I want my students to be prepared for the financial decisions young people are faced with right out of high school and realize how their choices now impact their future. Ending this course, I would like for students to feel confident in their education and be able to make wise financial decisions.
Our school is a Title school, meaning over 50% of our students received free or reduced lunch.
Many get their only experiences with current technology through the classroom. We are a rural school with limited jobs available in our county. Recently our county's largest employer shutdown leaving over 1,000 unemployed.
Most of my students have been directly impacted by this shutdown through family members being unemployed. This has been a difficult life lesson for them and they are realizing the value in education, having skills, and making good financial decisions. My students need good financial education so they will be prepared for the decisions they will be faced with in the future.
My Project
My students will use the materials requested to complete a team based "Financial Literacy: Biggest Loser" project. Students will be assigned to work on teams. The project activities will be outside where students will perform financial activities to reduce team debt amount (weight). The teams will randomly receive a scenario where a person is weighted down with financial debt and will work to get that persons financial activities back in shape. Examples: "Student loan overload", "Credit purchasing to the max" , and "Couch potato shopper".
Student teams will review the financial history of their assignment and visit exercise stations to reduce the financial weight. At each station student will complete financial exercises and video record how their exercise will contribute to financial success. Exercises: Reconcile a bank statement, Choose the credit card, Determine better loan interest rate. The goal being to reduce debt and get in better financial shape.
This project will help students understand how their choices can determine the condition of their finances.
They can work to reduce their debt and be proactive in controlling the health of their finances. In this project they will receive the financial tools to exercise good financial practices. Each student will develop a financial exercise plan so they will keep their personal finances fit.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. McCarley and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
