FRIT 7231 Instructional Design

Design Document

Jessica Horton

Dr. Purcell
Fall 2018

Identification of Learning Problem

 Garrison School for the Arts is a choice program school, formerly known as a magnet

school, located in downtown Savannah, Georgia. The school serves students in Pre-

Kindergarten through 8th grade, and has admissions criteria that must be met in order for

students to be placed in a lottery for available seats. Admission to the middle grades in particular

is highly competitive; students must first meet academic criteria slightly above grade level to

qualify for an audition in one of seven majors. The seven majors are: band, chorus, dance,

orchestra, piano, theater, and visual art. Once students who are academically qualified are

auditioned, they are placed in a rank order by audition scores. Available seats are filled

according to the score rank order, highest scores first.

In the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, middle school students have one marking period

of instruction in Business and Computer Science. The marking period lasts nine weeks, and

there are twelve standards (with supporting substandards) for each grade level. Students in 6th

grade take BCS 1, students in 7th grade take BCS 2, and students in 8th grade take BCS 3.

There are some standards that are common throughout the three courses. For example, in each of

the three years, students cover word processing software, presentation software, spreadsheet

software, internet safety, and keyboarding. However, when a student enters BCS 3 in 8th grade,

there is a marked shift to more economic-based standards. One of the standards covered is

personal finance.

Typically, I teach elementary aged students and middle school aged students. However,

at the beginning of this past summer, I taught employability skills and financial literacy to high

school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates. These students were part of a program called

Summer 500, in which our city government secures jobs for high school students and provides

them with pre-employment training. As I began to cover the personal finance curriculum with
the high school students, I quickly realized that they were lacking even the most basic

understanding of necessary financial skills. Further, I realized that 11th grade is far too late to

begin teaching our students to be financially literate. Finally, I realized that a learning problem

exists in my 8th grade class: Students need to receive intensive instruction in personal finance,

when in the past, we’d spent very little time on this topic.

In the context of my school, Garrison School for the Arts, financial literacy is critical,

particularly as it relates to college. As I mentioned, all the students in our middle school have

had to pass a rigorous academic review to qualify to audition for admission. The overwhelming

majority of our students, based on their past academic achievements, are likely college bound.

However, not all of our students come from a socioeconomic background in which their parents

will be able to afford to fund their college education. Our students must learn now, before high

school begins, how to financially plan for college and how their academic record can translate to

scholarships. It is essential that they know how to manage money they earn now, and how the

financial choices they make can set the course for their future.

With my new knowledge about the need for earlier intervention with personal finance

instruction, I sought the advice and opinion of my principal. I explained that most of our

students, by the time they finished BCS 2, had mastered the standards of BCS 3 in the areas of

documents, spreadsheets, presentations, internet safety, and keyboarding. I described what I’d

learned from teaching the high schoolers over the summer, and asked for his support in focusing

on personal finance heavily during BCS 3 this year. He wholeheartedly agreed that our students

could benefit from more in depth financial instruction.

On the second day of school this year, I gave my 27 BCS 3 students a personal finance

pretest. The scores ranged from 12 percent to 64 percent. The data from this pretest affirmed
what I suspected: our 8th grade students were in need of financial literacy instruction, and they

needed it before they began their high school careers.

My learning goal is to have each of my 8th grade students with an increased level of

proficiency in personal finance, and score at least a 75% on the end of quarter post test. I will

use my instruction to accomplish these goals.

Learner Analysis

The primary audience for my instruction will be 27 eighth grade students in the first

quarter of the school year. The students at this point in the year are either 12 or 13 years old. All

of the students are enrolled in Business and Computer Science 3. All students have completed

their education through seventh grade. Of the 27 students, 4 are male and 23 are female.

Typical entry characteristics for my learners include grade level or above proficiency in

both math and reading. Most students understand the importance of personal finance education,

and are familiar with concepts related to financial literacy, though they have not received in

depth instruction in those concepts yet. On the first day of class, I presented a list of the units we

will cover: Saving, Checking, Taxes, Paying for College, Budgeting, Credit, Identity Theft, and

Investing. I asked the students to raise their hands if they felt these topics would be important to

them in high school and the coming years. Every single student raised their hand. I asked them

to keep their hands up if they were interested in learning more about these topics. Every hand

stayed up. This indicated to me that the learners have a high level of interest and motivation for

the topics we’re covering. The students agreed it is a worthwhile personal goal to achieve

financial literacy and plan for college. They prefer to learn in a self-paced format, in which they

can relate each concept and topic to their own unique situation.
 Academically, each of the 8th grade students is taking Ninth Grade Literature and

Composition for their English Language Arts class, demonstrating they are capable of high

school level work. Last year, on the Georgia Milestones End of Grade Assessment for ELA, 9

students were exemplary learners, 13 students were proficient learners, 4 students were

developing learners, and only 1 student was a beginning learner. This suggests that one learner

may need additional support in reading comprehension as we move through the units. Last year

on the Georgia Milestones End of Grade Assessment for Mathematics, 7 students were

exemplary learners, 12 students were proficient learners, 7 students were developing learners,

and 1 student was a beginning learner. The student who was a beginning learner may need

scaffolding and support with math skills as we work through financial calculations.

Of the 27 students, 20 are gifted identified. These students may be motivated to delve

deeper into course content, extending their knowledge on subjects of particular interest. Three of

the 27 students receive Special Education services, and have Individual Education Plans. Their

exceptionalities are all defined as Specific Learning Disabilities, and they each receive less than

5 hours of SPED service hours per week. For the first 20 minutes of class each day, these three

students receive the services of a special education co-teacher.

Of particular interest and relevance to our curriculum is the number of students who

come from an economically disadvantaged socioeconomic group. One-third of my class, 9

students, are identified in the State Longitudinal Data System as being economically

disadvantaged. This may mean that they are not as familiar with some of the topics such as

saving and investing, simply because their families may not have as much disposable income for

these types of activities.

Task Analysis
 The type of task analysis I will be performing is a procedural analysis. In personal

finance, students need to be able to correctly fill out a check to pay an individual or company for

goods or services. In an online, asynchronous environment, the student must be able to follow

simple directions to accomplish this task. Though they will not necessarily be in the presence of

a Subject Matter Expert, materials can be provided so that guidance from the expert will still be

available.

For this task, I will serve as my own Subject Matter Expert (SME). I am qualified to

serve in this capacity as I am a certified educator in the area of Business Education, and have

many years of personal finance experience. I can provide an individual perspective as well as a

corporate perspective of the task.

Complete Task Analysis:

I. Log onto Google Classroom.

II. Navigate to our Classroom site.

III. Open the “How To Write A Check Assignment”.

IV. Open the Blank Check Template.

A. Print one copy of the blank check template.

V. Click the Youtube link provided in Google Classroom for an overview of the task

you are about to complete and watch the video. The link is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwC-EMh2-Z4.

VI. Gather your blank check template and a pen, and a pen, and fill out the check as

listed below:

A. On the date line, write the current date.

B. On the Pay to the Order of line, write the name of the individual or

company you are paying. In this case, we are going to practice paying an

electric bill to Georgia Power.

1. If there is any blank space at the end of the Pay to the Order of

line, draw a line to fill the empty space to prevent unauthorized

additions.

C. In the box with a $, fill out the amount to be paid to Georgia Power. In

our practice example, we will pay them $200.00.

1. Be sure to write the amount numerically.

2. As with the Pay to the Order of line, fill any extra space with a line

extending to the end of the box.

D. On the line below the Pay to the Order of Line, write out in words the

amount you intend to pay.

1. The dollar amount is written in words, but the change is written as

a fraction with the cents in the numerator and 100 in the

denominator.

2. The amount we will write will be “Two hundred and 00/100”.

3. As with the last two sections of the check we’ve written, draw a

line to fill any empty space all the way to the end of the line.

E. On the Memo line, write your account number for easy reference when the

payment is being posted to your account.

1. In our example, the account number will be 1234567890.

 F. The blank line on the bottom right corner is the signature line. Sign your

name on this line.

1. Make sure your signature is distinct and not easily copied by

another person.

VII. Upload an electronic image of your completed check to Google Classroom.

VIII. Turn the image in for grading.

Instructional Objectives

1. By the end of this session, the student will be able to accurately fill out a blank check

template, simulating the real-life activity of paying an electric bill. (This learning

objective is in the cognitive domain).

2. By the end of this session, the student will be able to consistently eliminate blank space

on a check template to eliminate check tampering. (This learning objective is in the By

 the end of this session, the student will be able to accurately fill out a blank check

template, simulating the real-life activity of paying an electric bill. cognitive domain).

3. By the end of this session, the student will be able to design a personal signature that is

difficult for other individuals to forge. (This learning objective is in the cognitive domain

domain).

Assessments

There are two brief assessments that can be utilized to determine if the students have met

the instructional objectives of this activity. All three of the objectives will be evaluated using

both of the assessments. The first assessment is a rubric which evaluates the performance task of

filling out a blank check accurately. The second assessment is a brief quiz to check for

understanding of the content of the video. Utilizing more than one type of assessment provides

learners with more than one way to show what they’ve learned, which promotes differentiation.

Below is the rubric for the performance task, which is the student writing the check and

submitting an image of it.

Criteria

Instructional 1/Beginner 2/Emerging 3/Proficient

Objective

Check is filled out Three or more errors Most information is All required
accurately in filling out the filled out accurately, information is filled
blank check with only 1 or 2 out accurately
errors

Blank space is filled No blank spaces are Some blank spaces All blank spaces are
filled with a are filled with a filled with a
 placeholding line placeholding line placeholding line

Personal signature is The signature is The signature is not The signature is not
satisfactory easily forged and easily forged but too easily forged and very
indistinctive difficult to verify for distinctive
authenticity

Below is the quiz in Google forms that students will take and submit electronically.
Answer Key:

1 - Today’s date

2 - In numbers

3 - It prevents fraud

4 - No

5 - The bank will use the signature on file to make sure your check wasn’t forged by someone

else.

6 - Answer varies - It is important to fill any space so the check can’t be fraudulently changed.

7 - Answer varies - Having a signature that is distinct and hard to replicate provides an extra

layer of protection from check forgery.

Content Sequencing and Instructional Strategies

Sequence Description Objective

1 The student will be able to consistently eliminate blank space on a 2

check template to eliminate check tampering.

2 The student will be able to design a personal signature that is 3

difficult for other individuals to forge.

3 The student will be able to accurately fill out a blank check 1

template, simulating the real-life activity of paying an electric bill.

Objective #2 : By the end of this session, the student will be able to consistently eliminate blank

space on a check template to eliminate check tampering.

Initial Presentation: Students will watch a video that demonstrates a check being filled

out and all blank space being filled in. The video contains an explanation as to why that is

important, which is to prevent tampering and the modifying of the original content.

Strategy: Demonstration, practice

 Differentiation: Students can rewatch the video as often as needed.

Generative Strategy: The students will use their own blank checks to recall how to

completely fill blank space, and apply it to their own blank checks.

Strategy: Recall and integration

Differentiation: Students have multiple blank checks they’ve designed in a previous

lesson and can use as many as needed.

Objective #3: By the end of this session, the student will be able to design a personal signature

that is difficult for other individuals to forge.

Initial Presentation: As part of the same video, the student will watch as a signature is

applied to a blank check.

Strategy: Demonstration, practice

Differentiation: Students can rewatch the videos as needed.

Generative Strategy: The students will use their own blank checks (and possibly blank

paper) to practice and perfect writing their signature in such a way that they can reproduce it

each time, but it is difficult for anyone to copy.

Strategy: Recall, elaboration, integration

Differentiation: Students can write their name in any form that is most comfortable.

They can redesign and reapply their signature to multiple checks.

Objective #1: By the end of this session, the student will be able to accurately fill out a blank

check template, simulating the real-life activity of paying an electric bill.

 Initial Presentation: Students will have watched the video that shows how to complete

fill out a blank check properly. They will be provided with a sample electric bill and asked to fill

out a check for payment completely and properly using the information on the bill.

Strategy: Demonstration

Differentiation: Students will need to revisit the video and focus on different concepts

based on individual need.

Generative Strategy: The students will recall the steps used to write the check, as

demonstrated in the video. They will apply the rules they learned to their own blank checks and

generate their own mock bill payment.

Strategy: Recall, Integration, and Elaboration

Differentiation: Some students will be able to fill the check out without revisiting the

video, all in one action. Some students will need to watch part of the video, pause, and apply,

then repeat the process.

This learning segment provides differentiation to meet the needs of individual learners.

The content is scaffolded in such a way that smaller pieces of information can be processed. For

example, the student learns the importance of filling blank space and creating a unique signature

before the overarching task of writing the final check is completed. Product differentiation is

emphasized by the use of hands-on learning in the act of the student physically writing a check.

Instructional Design Summary

Gaining the attention of learners: Students will be engaged throughout the learning

segment by watching actual videos of how a bill is paid by check. They will be able to apply

what they see in the video on their own blank checks. The blank checks they used were designed

by the students themselves in an earlier lesson, and gives them a feeling of ownership.
 Inform the learners of the objectives: Before the students begin the lesson, they will view

a Google Slide Deck which has the standards, objectives, and I can statements clearly listed.

Activate relevant prior knowledge: I will remind the students of the parts of a check that

we learned when we designed our own checks. Further, we’ll discuss what bills are and how

they’re paid.

Deliver content to learners: All content will be delivered through our Google Classroom.

Links and instructional materials will be uploaded to the Classroom for student use.

Activity Goal Objective Differentiation Assessment Feedback

Pre-Instruction Students All 3 N/A N/A N/A

Students will will objectives.
login to understand
Google what
Classroom and concepts
review the they will be
Slide deck that covering in
contains the the lesson
objectives and and why
learning goals. they’re
important
and
applicable.

Students will Students All 3 Students may N/A N/A

watch a will be able objectives. watch the video
YouTube to fill out a as many times
video that check to pay as necessary,
covers all three a mock bill, and/or replay
learning they will fill the parts that
objectives: it out in they need to.
how to fill in such a way
blank space on that all
a check, how blank space
to create a is filled and
secure their
signature, and signature is
how to secure.
 completely fill
out a check to
pay a bill.

Students will Students All 3 Students will The Feedback will

print copies of will fill out objectives. be able to completed be provided
the blank a blank customize their check will be in Google
check template check to pay check writing scanned and Classroom
they designed the mock style in their upload to with scored
and fill them bill own way. Google rubric.
out using the completely, Classroom
mock bill correctly, for grading
provided in and in such utilizing the
Classroom. a way that rubric.
fraud will be
prevented.

Students will Students All 3 N/A The quiz in Student

take Post will achieve objectives. Google scores and
Assessment in at least an Forms is the feedback on
Google Forms, 80% on the assessment. incorrect
the link will be post answers.
in Google assessment.
Classroom.

Formative Evaluation Plan

A formative evaluation plan will be in place to assess the content appropriateness and

accuracy, completeness, and usability and appeal of my instruction. The evaluations will be: a

review from a subject matter expert including a survey, and a small group trial culminating in a

learner survey.

My subject matter expert will be Amy Perry, a certified educator in the field of Business

Education. Mrs. Perry has over 10 years of experience in the Business Education classroom, and

is now a district expert in the field. She has taught the financial literacy component of business
courses to middle and high school students. Each summer, she supervises a staff of 20 teachers

who provide free personal finance courses to high school juniors and seniors.

Subject Matter Expert Survey

 Additionally, a test group of students will complete the learning segment to provide

information that I can use to further refine my instruction. The students will be asked to respond

to a survey at the end of the unit that will describe their experiences related to the time to

complete the segment, the ease of use and appeal of the materials.