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**Standard 1** ** Teachers know the subjects they are teaching. **

The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines she or he teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for pupils


 * __Evidence 1: [|Financial Fitness for Life]__**

Rationale 1: In addition to resources and programs from the internet, I am working with Economics of Wisconsin, using their [|Financial Fitness for Life] program. After completing an initial training seminar with the local chapter of [|Council for Economics Education], I have been teaching the FFFL curriculum provided by CEE to my 8th grade classes. It has been a rewarding, engaging, challenging program to share with my students. The program provides a pre-test, which I had the students take before we began the curriculum, and we are approaching the conclusion of the units, preparing to take the post-test in December.

__**KSD**__


 * 1.K. 2** The teacher understands how students’ conceptual frameworks and their misconceptions for an area of knowledge can influence their learning.

Together with my principal and the guidance counselors, we developed a new course, "Career Exploration/Personal Finance" for the 8th grade students beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. Previously, there was little-to-no instruction in the area of personal finance as it applies to the middle school students. It is critical it to the well-being of every child to be financially responsible in order to assure a successful future.

The students of today challenge each and every subject/concept they are taught and have a growing need to understand the relevance of what they are learning. Throughout the teaching of this course, at the beginning of each new unit, I present the students with a list of objectives that explain the relevance of each unit and why the students need to acquire this knowledge.


 * 1.S.6** The teacher creates an interdisciplinary learning experience, that encourages students to integrate knowledge, skills, and methods of inquiry from several subject areas.

The internet offers an abundance of financial literacy tools, all of which enhance the instruction of this subject matter. [| Banzai] is one of the tools I use in the classroom, specifically for its practical application to personal life experiences. With the students' limited amount of financial experience, this website offers the everyday activities that students can relate to without having experienced them in real-life. These scenarios require critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, exposing students to the realities of financial challenges.


 * 1.D.4** The teacher is committed to continuous learning and engages in professional discourse about subject matter knowledge and children’s learning of the discipline.

My experience with this program has been an enlightening one, offering me the opportunity to present to the students the knowledge they will need to equip them for their financial future. One of my most profound observations is the differentiated level of learning as well as interest. Some students wrapped their arms around this program, while others struggled to muster up the interest. For those students, I modified the workbook assignments to a more basic level so that they could at least grasp the basic concept of each lesson.