Summary
Students will learn about the FAFSA process, and they will complete their own demo FAFSA application.
Essential Question(s)
What is FAFSA? In what ways does it benefit students?
Snapshot
Engage
Students will complete a Four Corners activity over financing a college education.
Explore
Students will complete a FAFSA anticipation guide.
Explain
Students will work on completing a FAFSA application.
Extend
Students will complete a Two Minute Paper over their FAFSA process.
Evaluate
Students will complete an exit ticket activity to show their understanding and completion of the FAFSA process.
Materials
Lesson Slides- What is FAFSA (attached)
Four Corners Posters- What is FAFSA (attached)
FAFSA Student Anticipation Guide- What is FAFSA (attached; one per student)
FAFSA Anticipation Guide Teacher Key- What is FAFSA (attached)
FAFSA How-To Guide (attached; one per student or one per group)
Sheet of paper
Pen/Pencil
Engage
Begin by displaying the title slide on slide 2 and introduce the topic to your students. Students will complete a Four Corners activity using the question below.
Display slide 3 and inform your students that they will be participating in an activity called Four Corners. Ask students, “What are some resources to help you pay for college?” Around the room, using the "Four Corners Posters," have College and Local Scholarships, Jobs, Oklahoma's Promise, and Student Loans placed in different locations. Ask students to go to the poster that they know the most about.
Display slide 4 and instruct your students, with their group, to answer each of the following questions on a sheet of paper:
What does your category mean?
How might that look in terms of paying for college?
What are potential advantages of this category?
What are potential disadvantages of this category?
How helpful might this option be long terms?
Give each group an opportunity to share information about each topic and explain why each of these resources is helpful in paying for college.
Display slide 5 and share the lesson's essential question: What is FAFSA? In what ways does it benefit students?
Display slide 6 and share the lesson's learning objective: Students will be able to identify ways to pay for college.
Explore
Transitions to slide 7 and inform your students that they will complete the “FAFSA Anticipation Guide.” Pass out the "FAFSA Student Anticipation Guide." Individually, students will read and respond to each statement provided. Encourage students who do not know the correct answer to make an educated guess and “agree” or “disagree” with each statement.
Display slide 8 and inform your students that they are participating in and activity called, Thing-Pair-Share. With their partner the students will read through their anticipation guide and come to a decision on the best choice for each statement; whether it's agree or disagree.
Pass out copies of “The How-To Guide for High School Students” and have student pairs read through to find the correct information for each statement. As they read through they will record the answer along with the page number. Pairs will share correct answers in a whole-group discussion. To aid in the discussion the "FAFSA Anticipation Guide Teacher Key" is available.
After the discussion, the teacher will pass out to all students a copy of the “FAFSA Teacher Guide” so that students will have a set of statements with the correct answers for home use in filling out FAFSA.
Explain
Transition to slide 9 and inform your students that they will use the FAFSA4Caster. This website will help "forecast" their potential financial aid options for the college or university in which they are most interested.
Teachers are encouraged to use the Oklahoma State Regents PowerPoint presentations, listed below, as guides to completing the form. Helpful Websites include:
Extend
Once students have completed their demo FAFSA application, display slide 10 and inform your students that they will complete a Two Minute Paper over their results. This time limit can be adjusted to best suit the needs of the students.
Students should address the following questions in their short paper:
What were the results?
Was your EFC lower or higher than expected?
Would your EFC cover the cost of tuition and fees of your choice schools?
What other resources could you use to help cover the cost of your attendance?
What will your next step be in finding those resources?
Evaluate
Display slide 11 and inform your students that to ensure they have completed the tasks and understand how to utilize FAFSA, they will complete an exit ticket.
Ask students to take a moment to complete an exit ticket on a sheet of paper or a sticky note by responding to the following question: What is one way that you could potentially pay for college according to your FAFSA results?
If students have questions, refer to “FAFSA: The How-To Guide for High School Students” page 18.
Resources
Free Application for Federal Student Aid. https://fafsa.ed.gov/
K20 Center. (n.d.). Four corners. Strategies. Retrieved from https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f5064550
K20 Center. (n.d.). Think-pair-share. Strategies. Retrieved from https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f5064b49
K20 Center. (n.d.). Two-minute paper. Strategies. Retrieved from https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f506cf73