Lesson Plan

• Describe the purpose of accounting and its key functions.
• Distinguish between bookkeeping and accounting in terms of scope, focus, and typical users.
• Compare the bookkeeping and accounting cycles and identify the documents produced at each stage.
• Explain how accounting information supports decision‑making.

• Projector and screen
• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed handout of the bookkeeping vs accounting comparison table
• Sample source documents (invoices, receipts, bank statements)
• Worksheet for trial‑balance and financial‑statement exercises
• Calculators

Begin by asking students how businesses keep track of money on a daily basis to spark interest. Review that recording transactions is a fundamental step in any business. Explain that by the end of the lesson they will be able to clearly articulate the differences between bookkeeping and accounting and outline each cycle. Success will be measured by an exit‑ticket comparison.

1. Do‑now (5'): Quick quiz on the purposes of accounting.
2. Mini‑lecture (10'): Definitions of bookkeeping and accounting plus key functions, using slides.
3. Interactive comparison (12'): Students complete a fill‑in table contrasting the two concepts.
4. Demonstration of the bookkeeping cycle (10'): Walk through source documents to an unadjusted trial balance.
5. Group activity – accounting cycle (15'): Extend the example to adjustments, trial balance, and preparation of financial statements.
6. Check for understanding (8'): Exit‑ticket – list two main differences and one way accounting aids decision‑making.

Summarise the distinct roles of bookkeeping and accounting and how they fit together in the overall accounting process. Collect the exit tickets to gauge understanding, and assign homework: complete a worksheet that takes a set of transactions through both the bookkeeping and accounting cycles, producing the final financial statements.