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Consumer Resource Center

Grades 6 - 8

This standards-aligned curriculum series empowers educators with engaging activities to integrate financial education instruction into subjects such as math, English, and social studies. Here is a brief overview of what you will find:

  • Educator’s Guide with lessons and hands-on activities to promote student participation in the learning process. Grade-level modifications are identified throughout the activities.
  • Teacher Presentation Slides, optional overhead visuals that include fill-in charts to support the activities of each lesson.
  • Student Guide features worksheets for students based on topics covered in each lesson that can be used at school or at home. The worksheets can be found in the Educator Guide for grades Pre-K-2, and in a standalone Student Guide for grades 3-12.
  • Parents’/Caregivers’ Guide with a summary of the key concepts covered in the module, and that offers exercises, activities, and conversation-starters for parents.

Superintendents, Principals, Educators and other Administrators:

The FDIC would like to hear from school superintendents, principals, or other school leaders on how we can support educators in your schools using the Money Smart curriculum. In addition, the FDIC wants to hear from educators who use the curriculum on what worked well, what could be improved, and promising approaches you may have used to deliver the curriculum. Please contact communityaffairs@fdic.gov and describe where the curriculum could be used and the grade-level range of the students.

Course Description

This page provides details on the lessons that comprise Money Smart for Grades 6 - 8.

The first table helps you find lessons that align with key financial topics as defined through the My Money Five (mymoney.gov). The second table illustrates the topic and learning objectives for each of the lessons.

ThemeCorresponding Lesson
Earn
  • Lesson 1 (Career and Job Opportunities)
  • Lesson 2 (Introduction to Taxes)
Spend
  • Lesson 4 (Smart Shopping)
  • Lesson 5 (Cash Flow and Budgeting)
  • Lesson 12 (Personal Choices)
Save and Invest
  • Lesson 3 (Financial Goals)
  • Lesson 5 (Cash Flow and Budgeting)
  • Lesson 6 (The Importance of Saving)
  • Lesson 7 (Savings Options)
  • Lesson 8 (Investing Options)
  • Lesson 12 (Personal Financial Choices)
Borrow
  • Lesson 9 (Credit and Debt)
Protect
  • Lesson 10 (Protecting Your Identity)
  • Lesson 11 (Financial Risk)

Lessons at a Glance

Lesson NumberLesson TitleTopicLearning Objectives
1The Path to SuccessCareer and Job Opportunities
  • Identify and assess the skills and experience needed for a variety of careers
  • Examine the impact of education and other opportunities like internships on career trajectory
  • Create a path for advancing in a career field
2Bread and ButterIntroduction to Taxes
  • Understand and explain the purpose of federal income and state tax and how it affects personal income.
  • Apply mathematical skills and concepts to tax brackets and personal income
  • Describe and evaluate the importance of the current federal income tax system
3Designing DreamsFinancial Goals
  • Identify and explain needs and wants
  • Identify their own financial values and apply those values to their financial goals
  • Create a financial goal and develop the process to achieve it, factoring in possible barriers to that goal
  • Understand an explain the importance of creating financial goals
4Being a Savvy ShopperSmart Shopping
  • Consider the role of needs and wants in decision making
  • Evaluate the credibility and motivation of marketing and advertising
  • Distinguish the best value of goods and services
  • Define and apply opportunity cost to purchases
5Go with the FlowCash Flow and Budgeting
  • Explain the purpose and value of budgeting
  • Explain the budget categories: fixed expenses, variable expenses, and discretionary expenses
  • Create a budget accouting for income, expenses, and unexpected scenarios
6Super SaversThe Importance of Saving
  • Understand and explain the importance of saving money
  • Evaluate methods for saving money, both for a scenario and in their own lives
7How to Stash Your CashSavings Options
  • Evaluate and differentiate a variety of banking and savings options
  • Identify the benefits of creating a savings account
  • Understand compound interest and how it can increase savings
8Money Doesn’t Grow on TreesInvesting Options
  • Understand investment growth, losses, reward, and risk by developing and tracking a stock portfolio
  • Demonstrate a general understanding of investment vehicles, like bonds, stocks, and mutual funds
  • Create investment tips for an adult audience
9Give Credit Where Credit Is DueCredit and Debt
  • Understand how to build credit and practices that may hurt credit
  • Identify the economic benefits of good credit
  • Discuss the consequences of debt
10Protecting YourselfProtecting Your Identity
  • Create a trifold informative brochure on identity theft and prevention methods
  • Apply information about identity theft and prevention in realistic role-plays
11Risky BusinessFinancial Risk
  • Identify methods to protect oneself from unwanted financial risk
  • Create a risk management plan for a purchase
12Spend, Save, or Give?Personal Financial Choices
  • Create a balanced budget that takes into consideration spending, saving, and giving
  • Analyze personal decision making when crafting a budget


Return to Money Smart for Young People to learn more or download the curriculum.


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Last Updated: February 2, 2022