1-Pager
9th Grade  Project 9 weeks

Budget Boss Bash

Sarah F
Updated
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.7
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7
+ 11 more
1-pager

The Challenge

When wages do not keep pace with rising costs for transportation, food, housing, and education, you face tighter budgets, greater debt risk, and fewer opportunities to build savings or long-term stability. Limited access to clear financial information, affordable services, and predictable income makes budgeting difficult not only for individuals and families, but also for the economic health of communities.

Challenge Question

How might we address the challenge of rising transit, food, and school costs in Chicago so that Chicago teens can create realistic budgets, make informed trade-offs, and build savings from limited part-time income?

Standards

  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 - Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9—10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7 - Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5 - Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.5 - Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 - Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Competencies

  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
  • Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.
  • Academic Mindset - Students establish a sense of place, identity, and belonging to increase self-efficacy while engaging in critical reflection and action.

Learning Partners and Clients

The project’s learning partner is the Chicago Transit Authority in Chicago. CTA can help students examine how transit fares, passes, and route choices affect teen budgets and compare transportation trade-offs alongside food, school, and savings costs. As a client-facing audience, CTA staff or community representatives can review students’ final one-page plans or short videos and give feedback on how realistic and useful their budget recommendations are for Chicago teens.

Phase Overview

Phase Key Experiences
Discover
I can experience a Chicago teen budget simulation using real costs for CTA fares, food, and school expenses to identify the budgeting challenge and uncover how limited income, rising prices, and everyday choices create trade-offs.
Examine
I can research real Chicago prices for transit, meals, school supplies, and phone plans to explain how daily costs affect a teen budget. I can analyze charts, fare information, and short articles from sources such as the Chicago Transit Authority to connect quantitative data with written evidence. I can discuss my findings with peers, ask questions, and build on others’ ideas to identify the main causes and effects of financial stress for teens. I can compare multiple budget strategies and evaluate the trade-offs between spending, saving, and personal needs. I can write short reflections and research notes that help me refine my question and support my recommendations with evidence.
Engineer
I can develop an evidence-based financial advice product, such as a one-page plan or short video, that recommends a realistic balanced budget strategy for Chicago teens, includes a transportation plan informed by CTA costs, and clearly explains the trade-offs in my decisions.
Do
I can share my budget strategy with classmates and community partners, gather feedback and real-world data on whether the plan is realistic for Chicago teens, and revise my recommendations based on what I learn from their responses and budget results.
Share
I can share my financial advice product and learning journey in an interactive showcase with peers, families, school staff, and a Chicago Transit Authority representative, using visuals and discussion to explain my recommendations, defend my trade-offs, and reflect on how I grew as a researcher, collaborator, and decision-maker.