The story so far
Money and paperwork arrive with the school year. Gia's deposit comes up short. A college form asks Rafa who can see his grades. A group chat says one complaint got a novel banned from Anika's school library. A publisher sends Gia a free book to review. Every time, the answer is on the paper, if someone reads it.
Who leads each lesson
GiaLesson 5
RafaLesson 6
MariLesson 7
CaioLesson 8
Your mentor for this unit
Arjun Doyle
Investigator, city office for consumer and worker protection, the city’s office for consumer and worker protection
What I watch for
- The important line in the smallest type
- A number nobody explains
- A word like “intern,” “partner” or “sponsored” doing work the paper doesn’t describe
“Show me the paper. What does it actually say?”
What you’ll learn to do
Four new skills, one per lesson. Each one uses skills you already have.
Lesson 5
Read a pay statement line by line
Match each line of a statement to your own records and do the math before you decide something is wrong.
Builds on
- Find the original sourceLesson 1
- Weigh the trade-offs of each optionLesson 4
Lesson 6
Read a form section by section before you sign
Separate a form into its parts, then decide each part on its own instead of signing the whole thing at once.
Builds on
Lesson 7
Find what stage a process has reached
Check a rumor against the official notice and the written policy, then say which step the process is on.
Builds on
- Find the original sourceLesson 1
- Correct a public mistakeLesson 3
Lesson 8
Spot and disclose a material connection
Ask what the speaker got from the company, then say it clearly where viewers will see it first.
Builds on
- Find the original sourceLesson 1
- Correct a public mistakeLesson 3
The four lessons
Each lesson has four steps: Story, Evidence, Practice and Task.
Lesson 5, 1 of 4
Why is my deposit smaller than what I earned?
With Gia- Your role
- The one who adds up Gia’s hours before she writes to payroll.
- New skill
- Read a pay statement line by line
- Key terms
- Gross pay
- Net pay
- FICA
- Withholding
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes
Lesson 6, 2 of 4
What can your family see in your college records?
With Rafa- Your role
- The one who reads each box on the form before Rafa signs.
- New skill
- Read a form section by section before you sign
- Key terms
- FERPA
- Education record
- Consent
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes
Lesson 7, 3 of 4
Did one complaint get the novel banned?
With Mari- Your role
- The one who reads the library notice before anyone replies “banned.”
- New skill
- Find what stage a process has reached
- Key terms
- Challenge
- Reconsideration policy
- Selection criteria
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes
Lesson 8, 4 of 4
Is it a recommendation or an ad?
With Caio- Your role
- You’re the viewer with the sound off who checks the first three seconds.
- New skill
- Spot and disclose a material connection
- Key terms
- Material connection
- Disclosure
- Endorsement
- Time
- 20 to 30 minutes
Words to know
Say each word out loud, then flip the card for what it means and how the crew uses it.
Educators: the lesson plans, slides, pacing and test keys for Unit 2 are on Educator home.
