Free Balancing Check Books Lesson Plan for 6th Grade Students

Topic: Balancing Check Books

Objectives & Outcomes

• Understand the purpose of a checkbook and how it is used to keep track of financial transactions.

Materials

• A blank checkbook
• Pencils
• Calculator (optional)

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have ever used a checkbook before.
• Ask them to describe how they use their checkbook to pay for things.
• Ask them if they know what a check is and what it is used for.

Direct Instruction

• Explain that a checkbook is a book used to keep track of money that is being spent.
• Show students an example check and explain what all the parts are.
• Explain that checks have a number, a pay to address, a amount, and a signature line.
• Explain that checks are used to pay for things by giving the pay to address and the amount.
• Explain that once a check is written, it must be deposited into a bank account.
• Explain that a bank account is an account that holds the money that is being saved or being spent.
• Explain that a checkbook is used to keep track of the money that is in the bank account.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in pairs and give each pair a checkbook, a pen, and a blank check.
• Have students practice writing a check for a small amount (ie. $5) to a made up pay to address.
• Demonstrate how to properly fill out the check by writing the number, pay to address, amount, and signature line.
• Have students practice writing their own checks using the guidance of the teacher.

Independent Practice

• Have students create their own checkbook for the class project.
• Have students keep track of their spending and balance their checkbooks on a regular basis.
• Encourage students to work together to help each other balance their checkbooks.

Closure

• Have students share their checkbooks with the class and explain how they kept track of their spending and balanced their checkbooks.
• Review the steps for keeping and balancing a checkbook.
• Ask students to share any challenges they experienced when keeping and balancing their checkbooks and how they overcame those challenges.
• Remind students of the importance of understanding how to keep and balance a checkbook, as it can help them manage their money more effectively.

Assessment

• Observe students during the guided practice and independent practice activities to assess their understanding of the steps for keeping and balancing a checkbook.
• Collect and review the checkbooks completed during the independent practice activity to assess students' ability to keep track of their spending and balance their checkbooks.
• Administer a brief quiz to assess students' understanding of the concepts covered in the lesson (e.g. -what is a checkbook, how do you keep track of your spending, how do you balance a checkbook).