MEGA Legends - Financial Literacy in the Digital Age
This module explores the trending video game, MEGA Legends, centered on the lives of three young successful social media influencers who are faced with life-altering decisions, yikes! They each get exposed to different career fields within STEM, and their financial decisions impact the age at which they can retire. Dive into key considerations in making financial decisions, such as wages, sales taxes and income taxes. The effects of paying interest will also be investigated in a classic arcade-style game... choose your player!
After this module you will be able to:
- Compare the salaries of different post-secondary education occupations.
- Apply the compound interest formula and solve for the total amount of money saved.
- Determine and describe conditions that affect one’s ability to retire successfully at various ages.
MATH TEKS
- 6.14(H) Compare the annual salary of several occupations requiring various levels of post-secondary education or vocational training and calculate the effects of the different annual salaries on lifetime income.
- 7.13(E) Calculate and compare simple interest and compound interest earnings.
- 8.12(C) Explain how small amounts of money invested regularly, including money saved for college and retirement, grow over time.
- 8.12(F) Analyze situations to determine if they represent financially responsible decisions and identify the benefits of financial responsibility and the costs of financial irresponsibility.
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS – LITERACY CONTENT
- 6-8.1.A Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
- 6-8.1.B Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
- 6-8.1.E Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
Materials
- Bound Notebook for a STEM Journal (Example: spiral tablet, composition notebook, or 3-fastener folder with paper)
- Printable Creating a STEM Journal Instructions
- Printable C-E-R Board Instructions
- Printable Try This: Your Simple and Clean Machine (Financial Literacy Edition)
- Ruler or Measuring Tape
- Your Simple and Clean Machine Design and Redesign (from Week 1-Thursday)
Safety
There are no safety precautions needed for this lesson.
Activity
Watch activity video below.
Hey MEGA Math fans! Complete today’s challenge using your very own STEM journal! See the materials listed above. Develop your answer to the challenge using a C-E-R board.
Dig Deeper
Write This
Do you know what highly successful engineers, scientists, and innovators have in common? Journals! Begin your own STEM journal using MEGA Math’s tips and tricks. Read more
Try This
The MEGA Saver, a local charity co-owned by Ana, Juan, and Adejoke, wants to invest in young engineers and innovators looking for cost-effective ways of keeping COVID-19 from spreading. Luckily, you joined teachHOUSTON STEM Interactive and completed the Simple and Clean Machine challenge! To be eligible for an investment, develop aconvincing argument board to present to Ana, Juan, and Adejoke’s associates. Read more
Read More
Did you know STEM goes hand-in-hand with financial decision-making? By now you’ve designed, built, tested, and redesigned an object of your imagination, as a great engineer would! What would be the next step in making your creation a reality? Why a business plan, of course! Read more
Did you know there are kids your age who own their own businesses? These young entrepreneurs, dubbed “Kidtreprenuers,” range from selling lemonade to designing their own shoes! Read more
Show What You Know
Meet Our Expert
Did you know you can use mathematics to program bacteria to help the environment? Math is more than formulas. If you like multiple STEM fields, you don’t have to choose just one! University of Houston Associate Professor of Mathematics William Ott, Ph.D., shares his views of exploring science through mathematics and examples of his specialization in applications for synthetic biology and re-engineering biological systems to help society.
Meet The Teachers
Jacqueline Ekeoba
Program Director, teachHOUSTON STEM Interactive
Lecturer, teachHOUSTON, Department of Mathematics, University of Houston
Jacqueline Ekeoba is an alumna of the inaugural group of students graduating throughthe teachHOUSTON program (University of Houston). She then earned an M.A. in STEM Education and Engineering (University of Texas) and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Global Pragmatic Research in STEM Education (Texas Tech University). As a former high school science teacher and instructional coach, she mentors and volunteers through her church and sorority (Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Gamma Omega Zeta chapter). In her free time, she writes comic book fan fiction, experiments with allergen friendly cooking and channels her inner Beyoncé with karaoke.
Adejoke Adeniyi
Biology Major, Mathematics Minor, teachHOUSTON Preservice Teacher, University of Houston, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Adejoke is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Houston, majoring in Biology and minoring in Mathematics. She is a part of the teachHOUSTON program which supports ongoing field-based teaching experiences. She is studying to be in the medical field in the future and has a great love for mathematics. During her free time, she loves to cook, sing and paint.
Janey Le
Mathematics Major, teachHOUSTON Preservice Teacher, University of Houston, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Janey is a junior at the University of Houston where she is majoring in Mathematics and is part of the teachHOUSTON program. Her wish after graduating from UH is to become an educator and a guide to her future students. She believes that every child deserves the best education possible and should be given the opportunity to showcase their strengths and follow their dreams. When she is not busy with school, she enjoys visiting museums, participating in outdoor activities and learning about different cultures.
Theodore Leung
Mathematics Major, teachHOUSTON Preservice Teacher, University of Houston, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Theodore is currently a sophomore at University of Houston majoring in Mathematics and taking part of teachHOUSTON. He is pursuing a degree in Mathematics. Theodore is looking forward to becoming a high school math teacher and basketball coach. In his free time, he plays basketball, jogs, and plays video games.
Andy Salinas
Mathematics Major, teachHOUSTON Preservice Teacher, University of Houston, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Andy is a current undergraduate at the University of Houston. He has an enormous passion for Mathematics. That being said, he loves to eat “Pi”! When he is not working with numbers, he tends to go jogging or play video games.
Ana Gutiérrez
Mathematics Major, teachHOUSTON Preservice Teacher, University of Houston, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Ana is an undergraduate student at the University of Houston majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Spanish. She is also in teachHOUSTON, a certification program for secondary STEM teachers. Apart from math and Spanish, her third passion is music. In her free time, Ana enjoys singing and playing piano, learning to embroider, watching YouTube and cooking/baking vegetarian food and desserts.
Juan Pantoja
Mathematics Major, teachHOUSTON Preservice Teacher, University of Houston, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Juan is an undergraduate student at the University of Houston. He is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and obtaining teaching certification through the teachHOUSTON program. He is always in search of something new to learn. You can catch him at his local park in his free time running the trail. He plays the saxophone and considers music his other passion.
Liandra Larsen
teachHOUSTON STEM Interactive Video Editor
Liandra is a Research Graduate Assistant for the teachHOUSTON Program. Currently, she’s pursuing her Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Houston. Her research interests include improving the university experience for first-generation and transfer students. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, binge-watching shows on Netflix, and overspending at Target.