1st Nine Weeks

Week of Monday, August 10th to Friday, August 14th
Weekly Essay Topic: What is a financial plan? Why is it important to consider your financial plan?
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Assign seats; Pass out & discuss Class Rules
  
• Tuesday: Pass out course booklets; Assign & discuss Financial Plan (must have SMART goals for both short-term, intermediate-term, & long-term goals); Developing a Financial Plan Notes (A) 1/4; Developing a Financial Plan Study Guide; Reading assignment (Unit 1 & Unit 7)
  
• Wednesday: Developing a Financial Plan Notes (B) 2/4
  
• Thursday: Career Search Project 1/2 (in Computer Lab)
  
• Friday: Career Search Project 2/2 (in Computer Lab); Weekly Essay #1 Due
  

Week of Monday, August 17th to Friday, August 21st
Weekly Essay Topic: How is a job different from a career? What factors affect the ability of a person to choose & find a career?
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Developing a Financial Plan Notes (start C) 3/4; Value of Education Worksheet
  
• Tuesday: Developing a Financial Plan Notes (finish C) 4/4; Assign & discuss Mock Interview Project
  
• Wednesday: Financial Plan Due; Developing a Financial Plan Review Game
  
• Thursday: Developing a Financial Plan Test; Reading assignment (Unit 2)
  
• Friday: Mock Job Interview Practice; Weekly Essay #2 Due
  

Week of Monday, August 24th to Friday, August 28th
Weekly Essay Topic: What is a budget? Why is it important to your personal finances?
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Mock Job Interviews 1/3
  
• Tuesday: Mock Job Interviews 2/3
  
• Wednesday: Mock Job Interviews 3/3
  
• Thursday: Review Developing a Financial Plan Test results; Assign & discuss Monthly Budget Simulation Project; Budgeting Notes (A) 1/4; Budgeting Study Guide
  
• Friday: Budgeting Notes (B) 2/4; Students fill out a W-4 for Monthly Budget Simulation; Weekly Essay #3 Due
  

Week of Monday, August 31st to Friday, September 4th
Weekly Essay Topic: Why is it important to track your personal budget? Discuss common ways to track a budget.
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Budgeting Notes (C) 3/4; Display different ways to track a budget
  
• Tuesday: Assembling Initial Monthly Budgets (in Library)
  
• Wednesday: Assembling Initial Monthly Budgets (in Library)
  
• Thursday: Assembling Initial Monthly Budgets (in Library)
  
• Friday: Budgeting Notes (D) 4/4; Budgeting Review Game; Weekly Essay #4 Due
  

Week of Monday, September 7th to Friday, September 11th
Weekly Essay Topic: Inevitably, no amount of money will ever be enough. Do you agree or disagree with this statement, based on your experience developing a monhly budget? Make sure to use specific examples to support your opinion.
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: LABOR DAY - No School!!!
  
• Tuesday: Monthly Budget Simulation (1st Monthly Budget Due); Budgeting Review Game
  
• Wednesday: Budgeting Test; Budgeting Unit Grade
  
• Thursday: Review Budgeting Test results; Banking & Financial Services Notes (A) 1/5; Banking & Financial Services Study Guide
  
• Friday: Banking & Financial Services Notes (B) 2/5; Weekly Essay #5 Due
  

Week of Monday, September 14th to Friday, September 18th
Weekly Essay Topic: What is the difference between a bank & a credit union? What things do banks & credit unions have in common?
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Writing Checks & Balancing a Checkbook Simulation; Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 2^nd Monthly Budget Due)
  
• Tuesday: Banking & Financial Services Notes (start C) 3/5
  
• Wednesday: Banking & Financial Services Notes (finish C & start D) 4/5
  
• Thursday: Banking & Financial Services Notes (finish D) 5/5
  
• Friday: Banking & Financial Services Review Game; Weekly Essay #6 Due
  

Week of Monday, September 21st to Friday, September 25th
Weekly Essay Topic: What is Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), & how has it changed the nature of banking throughout the U.S.?
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Banking & Financial Services Test; Banking & Financial Services Unit Grade
  
• Tuesday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 3rd Monthly Budget Due)
  
• Wednesday: Review Banking & Financial Services Test; Understanding Credit Notes (A) 1/3; Understanding Credit Study Guide
  
• Thursday: Understanding Credit Notes (B) 2/3; Will It Help or Hurt Your Credit Score? Worksheet; Weekly Essay #7 Due
  
• Friday: STAFF DEVELOPMENT – No School for Students!!!
  

Week of Monday, September 28th to Friday, October 2nd
Weekly Essay Topic: What is credit? What risks & rewards are associated with using credit?
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Understanding Credit Notes (C) 3/3
  
• Tuesday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 4^th Monthly Budget Due)
  
• Wednesday: Understanding Credit Review Game
  
• Thursday: Understanding Credit Test; Understanding Credit Unit Grade
  
• Friday: Review Understanding Credit Test results; Becoming an Informed Consumer Notes (start A) 1/7; Becoming an Informed Consumer Study Guide; Weekly Essay #8 Due
  

Week of Monday, October 5th to Friday, October 9th
Weekly Essay Topic: No Weekly Essay!!!
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 5^th Monthly Budget Due)
  
• Tuesday: Becoming an Informed Consumer Notes (finish A) 2/7
  
• Wednesday: Becoming an Informed Consumer Notes (B) 3/7
  
• Thursday: Becoming an Informed Consumer Notes (start C) 4/7; Buying a Car Activity 1/2
  
• Friday: Buying a Car Activity 2/2 (in Library)
  

2nd Nine Weeks

Week of Monday, October 19th to Friday, October 23rd
Weekly Essay Topic: What things must you consider when purchasing a home? Make sure to discuss pros & cons of 15-year & 30-year mortgages.
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Becoming an Informed Consumer Notes (finish C) 5/7
  
• Tuesday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 6^th Monthly Budget Due)
  
• Wednesday: Becoming an Informed Consumer Notes (start D) 6/7; Assign & discuss Finding the Best Deal Activity
  
• Thursday: Becoming an Informed Consumer Notes (finish D) 7/7
  
• Friday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 7^th Monthly Budget Due); Weekly Essay #1b Due
  

Week of Monday, October 26th to Friday, October 30th
Weekly Essay Topic: Discuss strategies for negotiating for the best price. Also, discuss tools you can use to help you get the best price for products.
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Becoming an Informed Consumer Study Guide
  
• Tuesday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 8th Monthly Budget Due)
  
• Wednesday: Becoming an Informed Consumer Review Game
  
• Thursday: Becoming an Informed Consumer Test; Becoming an Informed Consumer Unit Grade
  
• Friday: Finding the Best Deal Activity; Weekly Essay #2b Due
  

Week of Monday, November 2nd to Friday, November 6th
Weekly Essay Topic: What is the time value of money? Make sure to discuss the role of compound interest in this concept.
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Investments Notes (start A) 1/6; Compound Interest & the Rule of 72 Worksheet
  
• Tuesday: Investments Notes (finish A) 2/6
  
• Wednesday: Investments Notes (start B) 3/6
  
• Thursday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 9^th Monthly Budget Due)
  
• Friday: Investments Notes (finish B & start C) 4/6; Weekly Essay #3b Due
  

Week of Monday, November 9th to Friday, November 13th
Weekly Essay Topic: What are the main types of investments? Discuss the correlation between risk & reward when dealing with investments.
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Investments Notes (finish C) 5/6
  
• Tuesday: Investments Notes (D) 6/6; Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Worksheet
  
• Wednesday: Investments Review Game
  
• Thursday: Club Pictures Day (Nothing Productive Accomplished)
  
• Friday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 10^th Monthly Budget Due); Weekly Essay #4b Due
  

Week of Monday, November 16th to Friday, November 20th
Weekly Essay Topic: What is insurance? How does risk management lead many people to decide to purchase insurance?
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Investments Test; Investments Unit Grade
  
• Tuesday: Review Investments Test results; Insurance Notes (A) 1/3; Insurance Study Guide
  
• Wednesday: Insurance Notes (B) 2/3
  
• Thursday: Insurance Notes (C) 3/3
  
• Friday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 11^th Monthly Budget Due); Weekly Essay #5b Due
  

Week of Monday, November 23rd to Friday, November 27th
Weekly Essay Topic: What are the 6 basic types of insurance coverage that most people actually need? Discuss each type in depth.
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Insurance Review Game
  
• Tuesday: Insurance Test; Insurance Unit Grade; Weekly Essay #6b Due
  
• Wednesday: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY - No School!!!
  
• Thursday: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY - No School!!!
  
• Friday: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY - No School!!!
  

Week of Monday, November 30th to Friday, December 4th
Weekly Essay Topic: What is the federal income tax? How does a person go about determining how much federal income tax they owe? Make sure to discuss the difference between tax deductions & tax credits when answering this question.
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Monthly Budget Simulation (Pay Day, Pay Bills, & 12^th Monthly Budget Due)
  
• Tuesday: Review Insurance Test results; Assign & discuss Filing Your Federal Taxes Simulation Activity; Filing Your Federal Taxes Notes (start A) 1/4; Filing Your Federal Taxes Study Guide
  
• Wednesday: Filing Your Federal Taxes (finish A) 2/4
  
• Thursday: Filing Your Federal Taxes (start B) 3/4
  
• Friday: Filing Your Federal Taxes (finish B) 4/4; Weekly Essay #7b Due; Pass out Student W-2s, Form 1099s, & Form 1040 to each student for Filing Your Taxes Simulation Activity; Discuss how to fill out Form 1040
  

Week of Monday, December 7th to Friday, December 11th
Weekly Essay Topic: What did you enjoy the most & least about Personal Finance? What ideas do you have for making Personal Finance better in the future?
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Filing Your Federal Taxes Simulation Project 1/3 (in Library)
  
• Tuesday: Filing Your Federal Taxes Simulation Project 2/3 (in Library)
  
• Wednesday: Filing Your Federal Taxes Simulation Project 3/3 (in Library)
  
• Thursday: Filing Your Federal Taxes Review Game
  
• Friday: Filing Your Federal Taxes Test; Filing Your Federal Taxes Unit Grade; Weekly Essay #8b Due
  

Week of Monday, December 14th to Friday, December 18th
Weekly Essay Topic: No Weekly Essay
Reading Assignment:

• Monday: Review for Semester Exam
  
• Tuesday: Review for Semester Exam
  
• Wednesday: Review for Semester Exam
  
• Thursday: Review for Semester Exam
  
• Friday: Semester Exam