Lesson 4: Making a bank statement
Introduction
Time:
- Single class period
Materials:
Activity One: Jimmy’s story
Student Worksheet: Jimmy’s story
Student Worksheet: Jimmy’s bank statement
Teacher Resource Sheet: Jimmy’s bank statement
Homework Task:
Useful Links:
Introduction:
Being able to understand what is included in your bank statement (either paper or online) is a really important skill as it helps you to keep track of and manage your money. In this lesson, students will write a bank statement based on case study material and as a homework task they are asked to imagine that they are an 18-year-old with an ATM/Debit Card. They have to make decisions over the course of a month and generate a bank statement based on the decisions that they make.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Activity One: Jimmy’s Story
1. Explain to the class that they are going to find out about bank statements. A bank statement is a snapshot of your account when the statement was prepared. It shows a record of all payments in and out of your accounts over a certain period with dates and method of payment.
2. Ask if anyone has ever received or seen a bank statement. What does it look like? What kind of information is given in a bank statement?
3. Divide the class into small groups.
4. Distribute one copy of Student Worksheet: Jimmy’s story to each group.
5. Distribute one copy of Student Worksheet: Jimmy’s bank statement to each group.
6. Invite each group to create a bank statement for Jimmy, based on the information given in his story. At the end of the exercise they should be able to say what the balance on his account was on 30 March.
7. Ask each group to call out their final balance.
8. Display Teacher Resource Sheet: Jimmy’s bank statement.
9. Ask students to comment on the similarities and differences between their group’s version of Jimmy’s statement and the one on display.
10. Conclude by explaining that bank statements can vary from bank to bank but that they are very important to help you keep track of your finances.
Homework Task
Distribute one copy of Student Worksheet: Interactive bank statement to each student.
Ask students to imagine that they are an 18-year-old with an ATM/Debit Card. They have a balance of €25 in their account and they have to make a number of financial decisions over the course of the month. These decisions will effect the appearance of their bank statement at the start of the following month.
Once each student completes the worksheet they should create a bank statement reflecting their opening balance, all withdrawals and lodgements made and their closing balance.
Encourage students to be creative and use their imaginations.
Stress to students that they will need to print or take a screen shot of their completed interactive bank statement for review of the homework task in the next lesson.
The steps for reviewing this homework task are given at the start of Lesson 5.
