Inside a Bank Account
A fictional account starts at €20, a gift adds €8, then a book and a bus are paid — what is the balance after each step?
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In the year workbook
My Money YearThis lesson has a companion in the printable year workbook: pupil pp. 92–93, teacher companion p. 76.
Learning objectives
- Write the running balance after a €8 gift, a €6 book and a €3 bus payment
- Label each transaction money IN or money OUT
- Decide what to do when a message asks for a one-time code to “fix” the account
Vocabulary
- Account
- A safe place at a bank that holds your money.
- Deposit
- Money you put into your account or savings.
- Withdrawal
- Taking money out of your bank account.
- Balance
- How much money is in your account right now.
- Statement
- A list showing money going in and out of an account.
Materials
Minute-by-minute flow
5′
Hook
Teacher does
Read the story: a fictional account starts at €20, a gift adds €8, a book takes €6 and a bus takes €3. Ask which facts are known and what to find out.
Students do
Say the start balance and the three transactions.
10′
Model
Teacher does
Think aloud through task 1: write the balance after each transaction — €20 + €8 = €28.
Students do
Update the running balance after the gift.
20′
Practise
Teacher does
Set tasks 2 and 3: finish the balances (€22 after the book, €19 after the bus), label each as IN or OUT, and decide what to do about a one-time-code message.
Students do
Mark the gift IN, the book and bus OUT, and refuse to share the code.
7′
Discuss
Teacher does
Surface the misconception: a bank account is a record — the balance changes when transactions are recorded — and never use real pupil details.
Students do
Explain what the balance shows.
3′
Exit
Teacher does
Pose the reflection: what does the balance tell you?
Students do
Say it is the amount recorded after the listed transactions.
Check for understanding
Can the learner reach €28, €22 then €19, label each transaction IN or OUT, and refuse the one-time-code request?
Exit ticket
The balance after the €8 gift, €6 book and €3 bus is €__ — it tells you…
Support
Use green plus and orange minus transaction cards.
Stretch
Add a duplicate €6 book line and explain the two possible balances before checking evidence.
Home connection
With a grown-up, look at a redacted statement and find the IN and OUT columns — never share a real PIN or one-time code.