Finance homework for Wednesday, 4/30

Finance Park Book:
*Do NOT do assignment #13 until I have checked off your NMI on page 93.  
#13)  Budget Guidelines, page 94
This is one of the most important sheets you will complete in your workbook.  It needs to be completely accurate as it will guide how you spend your money.  As we discussed in class:
*Your minimum requirements means you will spend AT LEAST that much money when we do the work associated with that category.
*Your maximum requirements means you will spend NO MORE THAN that much money when we do the work associated with that category.
*Lucky and Unlucky chances MAY give you permission to break away from those guidelines, but that is specifically stated on those stickers; or in other words, unless it says so on those stickers it is NOT your choice.
*Along the bottom of this page, you are also to total the percents and the amount of money that would be budgeted/spent if you used only your minimum or only your maximum guidelines.  It will help you see how much wiggle room you have ... or not.  ;-)

Life Posters and Pie Graphs are homework assignments and are due as soon as possible.  I will be entering them into TeacherEase this weekend ... Don't forget about them!

Finance Park Assignments, April 29

Finance Park Book Assignments - following directions
#11)  A Case Study, page 68 - 69
Read the case study carefully and answer the questions.  Question #10 is opinion, but it needs to be logical for credit.  You will not need a calculator for this assignment.
#12)  Lucky Chance!
You need to record the page that I can find your lucky chance in a two places:  your lilac assignment sheet and on page 92, #13.  You should find the page number where your sticker is to be placed written ON the sticker; please put it there.
The huge majority of you cannot use your lucky chance yet, so hang in there.  Those of you who are using it for your NMI on page 93, you will be done and can check it off.  Again, your sticker will TELL YOU if it's to be added in to your NMI.
Due Wednesday - Your NMI, page 93 for checking
Your Life Poster

Assignments for Monday, April 28

Homework:  Family Pie Worksheet
Complete the table (copy link above in assignment title) based upon what your parent believes they budget per year in each of the categories.  
*It does not have to be precise, it is just an estimate.  
*It should not include the amount spent, just the percentage of income allotted.  
*Make sure you end up with 100% of the income designated somewhere!
*Calculators ARE TOTALLY allowed for this assignment.
*Figure the degrees in your circle using the proportions we used for the M&M circles: 360 degrees per circle.  You will need a protractor for this assignment.
The assignment should be handed into the in-basket when you complete it ... I recommend you do this as soon as you can fit it in to your schedule.  

Finance Park Book:
#10) NMI Practice, page 55 only - NO CALUCULATORS!
Complete the NMIs in the examples using the information they give you.  It is addition and subtraction; do NOT use a calculator.
*Continue to think about the abbreviations used in this unit:  GAI, GMI, NMI, and how you can remember what they are so you are always using the correct calculations.  

Note:  Your current mileage (as rolled today) should be written on page 91 of your workbook.

Lucky Chances Tomorrow!

Finance Park Tasks

On Friday we began a few assignments, two of which are in your Finance Park Books and two which are not.
These two have due dates:
A)  Your Life Sticker
*Your life sticker should be attached to the front of your Finance Park book.  We will fill in the rest of the sticker as we determine taxes; please wait until I check your taxes for accuracy BEFORE you fill in the rest of your sticker.
*Stickers are graded as complete/incomplete as "homework" (do not write them on your lilac sheet) and will be checked in class on Wednesday, April 30.  In order to count as complete, they need to be completely filled in accurately and on time, so bring your book to class!  (you should every day anyway)
B)  Your Life Poster
*Families should be drawn on your sticker representing who you (and your family, if you have one) are in your F.P. Life.  You should put good effort into these drawings.  Posters need to have the borders colored or otherwise decorated as well.
*On Monday we will "roll" our mileage to work.  At that point you will be able to complete all of your poster except your NMI.  On Tuesday we will draw Lucky Chances and complete your NMIs.  Your posters need to be ready to turn in on Wednesday, April 30.  
*note - if you need a new sticker to draw your family on, I have extra.

In Your Book - 
(I might have remembered these in reverse order; don't worry about it, I will deal)
#8)  NMI pg 93
You were to complete ONLY lines 1 - 7 on this page.  Do NOT check it off in your workbook yet.
You need to figure your taxes using proportions based on these percentages -
*Line #3 Federal Income Tax - 15%
*Line #4 Social Security Tax - 12.4%
*Line #5 Medicare Tax - 2.9%
Remember, this total (line #7) should be approximately 1/4 of your GMI (line 2).  If it isn't, you did something incorrectly.
*Line #8 will include your tax break for your children ($88 per child) and your Lucky Chance earnings IF it applies. (check your sticker carefully!)
*Calculators are TOTALLY allowed.
#9) Unit Two Test, page 61-62
All of the answers are in the book from pages 45-60, but your parents will know a lot of the answers too (supposedly all of them!)  Use your resources wisely.
*There is no redo for this assignment

Thursday, April 24

Finance Park Book Assignments:
#6) Check Registry
This assignment is about precision!  Check your work until you get the same total twice.
Be sure to note whether you are depositing or taking money out of your checking account.
Ask if you are unsure what something means.
Take care of every step like we went over in class; your assignment is to fill out your check registry accurately.
#7)  Unit One Test
This assignment is open book meaning that you can (and should) look up any questions in the book that you don't know.
Put this on the front burner of your todo list; you want to be up-to-speed on these concepts.
There is no redo for this assignment.

Bring your books to class at 10:30 tomorrow; we'll be in the Trow!

Assignment #5

Finance Park Book - 
#5) Stock Price Graph - page 33
Complete this line graph by making a key in color and following the directions at the top of the page.  Yep, all of the directions are right there!  Read them.  ;-)

Remember also to be familiar with the words (pages 37-38) that we went over today in class.  I will be using them and you need to be prepared to hear and understand them.
They are on Quizlet as "Finance Park Vocabulary" (along with some words we haven't covered yet) and will be in the next Quiz Bowl!

Finance Park Assignments - April 21

Today you GOT A LIFE!  Congratulations to all of you on this exciting development.  Now the hard work begins ... but we'll be covering that in detail, so just focus on what you can do now:
Assignments 2, 3, and 4 in your book
#2) Debit Cards, page 6
This assignment cannot be redone, so use your resources wisely!
#3) Credit Decisions, pages  19-20
Page 17 is a good resource, but so are your parents.  Understand that there are benefits and drawbacks and that it is important to recognize both in order to make good financial decisions.
Remember that you can change the "key," as long as you make a key on the page.  An example would be highlighting advantages in yellow and disadvantages in blue rather than underlining and circling.
#4) Time is on Your Side, pages 24-25
Page 22 is a good resource, but so are your parents.
Yes, it is as easy as reading the table and finding the answers for 1-3, but #4 requires you to use your resources wisely ... they are looking for a plan utilizing the specific three variables they list.

I will get the Finance Park tab of this blog up this week, but it probably won't be tonight.  Ditto with the baby chick tab ... so stay tuned!
See you all on Wednesday for the Specialist period; bring your Finance Park books to room #4 and we'll get to work!
Have ultra fun being 7th graders on Switch Day tomorrow,
Mo ;-)

Weekend Homework???

Yes, this is the big question: are the Finance Park book pages assigned today homework?  Read on ...
Assignment:  Pages 1,2, and 3 in your Finance Park book.
*Complete pages 1 - 3 as the pre-test in your book.
*You do not need to research the questions, just make your best educated guesses.
*You MAY use a calculator for problems #11 - 14.
*This is a complete/partially complete/incomplete assignment.
Due Date:  Thursday, April 24 for full credit.
Be sure to bring your Finance Park book EVERY day to math class for the next several weeks.  Without it, you will be unable to utilize your class time fully and you will quickly fall behind.  Otherwise, while at school, please leave them in your airplane hangar, not your locker, to avoid mangling your book unneccessarily.  You may take them home at any time; they're yours!

Jaden and Aidan, you will get your books on Monday and will have plenty of time to complete the pre-test before Thursday.  Most people got only a few, if any, of the questions done today.  No worries!  

You will all be "Getting a Life" on Tuesday, April 22 ... get ready to LIVE!

Homework for Tuesday, April 15

Assignment:  Project Choice
This homework is designed to be done over the course of the next three nights.  Please consider that when you feel like putting it off until Thursday ... that's just painful.
You are responsible for one of these options.  You should have all that you need, but if you do not please track me down at school tomorrow.  (get it?  Track me down?  Tracker?  ... never mind)
A) Alphabet Probability
I feel like all of the instructions are on the sheet - so pace yourself.  Use the five sets of data I gave you for your summaries.  Guess logically and see if the data holds true!
M) M&M Debates
Using the "Mean" stack bar I gave you and the copies of the bags chosen by others as the "mean" and "strange" bags, construct your arguments for why they are good examples.  Use the first section for listing the data you will cite, use the second section for writing your argument in paragraph form.  Be convincing!
You will debate one of the two (mean or strangest) in class on Friday, so be prepared for them both.
Q) Quizlet - 4 sets
Although I suggested the "learn" option today, the "test" option is really more valuable if you reconfigure the test in this way:  Under "Question Types" select "written" only, make sure it says, "start with definition," and make sure it gives you all of the terms available.  Then select "reconfigure," complete the test, and "check your answers" when you are done.  Be sure to print your results.
Please complete:
*Fractions to Decimals
*Percents and Proportions
*Decimals, Fractions, Percents
*Proportion Applications
All of you are welcome to complete a Quizlet test in addition to your other project, but it is certainly not required.
All of these are Due Friday!

Homework for Monday, April 14

Today's assignment:  Eat Your Veggies  (the link!)
Whoa, I forgot how much I love this assignment until I began typing it up as a link.
You you know why I like it?!?  Because it shows me if you understand part-to-whole, how labeling can help you know what to do, how proportions work, and whether or not you can determine multiple steps to reach an answer.  I like that this is a difficult worksheet and that you will need to really think about some of the problems ... a lot.
So think hard ... you CAN do it.
*Be sure to fill in the bar graph; it's worth points too.
*Be sure to refer to the chart at the top for your percentages per veggie.
*Your totals will change, the variables will change, and the missing parts will change, so you will need to set up a different proportion each time.
*#5 AND #6 are difficult and will take more than one step.  In fact, I consider them at least 3 step problems.  There IS enough information, but you will figure out what you know piece by piece.  Set up a proportion, label it with what you know, and then set up another proportion ... (hint, hint)
Due Tuesday

Homework for Thursday, April 3

Assignment:  Word Problems pg 47.
This is a link to the assignment
This assignment mixes everything up with proportions and percentages, so be careful!
I strongly suggest reading the "question" a few times before figuring out the proportion  you will use.  For example, the question for #1 is:  What is the TOTAL price of the VCR INCLUDING tax.  
*Write your work as proportions.
*Solve without using a calculator: SHOW ALL OF YOUR WORK.
*Money answers should be rounded to the nearest cent, not the nearest dollar.
Now some advice -
Let's look at question #1 again: What is the TOTAL price of the VCR INCLUDING tax. 
Therefore I have two options for my proportion:  1) my proportion should be set up to determine the tax, then added to the original price or 2) my proportion is written as the original percent (100%) plus the tax percent (8%) to read as 108%/100% ... or the original cost plus tax.  The proportion is thus:  ? total price/$325 original price = 108% total price/100% original price (with labels)
Option two is more confusing for most people, but if you "get it," it gives you one less step in your work (because adding 8 to 100 is so simple)
Many of these questions are set up in ways we haven't specifically gone over yet ... just think about parts, wholes, and what the question is answering.  Set up your proportions first, label your work, and make sure your "?" is in the location that will answer the question.
*THERE MAY BE MORE THAN ONE STEP TO A QUESTION.
Do your best; we will continue to go over these after spring break!
Due Friday

Homework for Wednesday, April 2

Assignments:  Bag Prediction and Percents & Proportions ws
Both of the titles of each are links to copy of these worksheets.
Bag Prediction - needs to explain your mathematical thinking behind your choices.  Cite the graphs and/or data you used, and why you chose the numbers you did.  Your effort grade is reflected by your explanation, not whether or not you win the bag.
Due Thursday in your packet, but don't staple it together until after we determine the winner!
Percents & Proportions - this assignment MUST show the proportion you set up AND the arithmetic.  NO calculators may be used; your arithmetic must match your solutions.
Due Thursday

Assignment for Tuesday, April 1

TMath Assignment:  Pie Chart
*use the percentages you figured for YOUR bag with the proportion for degrees in a circle.
*draw your lines accurately; color your pie slices.
Due Thursday with your packet

Pre-Algebra Stock Market directions:  
We are using smartstocks.com, so go there.
Getting your account - You will need to have an account that connects to your email address; one that you can check if you forget your password.  You need to have a user name that includes your name (minimum) and is "school appropriate."  See Mr. Jeff if you are still having trouble creating your account.
Logging in - Scroll down a bit until you see where you log in ...
*you will need to type in your email address and your password.
*you will see three menus and our group should be listed below those.
Your Dashboard contains several things you need to be familiar with.
"My Portfolio" - this will tell you how much cash you have available and that's about it.
Buying & Selling Stocks - the trade tab and the buy/sell stocks link on your dashboard will both take you to where you can begin buying and selling stocks.  Once on this page, go to ...
Ticker Look-Up will allow you to type in a company name and get the ticker abbreviation for each stock that you want to look up.  Clicking on that company will then bring up the line graph representing the trading history.  You can figure out the values (positives and negatives) from there.
To actually Buy or Sell your stocks, click on that option on your dashboard.  Once there, you will type in the abbreviation for the stock you want and select the stock.  If buying, click "buy," and type in the number of shares that you would like to buy, then say, "make this trade."  If selling, you will need to do the same things, but sell instead.
To see where you stand in the group, go to "My Group Rankings."  
*Start out with 2 or 3 stocks until you get the hang of it.
*Try to spend as much of your million as you can.
*You may adjust the number of stocks you own, buy, and sell at any time.
*Do NOT reset your money.
*DO practice buying and selling; also note that green indicates a stock is rising and red indicates a stock is going down in value.  Do you know what it means to "buy low and sell high?"  Think about it.
Mr. Jeff will go over specific questions in class tomorrow; don't panic!