Completing Your Tax Return

EQ - How do I file my tax return?

1. Activator - The cost of tax returns
2. Tax Timeline
3. Form Identification
4. Together - Complete a 1040
5. Collaborative Pairs - Complete a 1040
6. Muddy Points
7. Individual Practice
8. Create a study guide for Unit 3 Exam

Minimum Wage Laws

EQ - How do current minimum wage laws affect your pay?

1. Activator: LINK
1. List - TPS- What do you know about minimum wage?
2. Inquire - TPS - What questions can be formed from this list?
3. Read "The Impact of $9 Minimum Wage"
2. Collaborative Groups - Discussion - What's the big deal about minimum wage?
1. Note - Make Notes about your discussion.  Look for answers to our inquiry questions, connections to what you already know or heard about in our discussion, and new questions that arose as you read.
2. Know -  Write a short explanation (140 characters or less) of what you now know about minimum wage.
3. TPS - Minimum Wage Pay Calculations
1. Review calculations
2. Annual take home pay for a person earning minimum wage.
4. Discussion - How has your understanding of minimum wage changed as a result of the reading and discussion?
5. Muddy Points - What elements of minimum wage are you still working to understand?

PART 2
EQ - How do current minimum wage laws impact an individual's personal finances?

1. Activator - Homework Recap
1. Know -  Write a short explanation (140 characters or less) of what you now know about minimum wage.
2. Discussion - How has your understanding of minimum wage changed as a result of the reading and discussion?
3. Muddy Points - What elements of minimum wage are you still working to understand?
2. Developmental Activity - Can You Survive?
1. TPS - Before you begin
1. Explain your opinion of a job that will pay your $9/hr.
2. Would you be able to provide for yourself at this hourly rate?
2. The Experience - Can You Survive?
3. TPS - What was this experience like for you?
4. Has your perception changed?  Why or why not?
3.  Additional Reading - Federal Minimum Wage Laws
4. Assessment - Compose a letter to your state representative
1. Identify your state rep.
2. Discuss the minimum wage debate
3. Propose a recommendation for how your rep should vote on minimum wage law changes
4. Provide evidence to support your recommendation

WHEN FINISHED:

EQ - How do I prepare a tax return?

1. Activator: Costs of doing taxes - Answer as a comment to this post (select anonymous, type your first name and then your response)
2. Vocabulary Preview - The Language of Taxes - Take notes in your class notebook
3. Start Here - Complete Modules 1-13

Getting Paid - Hybrid

EQ - What is the difference between gross and net pay?

1. Activator - Survey Discussion
2. Direct - Calculating Pay
1. Difference between Gross Pay and Net Pay
2. Net Pay Calculations
3. Collaboration - Federal Income Taxes
1. Where Do My Federal Income Taxes Go?
2. Summarize on a piece of paper:
1. How did your group change the budget?
2. Describe your decision making process (WHY you made the changes)
3. Where did your group disagree?  Did you disagree without fighting?
4. Independent - Payroll Terminology
1. Actively Read - "Open Ended Response"
1. Open Ended Response
1. Preview the question
2. Read the article
2. Identifying Key Vocabulary
1. Gross Pay, Net Pay, Wages, Taxes, Deductions
5. Debriefing
1. Previewing a Paystub - Click Here
2. Discussion - How are your taxes used?
6. TOD - Knowing the effect of deductions from your paycheck, how might this impact you when you begin financial planning using SMART Goals?

IF TIME PERMITS - Continue next class
EQ - Where do my federal tax dollars go?

1. Activator - Voice Your Opinion
1. What 3 expenditures do you deem to be the most important?  Why?
2. What 3 expenditures do you deem the most frivolous?  Why?
3. What tax allocation did you find the most surprising? Explain.
4. What changes did you make?
5. How sustainable was your budget?
6. What was your budget deficit/surplus?
2. Class Discussion
3. Assignment
1. Compose a response to answer the EQs
1. Find the assignment in Schoology
2. Describe your opinion on how our federal income taxes are dispersed.
3. Do you think the allocation is appropriate? Why or why not?
4. If you could change anything regarding how tax dollars are spent, what would you change?  Explain.
5. Submit to Schoology