Focus question:
How can developing an effective spending plan lead to financial success?

Introduction:
From the "Getting Started" page, ask the class to access p.2, "Introduction." Ask the class the following questions about the book whose cover appears on page 2:

• How can you explain someone titling a book: “Developing a Spending Plan—A Guide for Financial Success?”
• What do you know about spending plans?
• Why would the author suggest that developing a spending plan would be “a guide to financial success?”
• What are some of the things you’d want to know about spending plans?
• What question does the title of this book raise for us to consider? (How can developing an effective spending plan lead us to financial success?)

Discussing the activity
Ask the class to access p. 3, "Objectives." Have students answer the following:

• Based on the objectives on this page, what will you be learning from this activity?
• Which of the objectives interests you most?
• If we had an expert with us in class today, what questions would you ask about spending plans?

Ask the class to access p. 4, "Projects." Explain that the class will now participate in a learning exercise about spending plans. After that, each student will be required to complete one of the following projects: 1) create a written instructional manual; 2) create an instructional manual on video cassette; 3) create an online instructional manual. Prior to starting the learning exercise, have students explain their answers to the following questions:

• What do you know about the components of a well written instructional manual?
• What do you know about the components of an effective instructional video?
• What do you know about the components of a high quality on-line instructional manual?

Discuss with the class your specifications and expectations for the projects, including deadlines; criteria for grading their instructional manuals; and format. Teachers must assign each student one of the positions listed on the chart on page 11, in order for them to complete the exercise in Tutorial #3 in the Student Learning Activities about budgeting.

Explain to students that most of the information for their projects should come from reading the tutorials. Divide the class into five groups. Assign each group one of the following pages and related websites to read : p. 9, "Families and the Need for a Spending Plan." p.10, "The Budgeting Process", p. 11, "Your Turn to Create a Spending Plan", p.12, "Budgeting Tips", and p.5, "More Information About Spending Plans".

After their reading, have the students explain their answers to the following questions:

• What information did you find on the web pages you looked at and websites you read?
• Discuss one important thing that you learned about spending plans that you didn’t know before.
• What questions do you have about completing your project?

Summary:
Ask students to explain their answers to the following question:

• What do you hope to learn by completing this project?