Burn Baby Burn
by Felicia Sonnier, felicia.sonnier@cpsb.org

Content Area(s)
English/Language Arts

Grade Level(s)
4, 5, Special Ed

Overview
The students will complete a real life lesson dealing with expenses. The prerequisite skills they should have is a knowledge of excel and the program Burn Rate.

Software
Burn Rate
Word to Go
MS Excel

Technology
Margi to Go

Objectives
TLW create categories using burnrate program from excel spreadsheet

TLW place proper items in category

TLW beam tasks to other students to compare

Procedures
Beam information to students previous to teaching lesson: Excel Spreadsheet and task.

Introduction: Read newspaper article about Trump going bankrupt in the American Press

Discuss with the class his reasons for going bankrupt

Place the students into groups of four and set your timer for 20 minutes

Students are assigned the task of being Donald Trump’s personal assistant. Ivana and Marla are breathing down his neck to pay more alimony, and the Taj Mahal is not doing well. Donald has been forced to go bankrupt. Your task is to keep up with how much he is spending, and in what areas. He keeps an excel spreadsheet with the things listed that he spends daily. You must use the burnrate program to categorize a day and see how much he is spending in each category. You assign the category names, and list the cost under each one. When your group is finished, you will share your findings. Good luck, because you don’t want to be "fired".


Start timer and observe what groups are doing

When timer is finished, students would use Margi to go to present or have the students beam to one another.

Culminating Activities: Handout $1000 grand bars to students

Other Supporting Material

Submitted on: 11/29/2004 7:57:17 PM