Personal Finance
Personal Finance Lesson Plans
Lesson Plans, Activities, and Discussion Material for Personal Finance| Topics | Lesson Description | Lesson Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising Pricing Generic vs. Name Brands Consumer Skills | Activity: Name Brand vs. Private Label (Generic) Taste Test Students sample name brand foods and their private label counterparts in a blind taste test, followed by a classroom discussion on the real and perceived differences between the two. Products sampled include: Sprite, Orange Juice, Bottled Water, Pop Tarts, Cereal Bars, Fruit Cocktail, Cheetos, Cheezits, and Froot Loops. PowerPoint discussion notes include follow-up activity in which students identify advertising techniques by finding commercials on the internet. Full Lesson Description | Worksheet: Taste Test Scorecard PowerPoint Discussion - Generic (Private Label) vs. Name Brand Foods |
| Shopping Consumer Skills Coupons | Activity: Becoming a Savvy Grocery Shopper Students plan their meals for an entire week, then research how much their food would cost by visiting a local grocery store. Once the students have this information, they return to the classroom where they use coupon websites to see if any money saving coupons exist for the items they researched. Full Lesson Description | Worksheet: Personal Finance Grocery Shopping Project |
| Comparison Shopping Product Research | Lesson: Cell Phone Comparison Shopping and Product Research Students apply the concepts of Comparison Shopping and Product Research by completing research on cell phones and calling plans using the internet. Full Lesson Description | Worksheet: Cell Phone Comparison Worksheet Links www.consumerreports.org www.cnet.com |
| Consumer Complaints Complaint Letters | Lesson: Effective Consumer Complaints Students learn how to make effective consumer complaints and apply the knowledge using pre-written scenarios to draft complaint letters. Full Lesson Description | PowerPoint Presentation: Consumer Complaints Resource: Scenarios for Student Complaint Letters Resource: Complaint Letter Template (from Consumer Action Handbook) |
| Consumer Scams Rip-Offs Deceptive Marketing Infomercials | Lesson: Consumer Scams & Rip-offs Students learn about existing scams by taking part in hands-on demonstrations. Full Lesson Description | PowerPoint Notes: Consumer Scams & Rip-offs Resource: PDF Copy of iPod Winner Certificate |
| Budgeting Saving Financial Plan | Lesson: Budgeting 101 Students learn the basics of budgeting, including: * Why it is important to budget * How to make a budget Full Lesson Description | PowerPoint Discussion: Budgeting 101 Worksheet: Excel Budget Template |
| Pricing Anchoring Consumer Behavior | Lesson: (Price) Anchors Away Students see the concept of anchoring firsthand in this activity (adapted from Dan Ariely's book Predictably Irrational). Full Lesson Description | Worksheet: Anchoring Activity Photos: Products for Anchoring Activity |
| Compound Interest Rule of 72 | Lesson: Miracle of Compounding Students learn the concepts of simple interest, compound interest, and the rule of 72. Lesson includes opportunities for students to calculate simple and compound interest manually, as well as on the internet using financial calculators. Full Lesson Description | PowerPoint Discussion: Magic of Compounding Student Worksheet: Online Savings Calculators |
| Banks vs. Credit Unions Bank Accounts FDIC Insurance Banks vs. Credit Unions | Lesson: Intro to Bank Accounts Students learn the basics of checking, savings, and money market accounts through a combination of classroom discussion, online research, and hands-on online demonstrations. Full Lesson Description | PowerPoint Discussion: Checking and Savings Account Basics |
| Choosing a Bank Sales Presentation Comparing Banks | Lesson: Choosing a Bank Students learn tips on how to choose the bank that's right for them by delivering a sales presentation for a bank of their choice. Full Lesson Description | PowerPoint Discussion: Choosing a Bank Instructions: Bank Salesperson Activity Scoresheet: Bank Salesperson Activity |
| Investing Expectations Risk vs. Reward Diversification Stock Quotes | Lesson: Investing Expectations An introductory discussion on investing in stocks that focuses on having the proper expectations. Full Lesson Description | PowerPoint Discussion: Investing Expectations |
| Mutual Funds Fund Research Creating a Fund | Lesson: Mutual Fund Activities Students practice researching and comparing funds. Students apply their knowledge of funds by creating their own mutual fund. | Excel Worksheet: Mutual Fund Comparisons Instructions: Creating Your Own Mutual Fund |
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