Shelly Eaton

February 16, 2003

 

How Would You Spend A MILLION Dollars?

 

 

To introduce the use of the Internet as a research tool and to further students’ understanding of what a million dollars is, I have created this activity for upper elementary school students. Students must develop a plan, research information on the Internet, evaluate their work, and discuss the project in class.

 

Assignment:< o:p>

 

Have you ever heard of the Mysterious Millionaire? If not let me tell you about him.  He randomly gives a million dollars to students and adults who he thinks deserves it.  Here is the exciting news!  He has just dropped you a MILLION dollars.  Now, it is your job to spend every dollar. Unfortunately, you are not permitted to

give the money to the poor or gamble with it, since the Mysterious Millionaire has given it too you.

 

What you must know:

       •You may only buy one house

       •You may only buy three types of transportation

       •You may not gamble with your money or give it away

 

Step 1:  Brainstorm

       •What should you buy so that you may live a decent life?

       •What is the most important thing to purchase?

       •Do you need to buy real expensive items or cheap items?  (You do have one million dollars!)

       •How will you spend a million dollars without spending a lot of time searching for items? (Think big!)

 

Step 2:  Explore the websites below to decide what you want to purchase. Print out what you buy and record the purchase price. There is a site for homes, cars, and odds and ends. Take a close look and decide carefully.

 

Homes: You will have to look for a home by location. You may not want to live in Pennsylvania, but the Internet addresses listed below are local real estate agencies, so look for big cities in Pennsylvania. We are just looking at prices not location.

1. http://www.century21.com/buy/

2.   http://www.coldwellbanker.com/< o:p>

 

Cars:

       1. http://autos.yah oo.com/buy.html?refsrc=autos/home

 

Miscellaneous: Electronics, home furnishings, and more

1.   http://www.walmart.com/

2.   http://shopping.yahoo.com/

 

Step 3: Create a notebook with a picture of each item that you bought, how much each item cost, and a “check book” showing the subtraction of each item from your total.

 

Step 4: Analyze your final project.

       •Did I spend all of my million dollars without going over?

       •Can I live my life with what I bought?

       •What would have made this project easier?

       •How could I have spent my money more efficiently?

 

Step 5: Discussion in class answering questions listed above.