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Sixth Grade - Mathematics
Activities
Show Me the Money – with Percents!
Financial and Economic Concepts: Basic Budgeting
Sixth Grade – Mathematics
Standard 1: Students will expand number sense to include operations with rational numbers.
Objective 2: Explain relationships and equivalencies among rational numbers.
This worksheet is a QUICK activity to help students understand the relationship among money, percents, decimals, fractions, income an expenses.
Excerpt from worksheet: “One of the reasons that the young band The Conversions is going to be successful is because the group understands how to use a budget to manage its money. Bailey, the lead singer, is in charge of the band’s budget. She has a passion for percents because they help her understand how much money is coming in (income) and how much money is being spent (expenses). The band has even nicknamed her “Bailey 100” because percent literally means “per hundred.” Study the budget chart below and answer the questions to see how well the band is budgeting. Use the Work Tips to help you with your answers.”
Student Worksheet (pdf)
Banzai
Financial and Economic Concepts: Basic Budgeting Sixth Grade – Mathematics
Standard 1: Students will expand number sense to include operations with rational numbers.
Objective 5: Solve problems involving multiple steps.
Banzai! is a simulation where students learn to manage and budget their money with the “envelope system” and technology combined. Teachers can view student work online and students are engaged.
“We've developed a series of Life Scenarios that illustrate important principles of spending and saving to your classes. Students receive fictional income and expense transactions similar to those they'll encounter in real life. As they use Banzai to track their progress, they learn important life lessons about budgeting and making trade-offs.
If you're ready to jump right in, download Life Scenarios (pdf) for your students. We've also provided you a Teacher's Edition of Life Scenarios (pdf) that includes discussion items and additional resources.”
The Bean Game
Financial and Economic Concepts: Basic Budgeting Sixth Grade – Mathematics
Standard 1: Students will expand number sense to include operations with rational numbers.(decimals)
Objective 5: Solve problems involving multiple steps.
Managing money means making choices. There is never enough money available for all of the things we’d like to have or do. This game will help you decide what is most important to you.
How to Play
This game may be played individually, but optimum results come from playing in a group of 2 or more.
Divide participants into groups of at least 2 and not more than 5. Each individual/group receives 20 beans and a set of spending category sheets. The individual/group must decide how to spend their “income” based on life circumstances, values and goals. Each item has a set number of squares which indicates how many beans are needed to “pay” for that item.
Complete Lesson Plan (pdf)
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Financial and Economic Concepts: Free Markets and Prices Sixth Grade – Mathematics
Standard 1: Students will expand number sense to include operations with rational numbers.(decimals)
Objective 5: Solve problems involving multiple steps.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E.L. Konigsburg
ISBN: 0689853548
In this lesson based on From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, students use the experiences of Claudia and Jamie to learn about income, expenses, and the budget process. The book follows the adventures of two runaway children hiding out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Students complete an activity emphasizing the need for income and the importance of planning and budgets. Students also have an opportunity to update some of the 1967 prices used in the book. The assessment activity has students sort through expenses and income sources to construct their own weekly budget.
Complete Lesson Plan - including chapter review questions, activities, worksheets, extension activities, etc.
Activity 1: Life on the Run: A Budget for Claudia and Jamie
Activity 2: Is the Price Right?
Activity 3: From the Mixed-up Budget of...
Hello Working World
Financial and Economic Concepts: Basic Budgeting Sixth Grade – Mathematics
Standard 1: Students will expand number sense to include operations with rational numbers.(decimals)
Objective 5: Solve problems involving multiple steps.
Students will learn about the options of the working world. They will consider choices for careers, see how income is connected to education and profession, and be able to create a budget with various expenses. Students will record their data in a graphic organizer and create appropriate constructive responses.
Hello Working World Worksheet (pdf)
Banking on Inflation
Financial and Economic Concepts: Free Markets and Prices Sixth Grade – Mathematics
Standard 5: Students will analyze, draw conclusions, and make predictions based upon data and apply basic concepts of probability.
Objective 1: Design investigations to reach conclusions using statistical methods to make inferences based on data.
Inflation affects more than the cost of insurance—it affects the prices of items you buy every day. This worksheet helps students compare prices of the past and anticipate prices rising in the future.
Note to Teachers: The answers are on the worksheet so be sure to mark them out!
Student Worksheet (pdf)
Creating a Budget
Financial and Economic Concepts: Basic Budgeting Sixth Grade – Mathematics
Standard 5: Students will analyze, draw conclusions, and make predictions based upon data and apply basic concepts of probability.
Objective 1: Design investigations to reach conclusions using statistical methods to make inferences based on data.
Objective 2: Apply basic concepts of probability and justify outcomes.
For this activity, students create a personal budget.
Give students a personal budget worksheet with the following categories:
- Rent
- Utilities
- Transportation
- Insurance(s)
- Cable
- Anything else that teacher determines to be appropriate
Have students research these expenses, based on their desired lifestyle.
Next, give students a monthly paycheck, with net income listed. Income should be based on the local standard of living.
Ask students compare their expenses with net income.
Discuss student budgets, focusing on the importance of making wise choices.
Complete Lesson Plan (When accessing this lesson you may be prompted to sign in. Simply select your town and enter your zip code and area code.)
Mixed Economy
Financial and Economic Concepts: Free Markets and Prices Sixth Grade – Mathematics
Standard 5: Students will analyze, draw conclusions, and make predictions based upon data and apply basic concepts of probability.
Objective 1: Design investigations to reach conclusions using statistical methods to make inferences based on data.
Show the Mixed Economy PowerPoint on an LCD projector, or print slides for students to see. Guide them through the slides then let them answer the following questions on the last slide.
Mixed Economy (ppt)
With your partner, answer the following questions:
- What bad things could happen if an economy was pure market? (Be specific, at least 3 sentences)
- What bad things could happen if an economy was pure command? (Be specific, at least 3 sentences).
Supply & Demand at the Gold Rush
Financial and Economic Concepts: Supply and Demand Sixth Grade – Mathematics
Standard 5: Students will analyze, draw conclusions, and make predictions based upon data and apply basic concepts of probability.
Objective 1: Design investigations to reach conclusions using statistical methods to make inferences based on data.
Objective 2: Apply basic concepts of probability and justify outcomes.
You are an economic spotter! An economic spotter is someone who can spot examples of economic concepts in historical places. This lesson sends you in a time machine back to the Gold Rush! Yep, you are about to become a Forty-Niner! These Forty-Niners use picks and shovels instead of footballs. See which economic nuggets you can find hidden in them thar' hills!
Lots of people got rich during the Gold Rush, but amazingly some of the richest were the merchants who knew their laws of supply and demand! Those merchants who did not leave their stores to go and find gold actually ended up with the largest piles of gold. If you know your laws of supply and demand, it all "pans" out in the end!
