Unleash your students’ detective skills with “Financial Forensics: Follow the Money to Find the Truth,” an engaging inference lesson designed for grades 8 to 12. In this activity, students will dive into the world of digital sleuthing by analyzing the financial records of Jordan Harper, a fictional young professional living in Philadelphia. Through this unique approach to visual storytelling, they’ll sharpen their critical thinking skills as they uncover the truth about our protagonist – using only bank receipts.
What’s included in this download:
• Suggested lesson procedure & Google Drive access: A detailed lesson overview with step-by-step instructions, plus Google Drive versions of all handouts for seamless integration into digital classrooms. (Download includes both PDF and Google Drive versions.)
• Mobile payment history sheet: A transaction log that students will use to explore Jordan’s spending habits over two months, fostering a real-world connection to financial literacy discussions.
• Critical thinking worksheets: Open-ended questions guide students through the inference process, encouraging deep analysis and thoughtful discussion of each financial move.
• Answer key with discussion prompts: Suggested scenarios in the answer key will help facilitate robust classroom discussions, enhancing students’ understanding of inference in action.
• Creative writing extension: An optional writing assignment lets students take on Jordan’s voice, crafting a first-person narrative based on the transaction history to blend analytical thinking with creative storytelling.
Optional extension lesson: For an added layer of learning, consider introducing W. Crue’s visual short story, “Ordeal By Cheque,” which uses historical checks to tell a dramatic tale. This can serve as an engaging follow-up lesson for advanced students, offering a unique comparison to the modern digital transactions. Link to story hosted on a third-party site included in download.
This lesson is ideal for upper-middle and high school students.
Looking for more high-interest teaching materials built around real-world topics?
Check out my collection of Listen & Learn podcast-based lessons and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 21 Chump Street, a multimedia tale of love and deception.
Thanks for stopping by!
$2.50
