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A number of years ago, while teaching special education students high school math, I developed a lesson incorporating math and life skills. Students had to formulate a plan by devising a budget for living on their own once they graduated high school. Students had to find a job they were qualified to perform, find a place to live, estimate travel expenses, health care, food costs, entertainment, etc. Basically, I was helping students to figure out how they would survive without Mom and Dad in the picture, and what the real-world cost would be to their pocketbook.
Along with the math, I incorporated interviewing, setting up checking and savings accounts, personal retirement, college costs, and guest speakers. I truly tried to not only make this an interdisciplinary unit of instruction, but also a life lesson that would assist students in their future endeavors.
This lesson was developed in the mid 90’s before the mass influx of technology into the classroom. Today, with the advent of technology, I could enhance this lesson using Google maps and Flickr. Students could create visual representations of their “future” by finding their future place of employment and residence through Google maps and import pictures of these locations to Flickr. Students could also upload other pictures of what they might expect their future to include such as pictures of the car they intend to purchase (or another form of transportation they intend to use), the food they will purchase, and their entertainment options among others. Once pictures are posted, students would tag pictures with cost estimates and/or monthly income or expenditures.
Once complete, students would not only have a physical budget to work with, but also a visual representation of what their future might “look” like to share with classmates, family and friends.