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Eighth Grade - Language Arts
Activities
A Penny Saved - Comic Book
Financial and Economic Concept: Savings and Financial Investments
Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Reading: Informational Text Standard 2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Time: 45 minutes
Materials: A Penny Saved Comic (can be viewed on computers as a PDF to save paper, or print handouts), copies of student worksheet
Have students read pages 2-11 of the comic book A Penny Saved (pdf).
A Penny Saved: Student Worksheet (pdf)
A Penny Saved: Student Worksheet - Answer Key (pdf)
Review A Penny Saved: Student Worksheet with the students, using A Penny Saved: Answer Sheet. Discuss selected questions and provide clarification of concepts when necessary. Ask students to give examples of the possible consequences of not saving. (Answers should include having no protection for emergencies or unforeseen problems and having no reserve amount for special occasions).
Review key vocabulary words. Have students write the terms on their worksheets or on a separate sheet of paper.
- Savings - Putting money safely aside for future use. Ask students what “safely” might mean.
- Spending power – The ability (power) to pay, to be prepared for emergencies, or to be prepared to pay for what we want in the future.
- Interest – A fee for the use of money over time. Interest is money earned on a savings account. It is also money charged to a borrower.
- Compound interest – Interest paid on previously earned interest as well as on the original deposit. Explain that compound interest amounts to more than simple interest that is only paid on the original deposit. Make sure students now understand that saving money in a bank or credit union keeps the money safe and earns them more money.
Refer students to A Penny Saved, page 7, box 4, and have them read what the characters say about earning interest. Tell students that they will soon learn more about the computation of interest, but for now they should look at A Penny Saved, page 8, which illustrates the growth of an account with simple versus compound interest. Refer to the charts and point out the difference in amounts earned between the two types of interest.
Point out to students that there is a quick method of calculating how fast savings grow with compound interest. A Penny Saved, page 8, box 3, explains the Rule of 72. The Rule of 72 tells how many years it will take for savings to double with compound interest. Explain to students that if they divide the interest rate into 72, the answer is approximately the number of years it will take savings to double with compound interest. For example, with a 9 percent compound interest rate, savings will double in approximately 8 years (72/9 = 8). With a 3 percent compound interest rate, savings will double in approximately 24 years (72/3 = 24).
Complete Lesson Plan (pdf)
The Fed Today
Financial and Economic Concept: Monetary and fiscal policy Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Standard 2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Time: 40 minutes
Materials: DVD, student worksheet
The Fed Today Video (DVD). Available free from the Federal
Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
Distribute a copy of the worksheet: The Fed Today—Look for the Answers! Tell students they are going to watch a DVD/video about the Federal Reserve System and that they should look for the answers to the questions in Activity 3. Show the DVD/video The Fed Today.
Ask students to write a two paragraph summary of what was learned.
The Fed Today - Look for the Answers! (pdf)
Complete Lesson Plan (pdf)
The Game Changed
Financial and Economic Concept: Savings and Financial Investments Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Reading: Information Text Standard 1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports and analysis of what the test says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Time: 60 minutes
Materials: Student handouts
Excerpt from article:
“The Millennial generation, or Gen Y, ranges from people in their 20s to those still in grade school. But what they all have in common is the knowledge that the recession has in some way shattered the world they thought they knew. And, depending upon how long the downturn lasts, historians, economists and psychologists say it could shape Millennials’ values and attitudes in much the same way the Depression shaped the attitudes of those growing up in the 1930s.”
Students read the article and answer discussion questions (30 minutes), complete the “Get with the savings plan, man” activity/worksheet (15 minutes), debrief and apply as a class (10 minutes).
Complete Lesson Plan (Click on “Those just starting out find the game changed” next to the topic of Savings.)
In Plain English
Financial and Economic Concept: Monetary and fiscal policy Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Reading: Informational Text Standard 7: Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
Time: 30 minutes
Materials: Free DVD, Student worksheet
In Plain English: Making Sense of the Federal Reserve (DVD). Available from the Federal
Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Show the students the DVD In Plain English: Making Sense of the Federal Reserve (fourteen minutes long) and then have them complete the worksheet. Distribute a print copy of In Plain English: Making Sense of the Federal Reserve (available for free from website above). Refer students to page 17 and use the reference pages listed on the quiz to check their answers to the worksheet. Review the answers with students.
Can You Answer These in Plain English (pdf)
Can You Answer These in Plain English - Answer Key (pdf)
As a class discuss how the information was presented on the video and whether or not a different medium would be more effective in presenting this information.
Payroll Taxes are Simple, Steady and In Trouble
Financial and Economic Concept: Taxes and Earning an Income Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Reading: Informational Text Standard 7: Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
Time: 60 minutes
Materials: student worksheets
Excerpt form lesson:
“It can be a little disheartening to see how much of your paycheck will not make it into your bank account. However, it’s important to think about the necessity of funding government programs that help all Americans, including you and your family. And, if you are unhappy with the way the government is handling your hard-earned money, that’s all the more reason to vote for candidates at the local, state and national level who you feel will do the best job at managing the government.”
Students read the article and answer discussion questions (25 minutes), complete the “Dissecting your paycheck” activity/worksheet (25 minutes), debrief and apply as a class (10 minutes).
Complete Lesson Plan (Click on “Payroll taxes are simple, steady – and in trouble” next to the topic of Payroll Taxes.)
Who Needs Math?
Financial and Economic Concepts: Careers Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Speaking and Listening Standard 4: Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient point in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Time: 60 minutes
Materials: One copy of various interviews from the Workbook per student, small groups
There’s hardly a student who has made it through a high school trigonometry class without asking, “When am I ever going to use this stuff in real life?” This publication is intended to answer precisely that question.
What you’ll find within these pages is a collection of interviews with real professionals in a wide variety of occupations, all of whom use math regularly. As you read, you’ll see that math turns up in some surprising places. Want to be a welder? Better not skimp on the geometry and trig. What about interior design? You’ll need higher math skills to calculate the arc for that countertop. Simply put: math is everywhere!
Some ideas for using this publication include assigning an interview to each student then have them share in small groups what was learned.
Another idea is to have students read the interviews in small groups, then share with the large group what they learned. Each career could be introduced with a quick game of charades to have the class guess the groups’ assigned occupation.
Students could be assigned to write interview questions, then interview a person with a math career not given on the list. Students would then add to the interviews with written answers to the questions, in the same format at the publication.
Who Needs Math Workbook (pdf)
Career Choices: Then, Now, and for the Future
Financial and Economic Concept: Careers Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Speaking and Listening Standard 1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on other’s ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Writing Standard 7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Time: 30 minutes (at home)
Materials: writing supplies
For this activity, students learn about the world of work and career planning from those actually out there: adults.
Have students interview an adult who has worked in the same type of job for at least 10 years using the following questions:
- What is your job?
- What skills did you need to get your job?
- What education did you need?
- How did you get your education and skills?
- Have you had to do additional training to keep current in your job?
- Do people being hired now have to have different skills and training?
- Where and how are they getting their training?
- How have job responsibilities changed since you first worked in the field?
- Why do you think your responsibilities have changed?
- Are there more people being hired in your field from diverse backgrounds?
- How do you see your job changing in 10 years? 20?
- Why do you think your job will change?
- What education and skills will be needed then?
With their information, have students write a short story about the person they interviewed (can be fiction or non-fiction). This can be first or third person, but should reflect how society has changed over the span of the person's life experience. Include cultural trends, societal changes, and differing family expectations.
Expository Writing on Career Choice
Financial and Economic Concept: Careers Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Writing Standard 5: With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
Writing Standard 7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Writing Standard 8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Time: 30 minutes at home, 45-60 minutes in class
Materials: writing supplies
For this activity, students increase their descriptive and expository writing skills while learning about careers.
Part One
Lecture students about descriptive writing, emphasizing the use of sight words, sound words, touch words, smell words, and taste words (imagery). Specifically:
- Sight words can focus on color, size, shape, surface appearance or action.
- Touch words can include texture, temperature, shape, weight, and density.
- Sounds words can refer to the volume, pitch, and sound quality.
- Smell words can refer to any of the 2000 different odors the human nose can detect.
- Taste words can refer to the sweetness, sourness, saltiness, or bitterness.
Ask each student to visit a place of business, preferably in a career area of their choice. Students should take notes of things that appeal to the senses. They should use adjectives and phrases to describe what they see, hear, smell, feel, and taste in the air.
Have students write a description of the place of business they visited, using the imagery words and phrases recorded during their visit. Student writing can be narrative (story line) in style, with the inclusion of the imagery words and phrases.
Ask students to peer edit and critique each other's descriptions.
Have students make necessary corrections and rewrite the description.
Part Two
Lecture students about expository writing, emphasizing that it answers the questions who, where, what, when, why, and how.
Ask each student to select a career field of interest.
Have students to brainstorm specific questions beginning with the words who, where, what, when, why and how. Some questions may include:
- Who is best suited for such a job?
- Where would you get the best education to prepare for such a job?
- Where in the country, or world are there jobs available in this field?
- What qualifications or personality traits do you need for such a job?
- What would your job responsibilities be in this field?
- When would you need to complete various courses in order to prepare for this job?
- When are these jobs most likely to be available?
- Why is this career choice a good choice?
- Why might this career choice be a bad choice?
- How much would you need to invest to get the education necessary for this career field?
- How much money would you make in this field?
Once questions have been formulated, direct students to conduct the necessary research to find the answers.
Have students organize their information into a logical pattern and write an essay based on their research.
Ask students to peer edit and critique each other's essays.
Have students make necessary corrections and rewrite their essays.
Career Writing Prompts
Financial and Economic Concepts: Careers Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Writing Standard 10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two).
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: writing supplies
For this activity, students write responses to prompts that relate to skills applicable to both school and the workplace.
The following are writing prompts to be used as bell work or class starters. The responses need to be a minimum of three to five sentences.
Have students include how their response relates to school and work.
Note to teachers: Remember to emphasize to students to respond to the writing prompts in a school and workplace setting. For example, the prompt “Something I would like to accomplish this month…”, would have a response such as “completing my homework on time” rather than “learning to ride a skateboard.”
- I usually solve problems by…
- The easiest way for me to learn something new is…
- When something is difficult for me, I...
- I can help my community by…
- Something I would like to change at school is…
- Something I would like to accomplish this month…
- I plan to be a life-long learner by…
- I am proud of…
- I always feel successful when I…
- When I'm not prepared for class I…
- When I am upset I would like…
- The best way for me to study is…
- One of my favorite places is…
- I would like to save money for…
- In five years I would like to be…
- My ideal job is…
Power to Tax
Financial and Economic Concept: Federal, State, and Local Taxes Eighth Grade – Language Arts
Reading: Informational Text Standard 9: Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
Time: 60 minutes
Materials: Student handouts, writing supplies
Copy and distribute Information Sheet 2—Excerpts from Federalist Paper No. 30 by Alexander Hamilton and Information Sheet 3—Excerpts from Anti-Federalist Letter by Richard Henry Lee.
Have students read and compare the reasons for and against granting the federal government the power to tax as argued by Federalist Alexander Hamilton and Anti-Federalist Richard Lee. Challenge students to identify each writer’s main points. Invite students to act out a mock debate between Hamilton and Lee.
Students should identify the following points: Hamilton believed that giving the federal government the power to raise and collect taxes would provide revenue to the nation and promote stability, efficiency, and trust within the nation and among nations in the international community. Lee objected to the federal power to tax because he believed that federal laws would cancel state laws. He also thought that the national government lacked the means to collect taxes efficiently and that corruption was a possibility.
Information Sheet 2 (pdf)
Information Sheet 3 (pdf)
Complete Lesson Plan (pdf)
