TD Bank Financial Education 1 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
BALANCING A CHECKBOOK
Key Concepts
Maintaining financial records
Summary
This lesson uses checking accounts as an application to strengthen students’ quantitative reasoning skills.
It seeks to promote responsible record-keeping and cash flow management.
Overview & Lesson Objectives
This lesson is intended for middle school students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The lesson
teaches students how to reconcile a checking account register to a checking account statement. Online
banking and 24/7 Bank-By-Phone will also be introduced in this lesson.
Students will be able to:
Complete a check register with a series of transactions
Read a checking account statement
Reconcile a checking account register to a checking account statement
Describe alternative methods to access checking account information
o Online Banking
o 24/7 Bank-By-Phone
o Customer Service Representatives at the branches
Time Allocation:
15 - 20 Minute Prep
35 - 40 Minutes Engagement
Materials:
Copies of Checking account transaction list (one per student)
Copies of Blank check register (one per student)
Copies of Checking Account Statement (one per student)
TD Bank Financial Education 2 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
Lesson Begins: Setting the Stage
Background Builder #1: Ask students to recall the information covered in the last lesson. They should
be able to tell you about writing checks and recording transactions in a checking account register. Ask
students to tell you more about the checking account register. Elicit from students the need to record
accurate information, the need to record all transactions, accurate arithmetic and neatness.
State the Objective: tell the students what they will be able to do upon conclusion of the lesson.
“Today we are going to learn about reconciling a checking account register and a checking account
statement. You will also learn that there are ways to access your checking account information if you ever
forget to record a transaction or have another problem.”
Lesson Continues
People can use a checking account to pay for utilities, housing, food, clothing, and services. Nearly
everyone uses a checking account because it is a safer way to pay for things than using cash. If you carry
a lot of cash on your person or send cash through the mail, it can easily be stolen. When you write a
check from your checking account you give permission to a specific company or person to receive a
certain amount of money. ATM and debit cards connected to your checking account can also make
monetary transactions easier.
Things can become disorganized if you do not keep track of your money and your checks. When you
open a checking account, you receive a check register. This is the place to record every check you write,
every ATM withdrawal you make, and every deposit that you make. You will always know if you have
enough money to pay for the checks you have written, so that you don’t overdraw your account and get
into serious financial trouble. When you write a check, you must subtract the amount you spent from your
balance. A deposit means you can add the amount to your balance. Careful arithmetic is very important!
Proceed to discuss the aspects of an entry in a check register <refer to check register>: the check
number, the date it was written, the description of the check/debit or deposit, the amount of the
check/debit or the deposit, and the balance forward.
Distribute a copy of “Tracy Transaction’s Checking Account Transactions” to each student. Also distribute
a blank check register to each student. Instruct students to enter Tracy’s transactions accurately on their
checking account registers.
As students complete this activity it is vital to circulate among the students pointing out any areas that
may create problems or answering any questions that may arise.
Next distribute a checking account statement to each student. Explain to the students that they have the
option of receiving a paper statement in the mail or viewing their statement online. A checking account
statement will list all of the transactions processed through their checking account during the previous
month. Their statement will also include images or copies of cleared checks with their monthly statement.
TD Bank Financial Education 3 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
Instruct students to verify each transaction listed on their statements with those in their checking account
registers. The ending balance should be $361.80. Tell students this is called balancing a checkbook.
This was an easy example to share with students because everything was straightforward and easy to
understand. But what if there was missing information in the checking account register? What could you
do? Many banks make it easy for you to access your account information.
Customers can go to their branches and have a Customer Service Representative help reconcile
their account or solve problems.
Customers can access account information online.
Customers can access account information through 24/7 Bank-By-Phone.
Students should be made aware that the last two options allow them to transfer funds, pay bills online,
open an account, apply for a loan, and more.
Lesson Closes
Review with students the importance of balancing their checkbook. Review alternative options to
accessing account information. See the suggestions page for “Additional Engagement
Opportunities/Resources”, for additional ideas.
TD Bank Financial Education 4 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
Additional Engagement Opportunities / Resources
Pair and Share: Group students into pairs and ask each pair to exchange two or three new things
learned during the day’s lesson. Call on select pairs to share with the whole class what has been learned.
Sample questions:
What does the bank send to you so that you can balance your checkbook?
How can customers access account information after business hours?
Describe why it is important to record all transactions.
What can you do if you forget the amount you wrote a check for?
Discuss what you can do using 24/7 Bank-By Phone.
Misinformation: Quote information from the day’s lesson purposely erroneous. Call on various students
to restate the information correctly.
Samples:
A check register is sent to you monthly by your bank and lists all the transactions in your account
from the previous month
Checking account statements can only be viewed on line
What’s left out? Supply students with statements that have some information missing. This can be done
verbally or it can be done on a board. Ask students to provide the missing information.
Samples:
Checking account __________are mailed each month to the customer, or they can access them
on line
o Answer is " statements"
A check ______________ is the place to record every check you write, every ATM withdrawal you
make,
o Answer is " register"
TD Bank Financial Education 5 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
Educational Standards
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, 2000
Number and Operations – (Students will) Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates.
Problem Solving – (Students will) Solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts.
Communication – (Students will) Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through
communication.
Connections – (Students will) Recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas.
Representation – (Students will) Create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate
mathematical ideas.
NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards for Personal Financial Literacy 2014:
Standard 9.1: 21
st
Century Life and Careers
9.1 B. Money Management: 9.2.8.B.7, 9.2.8.B.8, 9.2.8.B.9, 9.2.8.B.10, 9.2.8.B.11
National Standards in K – 12 Personal Finance Education (from Jump$tart Coalition) 2017:
Financial Decision Making:
Standard 1, “Recognize the responsibilities associated with personal financial decisions.”
Spending and Saving:
Standard 1, “Develop a plan for spending and saving.”
Standard 2, “Develop a system for keeping and using financial records.”
TD Bank Financial Education 6 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
Tracy Transaction’s Checking Account Transactions
Directions: Record the following transactions on a checking account register. Be sure to record the
information carefully. Also be sure to do the arithmetic accurately.
1. Beginning Balance in Tracy’s checking account - $300
2. Tracy paid Sneaker World $63 for new sneakers on Oct. 15 with a debit card
3. Tracy deposited her paycheck on Oct. 21 in the amount of $43.25
4. Tracy wrote check #101 for $17.75 to Randy’s Records on Oct. 25
5. Tracy wrote check #102 for $9.45 to Brandon’s Books on Oct. 25
6. Tracy made a withdrawal of $20.00 using her ATM card at a TD Bank on Oct. 25
7. Tracy deposited her paycheck on Nov. 5 in the amount of $43.25
8. Tracy wrote check #103 for $18.00 to her school to add money to her lunch account on Nov. 6
9. Tracy made a withdrawal of $20.00 using her ATM card at another bank on Nov. 7 and was
charged a fee of $1.50
10. Tracy deposited her birthday money $125.00 on Nov. 12
TD Bank Financial Education 7 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
TD Bank Financial Education 8 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
SAMPLE CHECKING ACCOUNT STATEMENT
Statement Date 11/15/18
Tracy Transaction
555 Deposit Lane 1112223339
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 Account Number
*** Checking***
Account Number 1112223339
Previous Statement Balance as Of 10/14/18……………………. 300.00
Plus 3 Deposits and Other Credits………………………. 211.50
Less 6 Checks and Other Debits………………………… 149.70
Current Statement Balance as Of 11/15/18……………………. 361.80
Number of Days in This Statement Period 33
***Checking Transactions***
Serial Date Amount
101 10/25 17.75
102 10/25 9.45
103 11/6 18.00
***Checking Account Transactions***
Date Description Debits Credits
10/17 POS Debit 10/15 63.00
Sneaker World
10/21 Deposit 43.25
10/25 Withdrawal 10/25 20.00
TD Bank, N.A.
TD Bank Financial Education 9 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
Statement Date 11/15/18
Tracy Transaction
555 Deposit Lane 1112223339
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 Account Number
________________________________________________________________________
***Checking Account Transactions***
Date Description Debits Credits
11/5 Deposit 43.25
11/7 Withdrawal 20.00
Fee Assessed
By Non-TD Bank 1.50
11/12 Deposit 125.00
***Balance by Date***
10/15 300.00 11/6 258.30
10/25 233.05 11/14 361.80
______________________________________________________________________
TD Bank Financial Education 10 Grades 6-8/Lesson 2
Statement Date 11/15/18
THIS STATEMENT REPRESENTS AN ACCOUNTING BETWEEN THE BANK AND YOU. IF THERE
IS AN ERROR IN IT, CALL IT TO THE BANK’S ATTENTION PROMPTLY IN WRITING. FAILURE TO
DO SO WITHIN 14 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS STATEMENT MAY BAR YOUR RIGHT TO
HAVE THE ERROR CORRECTED. NOTICE MUST BE SENT BY CERTIFIED MAIL TO US AT THE
ADDRESS LISTED ON THE FRONT OF THIS STATEMENT.
Balance Reconciliation
1. Enter Ending Balance ______________
2. Add deposits recorded in your checkbook but not shown
on the reverse side of this statement. Enter the interest
earned deposit in your checkbook. ______________
3. Total (1 and 2 above) ______________
4. Enter Total “Checks Outstanding” (from bottom column) ______________
Balance (3 less 4 should equal your checkbook balance) ______________
Checks Outstanding
(Written by you but not yet indicated as paid on any statement)
Check Number or Date Amount
TOTAL
