Teach it. Check it. Revisit it.

Teacher guide

Audience: 12–18. Session: 30 minutes. Preparation: 5 minutes: paper and a calculator.

Prerequisites: Multiply hours by pay and subtract expenses.

1. Spend 5 minutes asking learners to predict the result and explain their reasoning.
2. Use most of the session for the student activity. Ask learners to show calculations and name assumptions.
3. Reserve 5 minutes for the exit questions. Discuss why the answer follows, not just whether it matches.
4. Return to the follow-up next week without showing today’s answers first.

Student activity

Job A pays $18 an hour for 20 hours per week with $30 weekly travel costs. Job B pays $17 for 20 hours with $5 travel costs. Ignore taxes in this fictional example. Compare earnings after travel and discuss schedule and benefits.

Write your prediction, calculation, explanation and one assumption you would check in a real situation.

Exit quiz

1. Which leaves more money after travel?
2. Is that enough information to choose a job?

Teacher answers and reasoning

1. A leaves $330; B leaves $335. Lower hourly pay can still leave more after travel.
2. No. Hours, benefits, taxes, reliability, commute time and personal priorities can change the comparison.

For each response, check the method, the result and the explanation. A correct number with an incorrect explanation needs another example.

Next-week review

Next week, add two unpaid commuting hours to each job and compare money per total hour committed. Explain what this measure leaves out.

Facts, assumptions and policy debate

Earnings calculations do not settle judgments about fair pay. Distinguish a calculated tradeoff from a value judgment.

Ask: what is calculated, what is assumed, and what is a judgment about priorities?