Moore Materials

This unit gives students an immersive, in-depth, and hands-on opportunity to apply the "real-world" learning they crave in the classroom. This is an ELA-centric unit that has cross-curricular math elements as well. Students can explore the issues of low-, mid-, and high-SES profiles with the capability of delving into the complications of disparity of wealth, privilege, and restrictions to social mobility. The profiles students will role-play are based off of real people and case studies, and

On Day 3 of the Socioeconomic Simulation, students will use real, tangible grocery magazines to determine a weekly shopping list for their profile. After calculating the prices of their groceries for a week, students may multiply by "four" to determine the grocery budget for the month, and update the previous class period's budget accordingly.

The teacher setting up the materials for this unit may use these blank paychecks to write each profile's bi-monthly income, to distribute to the student groups when they are ready. These checks may also be used in student groups to practice check-writing. Ballots may be used in the "survey" vote, as well as placed in the eligible profiles' "official ballot envelope" in profile folders.

On Day 2 of the Socioeconomic Simulation, use these profiles in individual folders to give students an opportunity to get to know the profile they will be working with, and reference for making a budget. Profiles #9 and #19 are written with consideration of IEP/504 plans that may need less writing for processing/reading level accommodation.

One Day 4 of the Socioeconomic Simulation, students are going to find a financial setback in their profile folder. The setback page will include how much the setback is going to cost, as well as the credit score for the profile, so they may tell the banker what their score is for an APR% when applying for a loan.

On Day 5 of the Socioeconomic Simulation, print/fold each of the "Voter Information" pamphlets and leave them in the designated profile's folder so students may have a guided reasoning for how their profile's person would vote regarding raising the minimum wage.

Once students have read the criteria delineated in their profile page, they may determine a tentative budget using this worksheet. Once students get their paycheck, they may either use a blank version of this worksheet again, or modify the original tentative budget sheet with red pen.

This is the detailed day-by-day play-by-play of the 5-day unit where students may explore financial literacy with the lens of a immersive socioeconomic simulation. Materials used daily are highlighted, and there is a lot of flexibility regarding time, materials, and personal preferences for unit execution.

The Socioeconomic Simulation can be framed as a financial literacy unit as well. Combining Math and ELA standards and cross-curricular group work, students can work with a variety of writing, reading, and math skills. These slides keep things organized, moving, and engaging as daily activities are presented and new challenges arise for the profiles in the group folders.

This is the document that gives you the full overview of the five-day unit. (Day "1" is the "Time Magazine" cover-coloring contest.) This may be used as a reference for teachers, as the printed materials will be distributed in individual profile folders for the students to use. When hand-writing the check for each profile, this is the list that determines the bi-monthly amount for each profile.

On Day 5, students are told they will be voting on a district question regarding raising the minimum wage. First, all profile groups will vote using a paper ballot as a "yes" or "no" in a survey vote. Then, when it is time for the "official" vote, students will open the envelope in their folder for their official ballot. Some student groups will have a ballot in their envelope, but some students will have one of the following voting restrictions in their envelope instead.

After students open their profile folders to determine what kind of financial setback they have encountered, and ask the teacher for their 5- and 10-year APR% based on their profile's credit score, they may use this worksheet to determine the interest rate for each loan.

When determining groups for the Socioeconomic Simulation, this chart determines, using color-coded group names, which profiles are at which SES level. If students are going to be role-playing two different profiles throughout the school day (one profile for English period, and one for Math), this helps more easily determine that each student has a mix of SES exposure with assigned profiles.

As students engage with the financial setbacks in their folders on Day 4 of the Socioeconomic Simulation, they will approach the teacher with their individual credit score, to determine what their 5- and 10-year APR% is. Teacher may use this chart to determine the APR for each credit score.