On My Own!

A WebQuery for High School

Mallory Bentley
bentleym@cwu.edu

groceries house question mark

Introduction

Have you ever thought about what life will be like after graduation?
No homework...
No classes...
It all sounds great!

However...
Have you ever thought about what you will have to do after graduation?
Working...
Grocery Shopping...
Cooking...

As graduation approaches you become more and more close to a life on your own. There are many details that go into independent living, such as balancing finances, shopping, cooking, and cleaning. You will be in charge of making sure your life away from home is a great one! This lesson will help each of you make a budget, plan for meals, and be ready for life outside of high school!
So...Where will you be after graduation?

Task

Your task includes the following:

Make a poster to illustrate your findings.

Poster must include both pictures and words.

Choose a career and research the salary you will be paid.

Be sure to choose a career that does not require a college degree.
Draw a picture of yourself in that career, and put it on your poster.

Create a budget using the salary you researched.
With the funds allocated for housing, find a place to live.

Place a picture of your choice on your poster.

With the funds allocated for food, create a shopping list.

Place your shopping list on your poster.

Find a recipe that you could make using the foods you chose.

Place a picture of your recipe, along with its name, on your poster.

The task will be culminated by a poster presentation event. At the event you will present your poster and information to the class and parents.

The Process

When conducting your research, consider the following questions:

How much money will you have each month?
How much of your money should be spent on housing?
How much of your money should be spent on food?
What are the essential items you need to have?
Does sales tax affect the price of any of your purchases?
What kinds of jobs are available for people without college degrees?
How do you know what to buy to make a recipe?
Do you have enough information to complete the task?

If not, what else is needed?

Have you made your poster something you are proud of?
Have you checked the rubric to make sure you have completed all aspects of the task?

Resources

Here are some links to get you started on your WebQuest. Please feel free to use additional sites that you find. Just be sure to cite your sources!

Moving Out	An article about moving out of your parents' home. Gives tips on saving money, and helps students to understand what is expected of them when they live on their own.
Move.com	An article about how much money to spend on rent/mortgage.
Family Budget Planning	An article on how much money to spend on food.
How To Create A Budget	An article on how to create a budget.
Budget Calculator	Use your salary information to create an actual budget.
Food Network	A great resource for finding recipes.
Apartments.com	Search for an apartment.
Safeway	Find actual prices for various foods.
Monster	Find a job based on qualifications.

Evaluation

The following rubric will be used to evaluate the WebQuest. Please read it carefully so that you know how to earn your A!

The score will be out of 25.

CATEGORY	5	4	3	2	1
Poster	Poster is visually appealing and organized. Poster includes both pictures and words.	Poster is visually appealing and somewhat organized. Poster includes both pictures and words.	Poster is somewhat visually appealing and somewhat organized. Poster includes both pictures and words.	Poster is visually appealing and organized. Poster is missing either pictures or words.	Poster is somewhat visually appealing and somewhat organized. Poster is missing either pictures or words.
Career	Career chosen does not require a college degree. A salary and picture of you in that career are included.	Career chosen requires college degree. A salary and picture of you in that career are included.	Career chosen does not require a college degree. Either salary or picture are not included.	Career chosen does not require a college degree. Both salary and picture are not included.	Career chosen requires a college degree. Both salary and picture are not included.
Housing	Home chosen leaves enough money to accommodate shopping list. Picture of home is included.	Home chosen leaves enough money to accommodate shopping list. Picture of home is not included.	Home chosen does not leave enough money to accommodate shopping list. Picture of home is included.	Home chosen does not leave enough money to accommodate shopping list. Picture of home is not included.	N/A
Shopping List	Shopping list includes total cost. Total cost does not exceed money allocated for shopping. Shopping list is on poster.	Shopping list includes total cost. Total cost does not exceed money allocated for shopping. Shopping list is not on poster.	Shopping list does not include total cost. Total cost does not exceed money allocated for shopping. Shopping list is on poster.	Shopping list does not include total cost. Total cost does not exceed money allocated for shopping. Shopping list is on poster.	Total cost exceeds money allocated for shopping.
Recipe	Recipe only uses items from shopping list. Picture of recipe and the recipe are on poster.	Recipe only uses items from shopping list. Either picture of recipe or the recipe are on poster.	Recipe only uses items from shopping list. Neither picture of recipe nor the recipe are on poster.	Recipe uses some items that are not on the shopping list. Picture of recipe and the recipe are on poster.	Recipe uses some items that are not on the shopping list. Either picture of recipe or recipe are on poster.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now have a better understanding of what life will be like after graduation! Have fun!

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