guidance. Completion of the lesson plan constitutes completion of the task and points awarded.

Put a lot of effort into this one. This task is one in which you look to leave an impression on those that participate in it.

Credit Card Simulation (points based on performance)

This is another one going into the "assessment" category. Over a couple of class periods, we will simulate the experience of living on credit, and see what it would mean to purchase with revolving credit on a consistent basis. The costs may be out of control! Your acquiescence and following along should net full points for this quiz-task. Happy shopping!

Minecraft (100 points)

Sweet! Minecraft! Yup. The task here is no small one, though. It's not 5 minutes of messin' around, you have to build a small town that functions both logistically and 'financially'. Things to consider in a functioning town:
banks, police, fire fighting crews, hospital, government, schools, residences, roads, recreation, grocery, convenient stores, restaurants, lodging, import/export routes, and whatever else you may deem necessary. Obviously, there's no 'in-game' measurement of a successful town built as there would be in a Sims game, but there will be judgement passed on potential and viability of your established town. If it is lacking, you will be informed and allowed to improve. If it is adequate/tip-top, then full points. The final resulting 'towns' will be judged by a panel of Minecraft 'experts' with the winning land receiving bonus 50 points.
Minecraft isn't for everybody. You may find this 'game' exceedingly annoying. Then no need, plenty of other methods to get points. May be worth it for some of you, though, that find this an interesting endeavor. Good luck!

Budgeting Quiz (points based on amount correct)

I'm opening another quiz, one that questions you about what you may or may not have gathered from learning to budget. Simple quiz, should only take a few minutes. I'll open it on Socrative both Monday and
Tuesday this week. Points are based on your % correct.

Gen I Revolution (50-100 points)

A while back I put you all in mysterious 'groups' on the Gen I Revolution site. Now it's time to play. Your task here is to as a group, achieve as many points as you can playing through the main part of the game itself, not the side bar games that we've done hitherto. You'll need to listen to the directions given through the tutorial on the game carefully, and avoid skipping any steps throughout impatiently. This will require you to be meticulous, and possibly go back and forth in the game, maybe even write things down as you go. No easy task for certain. Top team as per points means 100 for each to their grade in class. 2nd place gets 85, third gets 75, the rest get 50. Also, there will be a 75 bonus for the individual student with the most points.
Deadline for points is the Friday before spring break starts. Good luck!

 To complete:
1) Logon to the Gen I Revolution game.
2) Play the game as a team, solving the missions as best you can.
3) Accumulate as many points as possible.

Voicethread of Budget (100 points)

It's over! We completed the budget! Hopefully when you're 25-ish you'll feel more in control of your finances for what we did here this semester. Life is certainly expensive in this world, and in order to have all the 'stuff' you may want to be part of America's world, you'll need to be earning some decent income. The budget had a lot of components: rents, utilities, electronic needs, cars, and foods! Now it's time to finish it up and 'present.' You'll create a slide presentation using Keynote and enter the presentation into Voicethread (so if you haven't completed the task to sign up for Voicethread do that now) with a 6 slide requirement.
First, introduce yourself with a Title Page slide
Second, make a slide of your spreadsheet of your budget.
Third, a slide of your actual apartment you chose.
4th, a slide of your transportation decision
5th, a slide of your food choices.
And last, a  slide that represents a final reflection.
Wth each slide (and this is the beauty of Voicethread), you need to include spoken comments.
1st: Tell us who you are and what this is
2nd: Walk us through your budget, tell us the job, decisions you made, etc...
3rd: Detail your apartment, why you chose it (location, cost, amenities), and how you'll deal with your roommate. Also, mention the furniture decisions you made.
4th: Detail your car decisions, and describe your plan to handle gasoline, insurance, maintenance, repairs, and registration costs.
5th: Descibe your nutrition plan, based on what decisions you made at the grocery store. Got enough protein? Carbs? Water and bread only?
6th: Conclude by showing what you'll have left each month. What will you do with that cash? Save for emergencies? Invest? Open a retirement account? Impress others out on the town?
This Voicethread must include the spoken comments, otherwise it is unacceptable!

This task is considered complete when the aforementioned slides have been done on Voicethread, and then you email me (robert.letter@bvsd.org) the link to the actual Voicethread itself through the 'share' option on the Voicethread page. I need to have that sent to me in order for it to be accounted for!

Backseat Budgeter (20 points)

Colorado by law needs to have a 'balanced' budget, in other words the amount the state cannot be more than 4% more than what it takes in. Some legislators have felt handcuffed by this state law, and now it's your turn to feel the pinch. Go to this website: coloradobackseatbudgeter
Try to lower taxes, balance the budget, and trigger no "constitutional warnings". No small task for a legislator that represents a district that wants taxes to be lowered. When complete, write a one-paragraph, 100-word blog post detailing what you tried and how it failed/succeeded, followed by how you feel about our laws involving the raising of taxes and spending on education.

Tax Form 1040A (15 points)

Pretty simple task here, as we've done this in class already. Fill out a 1040A tax form for your actual 2013 income! It need not be the form that you send to the IRS, as you may go about it differently for your current needs (someone else does it for you, you use TurboTax, you filled out a 1040EZ...), but in order to attain the 15 points, it does need to actually be a 1040A form filled out. They are available online (Google it!) in order for you obtain one.

To complete:
1) Print out a 1040A form from the IRS
2) Fill it out using the actual values of what you earned in 2013
3) Turn in completed form
4) I'll shred it after entering into your grade.

*** No 2013 income to account for? Then this task probably isn't for you.***
**** Not interested in divulging income? Again, probably not the task for you****

Tax Quiz (points based on performance)

Yes, we do have a few  quiz tasks, where your amount correct will be your points. The first one is on taxes. Personal income tax is an oft misunderstood topic, where many Americans believe these monies are 'stolen' from them to line the pockets of 'guv-mint.' While the tax dollars that are gathered by our country should very well be appropriated in an acceptable fashion, this is not thievery. It is part of our system, and if done correctly, part of what makes us such a strong country.
the overall tax burden, however, can feel overwhelming at times. Here is a short, not complete, list of taxes you may/will encounter in your lifetime:
federal income tax
state income tax
city income tax
state sales tax
city sales tax
county sales tax
property tax
'sin' tax
gasoline tax
phone tax
Combine that with fees like car registration and gun ownership background checks, and the American citizen can start to feel a bit of a pinch in the wallet area. It is incumbent on our elected officials to keep these costs in check, and fully accounted for, and if they fail to do so appropriately, it is incumbent on us to vote them out of their position(s).
To complete:
1) Open Socrative
2) Complete the quiz, utilizing your resources
3) Finish quiz