Title of Lesson

A Web Quest for Life Management students

Lindsay Hansma

lindsayhansma@hotmail.com

Introduction

You and your family have decided to look for a new home. This is not an easy thing to do so they have put you in charge of this very important task. Your family loves being by the mountains and wants to live in or close by Fort Collins, Colorado. You must take into consideration the needs of your family and the size of home you will be able to afford depending on your economic situation.

Task

1. Your task is to evaluate and determine the best possible housing solution for your assigned family economic situation.

2. Each student will be given the following set of conditions:

Monthly take home pay

Monthly bills (not including housing)

Size of family

Age of family members

3. Some questions to consider when searching for a new home:

What monthly payments can you afford based upon the salary and outgoing bills given to you by your teacher?

Does this house/apartment adequately accommodate your family’s needs?

What size can you afford (sq. feet)?

How many bedrooms do you need?

How many bathrooms?

What are the most important features that your home must have?

What type of neighborhood?

What is the crime rate in that area?

Process

1. Each student will be assigned to a group of 4 students.

2. Decide which student will be assigned which family situation (families 1-4)

a. Family # 1

Monthly Income = $8,000

Monthly Bills = $3,500

Family Size = 2

Family Member Ages = both 55

b. Family # 2

Monthly Income = $2,000

Monthly Bills = 1,000

Family Size = 4

Family Member Ages = mom is 35, 3 children ages 15 (girl), 7(boy), and 3(girl)

c. Family # 3

Monthly Income = 4,000

Monthly Bills = 800

Family Size = 2

Family Member Ages = husband is 24, wife is 23

d. Family # 4

Monthly Income = $3,500

Monthly Bills = $2,700

Family Size = 5

Family Member Ages = father is 45, mother is 43, 3 children ages 18(boy), 15(boy), and 13(girl)

3. Once families have been assigned each member should write down their family’s information in the space provided for you on your handout. This information will be very important to keep in mind while searching for a new home. To open the handout in Microsoft Word, click here. You will need to save the handout and print a copy for each group.

4. Each family must determine how much they can afford for housing each month. (HINT: subtract the monthly bills from the monthly take home pay) Remember spending all available money on housing may not be the smartest idea. Saving some money each month is also important.

5. If you are considering buying a home determine the amount you could afford by finding your monthly amount available and multiplying it by 12 months. This will tell you how expensive of a home you can afford to purchase.

6. The next step is to determine certain criteria you want your home to have. On the handout write down at least 3 characteristics you will be using to help narrow your search. Some suggestions are listed above under #3 in the Task section. Keep in mind the make up of your family and any specific needs they may need in a home.

7. Now it is time to start searching for a new home for your family.

a. Visit www.realtor.com to search for homes by entering in price ranges and desired number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

b. At www.apartments.com you will be able to search for apartments, condos, and town homes in all price ranges.

c. www.homestore.com offers rental properties at low monthly costs.

8. On the handout list 3 possible housing solutions your search has produced. Be sure to include price, location, and specific attributes about the home that make it appealing to your family. For example: # of bedrooms/ bathrooms, # of garage stalls, square footage of house, fireplace, pool, etc.

9. Each group member will choose one home they feel would provide adequate housing for their family and write a 2-paragraph argument stating why you chose this home and specifically how it would meet the needs of your family. You will need to hand this in, so it must be word processed and well thought out.

10. As a group, create a poster board comparing and contrasting the different economic situations of the families and the homes each one can afford. Remember to be creative, neat, and informational.

11. Each group will present their posters to the rest of the class in an 8-10 minute presentation.

Evaluation

Each group member will receive both a group and an individual grade depending on group and personal involvement and effort. Below is the rubric your teacher will be using to grade you. The total possible points is 60.

Category	10-8	7-5	4-2	1-0
Poster Content	The poster effectively compares and contrasts all 4 family situations and housing solutions	The poster only minimally compares the 4 family situations and housing solutions.	The poster only compares 3 family situations and housing solutions.	The poster only compares 2 family situations and housing solutions.
Attractiveness of poster	The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.	The poster is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness.	The poster is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy.	The poster is messy or very poorly designed. It is distracting to the audience.
Time Limit	Presentation is 8-10 minutes long.	Presentation is 6 minutes long.	Presentation is 4 minutes long.	Presentation is less than 4 minutes OR more than 10 minutes.
Grammar	There are no grammatical mistakes on the poster.	There is 1 grammatical mistake on the poster.	There are 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.	There are more than 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.
Written 2 Paragraph Argument	Strongly states why you have chosen this particular housing solution and lists at least 5 criterion to support your decision.	Weakly states why you have chosen this particular housing solution and lists only 3 criterion to support your decision.	Vaguely states why you have chosen this particular housing solution and lists only 2 criterion to support your decision.	Ineffectively states why you have chosen this particular housing solution and does not list any criteria to support your decision.
Use of class Time	Used time well during each class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others.	Used time well during each class period. Usually focused on getting the project done and never distracted others.	Used some of the time well during each class period. There was some focus on getting the project done but occasionally distracted others.	Did not use class time to focus on the project OR often distracted others.

Conclusion

Throughout this Web Quest you were using critical thinking skills such as: comparison and evaluation. By the time you have completed this Web Quest you should have a better understanding of what it takes to find a home that fits into your economic situation and will adequately provide for your family. And remember it’s not always as easy as it looks!

Credits

www.apartments.com

www.homestore.com

Microsoft Word Clip Art

www.realtor.com