5.10.B
Math5th Grade
The Standard
explain the difference between gross income and net income
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Mathematics
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify gross income as earnings before deductions and net income as the amount left after deductions. They use pay stubs to compare the amounts.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students correctly identify total earnings before deductions and take-home pay after deductions on a pay stub. They subtract deductions and explain why the two amounts differ.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think gross income is the amount deposited into a bank account. They may also confuse payroll deductions with personal spending after receiving a paycheck.
How to Assess It
- Give students a pay stub showing $500 in earnings and $85 in deductions. Ask them to label the gross income and calculate the net income.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a mock pay stub and play money, then have them remove each deduction to find the take-home amount.
Ask students to write why a worker earning $600 might receive less than $600 in a paycheck.
Play a card sort where students match gross pay, deductions, and net pay amounts for several workers.
Compare two sample job paychecks with different earnings and deductions, then decide which worker takes home more money.
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