Personal Finance
Holiday Project
www.teendollars.org
This project will serve as the end of unit test grade for philanthropy and taxes. To review the modules we used for
practical lessons on taxes, visit the IRS website. For this project, you will put what you have learned into action by
creating a presentation that recommends a borrower (micro-lending), and also think more deeply about the role of
taxation and philanthropy in your own life and in society. You will work individually at first, and then in a group to
research lending opportunities on kiva.org. I am donating $100 to each of the three Personal Finance classes for this
project. The students will determine what person, organization, or cause we will loan the money to using Kiva.org.
Critical Questions
1. How do the appropriate amount and use of tax dollars make a society better?
2. How do you plan to prepare for your future civic responsibility to vote responsibly?
3. What taxes are taken out of your paycheck and how are those tax-dollars used?
4. What are potential consequences of raising taxes on individuals or businesses?
5. What do you feel is the most motivating method to improve your own self-concept, having something given to you or
having someone help you accomplish something?
6. What do you feel is the best approach in uplifting those capable of working out of poverty, a ‘hand up’ or ‘hand out’?
7. Now that you understand philanthropy could be the giving of time or money to a specific cause, what philanthropic
projects would you become most passionate about participating in the future, and how would you participate?
Project Process
1. We will review the project as a class after the Jessica Jackley TED Talk & the Edutopia piece on microlending.
2. As a class, we will read ‘About Kiva’, watch the video explaining ‘How Kiva Works’, and read about how you will ‘Find a
Loan’ you are most passionate to provide.
3. For homework, students will respond and hand-in the seven critical questions on a separate piece of paper. The rubric
needs to be stapled to your responses and handed in the next day.
4. In the computer lab, students will go to http://www.kiva.org/lend and choose to research loaning the $100 to either a
group of people, a housing loan, or an agricultural loan.
5. After 20 minutes, students will be grouped with others who chose the same lending path (group loans, housing loans,
agricultural loans)
6. Students will have the remainder of the bell, and the following bell to make a group selection and create a group
presentation using PowerPoint that sells to the class why their lending option is most appropriate for the $100.
7. Students are responsible for judging each presentation and selecting a winning group. You cannot vote for yourself.
8. Timeline Summary: Day 1 (Introduction); Days 2-3 (Research & Presentation Development); Day 4 (Presentations)
Project Criteria
1. Each group will create a 3-5 minute presentation that fully meets the judging criteria.
2. Each presentation must contain a minimum of four slides. A sample slide format:
-Slide 1: Title Slide w/group members name
-Slide 2: Define philanthropy
-Slide 3: Define microlending
-Slides 4-?: Summary of the selected borrower
(These slides should guide your pitch to use your selected borrower)
Resource Sites
Practical Tax Lesson Review: http://www.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/student/index.jsp
Jessica Jackley TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/jessica_jackley_poverty_money_and_love.html
Kiva: http://www.kiva.org/
Personal Finance
Holiday Project
Judging Criteria
Group Member Names
Judging Criteria
PowerPoint Quality Total Points = _________
(Out of 25 possible points. Point guide below.)
Slide Appearance (5 possible points)
Evaluation
5 = Superior Work; 3-4 = Good Work;
0-2 = Needs Improvement
Comments
(Strengths, Areas for Improvement)
-Was each slide easy to read?
-Did a slide include clip art, pictures, or a hyperlinked video that
improved the presentation?
-Were there slide transitions?
-Was the slide background professional?
Slide Appropriateness (5 possible points)
-Was each side informative, consistent with the presentation
requirements?
-Was each slide free of grammatical and spelling errors?
Slide Content (15 possible points)
-Did the collective slide content meet/exceed the project criteria?
-Did the collective slide content provide an effective roadmap for
the presentation of the selected borrower?
-Did the collective slide content make a compelling case to win
the holiday project?
Presentation Quality Total Points = ________
(Out of 25 possible points. Point guide below)
Group Participation (5 possible points)
Comments
(Strengths, Areas for Improvement)
-Each group member had a role in the development and the
delivery of the presentation.
Presentation Delivery (20 possible points)
-The group obviously rehearsed the presentation.
-The group did not read off the slides during the presentation,
slides were used only as visual aids/talking points for audience.
-The group was heartfelt in their desire for their borrower to win
the contest.
-Was the collective presentation fully informative?
Final Score (out of 50) ______ Winning Group
Note – the winning group will be interviewed about the project. The interview and their
presentation will be posted on TeenDollars.org
Personal Finance
Holiday Project
Critical Questions Response Rubric
Student Name _____________________________
Scoring Level
4-5: Accomplished
2-3: Developing
0-1: Beginning
Cumulative Score
_______ / 35
Interpretation
-Analyzes insightful
questions
-Critiques content
-Values information
-Identifies some
questions
-Recognizes basic
content
-Does not address the
question
-Misses major
content areas
-Uses bias sources
Analysis & Evaluation
-Uses reasonable
judgment
-Views information
critically
-Identifies some
conclusions
-Assumes information
valid
-Fails to draw
conclusions
-Information is not
valid
Written Response
-Discusses issues
thoroughly
-Justifies decisions
-Generalizes issues
-Overlooks some
information
-Misrepresents the
issues
-Excludes data