NTeQ--Lesson Plan Builder: ViewLesson

Buying a Car Online
Created by Mary Asselmeier

ID #: 3962

Subject Area: Other
Grade Level: --Choose One--

Lesson Summary
This lesson is intended for students in ninth grade math. In this lesson, students will use the internet to comparison shop for a car online, receive quotes from different online car sites, decide which has the best deal, and summarize their findings in a written report.

Learning Objectives and Computer Functions
This lesson plan uses 0 objectives.

Problem
Problem Nature
Many students will earn their driver's license around sophomore year. Many more of them will begin saving for a car, with or without the help of a parent. It is common knowledge that car prices are not set in stone, and negotiating a car price is a valuable skill to have. Web sites like autos.yahoo.com, or autobytel.com, or carsdirect.com can deliver a quote in less than 24 hours.

Problem Data
located

Notes on Using Data
Students will obtain their data through internet research. It will be saved to a hard drive either at school or at home.

Problem Statement
In just a few years, many of you will begin saving for a car. How many of you know what's involved in buying a car? Do you think you might save money by purchasing a car online? We're going to investigate what is involved in purchasing a car online, and decide if money can be saved by doing it this way.

Data Manipulation
Instructions
The learner used computers at level

Integration Strategies
intermediate

Organization Strategies
Students will create a table in Microsoft Word showing each auto web site, and the quote it provided. Additionally, students will display in their table which features in the car were standard, and which were extra.

Elaboration Strategies
As a writing activity, students will write a standard five paragraph essay discussing which car they chose, including the features of the vehicle. The paragraph will conclude by telling which web site offered the best quote for the vehicle.

Results Presentation
The written report will contain five paragraphs; an introduction, body, and conclusion. Topics covered will include the type of car chosen, and which web site offered the best quote.

Students will create a graphic display on poster board which shows a picture of their chosen vehicle, and table displaying all three web sites.

Students will be completing their work on an individual basis, but an interesting way to do group projects would be to poll the class and see who chose which cars. Then, the teacher will group the students according to the make of car they chose. Students can discuss and present as a group how they went through the process of choosing their web sites.

Activities
Activities Before Using the Computer
Students will choose the make of vehicle they will be obtaining a quote for. No vehicle is off-limits. They can choose a Ferrari as long as there are web sites that provide online quotes. This part of the lesson may require a parent's consent/cooperation, because many auto web sites will not provide a quote without some basic information.

Activities After Using the Computer
Students will make predictions. Since it generally takes 24 hours for quotes to come back, students can guess as to which site will have the best quote. This is a good opportunity for students to analyze different web sites--their validity, usefulness, etc.. Students will be required to fill out a form that requires them to evaluate the three sites they've chosen for their research.

Supporting Activities
The instructor will provide several copies of the auto pages from local newspapers that students can look through, paying attention to prices, financing, and down payments for vehicles.

Assessment
Students will be assessed by means of:

Included in the assessment:
Items to be included in the assessment are: hard copies of three auto web sites, a Microsoft Table of results, and a five paragraph essay summarizing the student's research. For presentations, students will have some leeway. One possibility is to have students write a thirty-second radio spot for a car dealership. Or, the students could demonstrate the on-line car buying process in a series of PowerPoint slides.