Practical Money Skills
Cars and Loans
Most teenagers want to buy a car, but do they know how much it really costs? Calculate the cost of purchasing a car, securing auto insurance, and maintaining the new investment with a thorough and engaging personal finance...
Curated OER
Checks and Balances
Learners examine how bank checks work and follow the "journey" of a written check. They discuss how transactional accounts work, identify and discuss the various parts of a check, and participate in a simulated business transaction...
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Homeless in our Community
Third graders explore homelessness in their local community. In this service project/social studies lessons, children research local areas where homeless people reside, discuss global acceptance and unity, and visit a local food bank.
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All Work and No Pay Makes Workers Angry
Students examine and react to a current cost-cutting dilemma faced by store managers. They then study the rights of worker and employers, and draft their findings in chapters of a book examining labor laws in the United States.
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Straight Talk On Tough Issues
Students engage in a activity that is focused upon the concept of breast cancer and research is conducted using a variety of reference sources. They reflect upon how different people deal with the tragedy of cancer and then students...
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French-Speaking Countries
High schoolers investigate the customs and culture of French-speaking countries. In this geography skills lesson, students research selected nations to learn about the culture, industries, lifestyles, and foods that are eaten there. High...
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An American Legacy-Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery Study
Fifth graders travel with the Corps of Discovery. In this ancient civilizations lesson, 5th graders research print and Internet sources about the Lewis and Clark expedition. Students prepare PowerPoint presentations to share their...
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Finding Promise in Compromise
Examine how the 'safe passage' for Palestinians between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank affects those living in Israel and reflects both conflict and cooperation between the Israelis and Palestinians. The class compares the perspective...
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Extra Credit: It’s No Fairy Tale
Students discuss their knowledge of payday loans and credit cards. In this Economics lesson, students complete a read an article and Q&A activity in groups, and play a vocabulary bingo game and a quiz game on payday loans. Students...
Federal Reserve Bank
Dealing with the Great Depression
As part of their study of the Great Depression, young economists examine statistical data to determine the effectiveness of FDR's New Deal recovery programs.
Global Oneness Project
A Day in the Life
We often see other countries depicted in movies, but getting a close look at a typical day in the life of a young person from another country isn't as common. Give your pupils such a look with a resource that helps class members...
Curated OER
What is the Importance of Developing Job Skills?
Financial literacy is the way to teach! The class works in small groups to discover the relationship between education and income level. They use their math and problem-solving skills to complete two different activities. They work out a...
Curated OER
Globalization: Threat or Opportunity for the U.S. Economy?
Learners study the pros and cons of globalization. They highlight the economic concepts of comparative advantage, specialization, and opportunity cost. They read and discuss the "FRBSF Economic Letter: Globalization: Threat or...
Federal Reserve Bank
Your Budget Plan
What do Whoosh and Jet Stream have in common? They are both characters in a fantastic game designed to help learners identify various positive and negative spending behaviors. Through an engaging activity, worksheets, and...
Federal Reserve Bank
So How Much Are You Really Paying for that Loan?
Loans are rarely provided without a cost. Pupils evaluate the high cost of using a payday loan or payday advance through discussion and worksheets, and finally work in groups to develop short public service announcements...
SaveandInvest.org
Introduction to Earning Interest: Middle School
Does your bank pay you for allowing them to hold your money? Class members research three different ways they can earn money using money already in the bank. Topics include certificates of deposit, statement savings accounts, and...
Curated OER
A Test of Faith
Secondary schoolers investigate the debate surrounding the current sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church with this New York Times instructional activity. Through discussions and written reflection, they explore their own thoughts...
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A Duck's Bill on Capitol Hill?
Use a list of environmentally related words to engage learners in a discussion about ecosystem conservation legislation. As a class, read "Aware of Political Ecosystem, Property Rights Advocate Embraces Conservation Plan." Then, present...
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Gaining Perspective
Discuss race in the United States. Start by having each learner read a copy of Martin Luther King Jr's famous speech, "I Have a Dream." Then, have them read the article "Shared Prayers, Mixed Blessings" about a church in Atlanta,...
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Pay to Play?
Lead your class in a discussion about how they believe money influences politics. After reading "Go Ahead, Try to Stop K Street" from the New York Times, they evaluate the claims in the article about the current lobbyist scandal in...
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Banking on a Good Turn
Students research the economies of countries in the Group of 8 and present how their economies have changed over the past five years and how the relationships among these countries affect each other in light of world events.
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Fighting for Control
Engage your class in a class discussion examining and defend different sides of an argument about whether the Environmental Protection Agency should have the legal authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. They will have to...
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A Positive Spin
Study word choice and connotation in advertising. Readers examine campaign ads, both negative and positive, from the 2006 mid-term election before discussing an article and analyze a campaign of any candidate they choose. Finally,...
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Recurring Nightmares
Does history really repeat itself? Encourage your middle and high schoolers to answer this age-old question by reading the attached articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Iraq Crisis of 2002. How similar or different are...