The Five Foundations of Financial Success

You're in high school.  You're busy with classes, homework, sports, clubs and activities.  Your free time outside of school is spent hanging out with your friends, trying to spend time with your crush, and maybe spending just a little too much time online...

Life is simple.  You have a roof over your head, clothes, food on the table and you're not the one paying the bills.  You have a part-time job, so you even have some spending money. 

Managing your money and thinking about a budget isn't for you, right? You can worry about that stuff after you graduate high school...maybe even after you graduate college.  For now, you just want to sit back, have fun, and enjoy life.  You don't need to worry about money or your financial future for a long, long time...

Or do you?

This WebQuest, along with your Dave Ramsey Foundations in Personal Finance text book, and Dave's FoundationsU website https://www.foundationsu.com/high-school/activities , will help you unlock proven secrets that will help you win with money, minimize financial stress, develop good money habits, and increase your wealth.  In fact, this WebQuest will help you learn and apply behaviors that could make you a millionaire!

Money.  Cash.  Benjamins.  Bills.  Greenbacks.  Loot.  Moolah.   Coin.  Chedda.

No matter what you call it, it's hard to get by without it...and it seems that no matter how much of it we have, we always want more!

Money is a BIG DEAL in our culture!  Don't believe me?  We have songs about, movies about it, and tv shows about.  People fall over themselves to earn it, spend it, and save it.

Look at these examples from the world of music -  all songs about MONEY!

• "C.R.E.A.M." (Wu-Tang Clan),
• "Money" (Pink Floyd) 
• "Mo money, mo problems" (Notorious B.I.G. feat Mase & Puff Daddy)
  
• "Money for Nothing" (Dire Straits)
• "Eat the Rich" (Aerosmith)
• "If I had $1,000,000" (Barenaked Ladies)
• "Just Got Paid" (NSYNC)
• "I Get Money" (50 Cent)
• "Independent Women" (Destiny's Child)

Or how about these movies about getting RICH, quick?

• Boiler Room
• Casino
• The Color of Money
• Glengarry Glen Ross
• Jerry Maguire ("Show me the money!")
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Blank Check
• Wall Street
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
  

In fact, money matters SO much to some of us, that people get PAID to help us manage our money.  Here's a list of careers that all revolve around MONEY:

• Accountant
• Stock Broker
• Banker
• Financial Advisor
• Hedge Fund Analyst
• Treasurer
• Insurance Agent
• Investment Banker
• Coroporate Finance Manager
• Bank Teller
• Bookeeper

So we've established the fact that MONEY MATTERS, and that there are people who get paid to help us manage our money.  But there are also people out there that are willing to help separate you from your money, whether you want them to or not!  Check out this link to see a short list of some of the most awful: http://listverse.com/2007/08/28/top-10-famous-con-men

Oh, and women are included in this too: http://mom.me/fun/7013-10-notorious-female-con-artists

YIKES! So obviously, you need to know enough about managing your money that you know when something is too good to be true - and you also need to know how to decode the MONEY MYTHS from the MONEY TRUTHS.

Sounds kind of intimidating. 

But FEAR NOT, brave adventurer, for you are about to unlock the mysteries of the MONEY universe.  You are about to embark on an EPIC journey of AWESOME proportions engineered specifically to ENLIGHTEN you.  You WILL emerge from this WebQuest SMARTER, WISER, and with the skills needed to WIN WITH MONEY.

Aw yeah. You've got this.

You will work in assigned groups of 3-4 students to:

1. Use your Dave Ramsey text, FoundationsU, and the links and resources suggested, to research and become an expert on The Five Foundations.  You may find your own sources as well; make sure your sources are accurate, reliable, and valid. 
2. Determine the important MUST KNOW information about each foundation.  Use the web tool Wideo ( http://wideo.co/en/ ) to create 5 short animated video presentations which teaches the viewer all about each foundation. 
3. Create and distribute a note guide viewers can fill out while they watch your videos.  Make sure you include key terms!  Provide one blank and one fully filled-out copy of the note guide to your teacher.
4. Provide an MLA formatted works cited, indicating all the sources you used to gather information and conduct your research.  Turn this in with ONE rubric for your group.
5. Be prepared to answer teacher questions about your presenation; make sure you're an expert, because your peers will evaluate your presentation.  A portion of your final presentation grade will be based on peer input.
6. Be prepared to watch your peers' videos, take notes, and use their expertise to your advantage.  You should be ready to ask thoughtful, insightful questions and provide feedback on their presentations.
7. Go out there and use what you've learned to WIN with MONEY.

Part ONE

Go to http://wideo.co/ and create a login - you should use your gaggle e-mail address to create this account.  Make sure you write down your username and password on your index card!

Make sure EVERYONE in the group has a username and password AND that they wrote it on their index cards, so that if someone is absent they can see Mrs. Wimer to access all your team's wideos.

Next, READ all the sections in your Foundations in Financial Literacy text, review the resources at FoundationsU - https://www.foundationsu.com/high-school - and seek additional information from other online sources.  Make sure YOU KNOW all there is to know about The Five Foundations. Take copious notes!

Then, it's time to get familiar with the controls and how everything works in Wideo! 
You can start by watching the Wideo tutorial found here:  http://help.wideo.co/hc/en-us

Since we're working with the FREE version of Wideo, our videos can only be 45 seconds long.  I know that sounds SHORT, but you'll be shocked at just how difficult it can be to fill 45 seconds of time with meaningful goodness.

That means that in order to fully cover all of The Five Foundations, you'll need to create 5 short videos, one video to highlight each foundation.
Of course, no movie can become GREAT without the proper planning...and that's where Part TWO comes into play.

Part TWO

Using your notes, create an outline or storyboard for your Wideo videos. 

Present your storyboard/outline to your teacher for final approval. 

You MUST complete this step before beginning your work in Wideo.  Save your storyboard/outline; you will turn it in with your project rubric and works cited.

Not sure what a storyboard is or why you even have to create one?  Click these links to find out more:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgDwNxGIuCQ (click to skip the ad at the beginning of the video)
  
• http://goanimate.com/video-maker-tips/what-is-a-storyboard-and-why-do-y…

Never made a storyboard before?  You can draw one freehand OR use this neat little tool to create one: http://www.storyboardthat.com/

You should also provide a rough script for your video along with estimated timing; you may deviate slightly from the script in your finished prodict, but it should be a good indication of the intended content.

Part THREE

Begin working in Wideo! 

This should be the most time and effort-intensive part of your assignment.  You are going to be learning how to use a new application as well as putting considerable time and effort into creating a professional quality presentation.  Remember, your videos will be shown to other classes and may even be used to teach this unit next school year.  Do your best work and create a finished product you are PROUD to put your name on.

• Go to http://wideo.co/en
  
• You should have already created ONE login/user account per person in your group using your Gaggle e-mail.  Make sure you write down your user name and password in your index card (if you didn't do this steo yet, DO IT NOW).  This is crucial, so you can still access your project in the event that you forget it, lose it, or any key group members are absent from class. While you are working, remember to save your work frequently! 
  
• Spend some time getting familiar with the tool.  Figure out how the controls work, what your tools and abilites are, and imagine the possibilities!  Watch some videos created by other users, view a few tutorials, or just jump in and start playing around with the tools.
• Use your script and storyboard to begin creating your videos.
• Create a Guided Notes handout to distribute to the class for their use during your presentation; this should summarize and include only important, pertinent information about The Five Foundations.  Your note guide can be made with MS Word or via some other appropriate computer-based method - you can even use Piktochart or Smore!  You should provide 1 blank copy (to be copied and distributed to your classmates) and one filled-out copy to the teacher (to act as an answer key).
  
• Your video must contain the following elements:
• Music
• At least 2 varied backgrounds
• At least 5 props
• At least 5 special effects, including at least 2 scene transitions
  
• Animation
• Dialogue - both in speech bubbles AND at least one instance of either recorded voice or text to speech
• Each video should be no less than 40 seconds (45 minutes is the maximum). 
  
• When you think you have completed your project, use the rubric in the EVALUATION tab to ensure you have completed all the essential steps, have included all the relevant information, and followed directions.  Check and double-check your work. 

You have been handed the keys to an A - the Keys to Success - USE THEM WISELY, GRASSHOPPER!

This is the rubric that both your teacher and your peers will be using to evaluate your finished project.  Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the grading guidelines.  If you have any questions or require clarification, please ASK QUESTIONS!  You will also need to understand this rubric so you can use it to rate your peers' presentations.

Congratulations! You are now smarter, wiser, and more enlightened.  You have the tools to reduce your money stress, tap into the potential of wealth building and compound interest, stay out of debt, pay cash for large purchases (including COLLEGE and CARS) and create a realistic financial plan for yourself.

You are the master of money. 

Winning with Money -

Dave Ramsey's Five Foundations

Description: Students will use textbook, website, video, podcast and other web-based resources to discover the impact knowledge and behaviors have on financial outcomes.  Students will work in teams to research the following:

• Saving an appropriate emergency fund
• Getting out of debt (and STAYING out of debt)
• Pay cash for a vehicle (including Dave's Free Cars for Life)
• Pay cash for college (including scholarships and alternative sources of CASH for college)
• Welath building and philanthropy (including the time value of money and compound interest)

Grade Level: 9-12

Curriculum: Business, Computer, Information Technology, Life Skills, Study Skills; Financial Literacy

PA Standards for Business, Computer and Information Technology Standards GRADES Pre K-12

Pennsylvania’s public schools shall teach, challenge and support every student to realize his or her maximum potential and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to:

• 15.3.12.D. Evaluate business materials (including web based resources) for value related to purpose, quality, and appropriateness.
• 15.3.12.E.- Evaluate chosen print and electronic resources for advanced research.
• 15.3.12.I. - Synthesize information gathered from multiple sources (e.g., digital, print, face to face).
• 15.3.12.N. - Demonstrate appropriate work ethic in the workplace, community, and classroom.
• 15.3.12.P . - Demonstrate leadership communication skills through delegating, negotiating, goal setting, and generating ideas.
• 15.4.12.A. - Apply the creative and productive use of emerging technologies for educational and personal success.
• 15.4.12.G. - Create an advanced digital project using sophisticated design and appropriate software/applications.
• 15.4.12.K. - Evaluate advanced multimedia work products and make recommendations based on the evaluation.
• 15.6.12.L. - Find and use primary documentation; employ an accepted protocol for citation.
• 15.6.12.A - Evaluate the impact of internal and external influences on financial decisions.
• 15.6.12.G. - Identify strategies for personal financial management.
• 15.6.12.H. - Evaluate payment methods for major purchases.
• 15.6.12.K. - Analyze the impact of a positive or negative credit history.

Keywords: personal finance, financial literacy, budgeting, money management, debt, credit, borrowing, financial success, Dave Ramsey, The Five Foundations

WebQuest Author: Mrs. Marianne Wimer

Text Book Resource: Dave Ramsey - Foundations in Personal Finance (High School Edition)