Sixth graders learn what happens between earning money and taking it home — gross pay, deductions, taxes, and net pay. Taxes fund shared services like schools and roads, so a paycheck is smaller than the amount earned.
Students will be able to…
Why is a paycheck smaller than the money you earned? Some goes to taxes. What do these paycheck words mean?
Project this and match each paycheck term to its meaning — tap the term, then tap the meaning.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
A paycheck is smaller than what you earned — why? What do the words mean?
Students explore.
Students practice.
Students apply.
Students close.
Aligned to the C3 Framework (Economics) & the National Standards for Personal Financial Education.
Explain government & the economy.
Explain taxes & take-home pay.
Connect taxes to public services.
Draw conclusions about income.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students explain why a paycheck (net pay) is smaller than the money earned (gross pay). A printable income-and-taxes sheet is in the Social Studies library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.