1. Grade 8 | Unit 8.4 | Page 12
Unit 8.4
Learning Activity Sheet - page i
What would happen if my family won a million Rand?
Write down the names of all the members of the group: __________________________________________________
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Close your eyes and imagine that someone in your family, maybe you, has just won the Lotto, a million Rand! Just
imagine all that money. What would your family do with it?
Do you think the person will quit her job, or stop worrying about getting a new job? Buy a new house in a different
neighbourhood? Buy a fancy car? Give some away? How will your life change? Will you still go to this school or go to
a school in another part of town, maybe a private school somewhere? How about clothes, holidays and friends? As your
lifestyle changes, will your friends change too?
The day of the announcement, your phone starts ringing non-stop. Some people will have read your name in the
newspaper, looked up your phone number in the directory, and will try and persuade you to buy this or that, invest in
this or that. Some charities will call, hoping for donations. Old friends and relatives you haven't heard from in years
will call up, wanting to congratulate you, hoping for a gift from you. A cousin who gambles too much asks you for a
loan. An older family member wants to start a business of her own and puts pressure on you to invest in her venture.
Some will get angry if you don't share your winnings with them. Who can you trust?
Suddenly it seems as though there are so many possibilities, but things are happening far too fast. Now that everyone
knows that you're rich, you may become the target of bitter envy, some may be resentful of your good luck, while others
may see you as a lucrative target to steal from. Suddenly you are feeling very vulnerable and under pressure. Your family
decides to go away for two weeks to think about it all and try and develop some plan.
With your partner or group answer the following questions:
Some people believe that if they won the lottery - big time - it would solve all their problems. But is this really true?
1. Problems that would disappear if I had a million Rand.
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1 Adapted from Gambling: Reducing the Risks, Grade 6, p. 34, Saskatchewan Health, 1999.

2. Grade 8 | Unit 8.4 | Page 13
Learning Activity Sheet - page ii
2. Problems that wouldn't disappear, no matter how much money I had.
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3. Problems that could get worse if I had a million Rand.
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4. New problems that could develop if I won a million Rand.
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