 |
| |
|
|
|
|
Educational Resources for Teachers
Money Lesson Plans and Materials for Grades 3 - 6
| |
Welcome to the MMI Educational Resources for Teachers! MMI strongly believes that personal finance education in early years is critical for our children's future.
These money lesson plans and resources are designed to provide educators with strategies for teaching personal finance education in the classroom. As you prepare students to become more knowledgeable consumers, wise savers and investors, responsible users of credit, and careful decision makers, MMI encourages you to visit these web pages frequently to discover innovative methods of teaching a responsible relationship to personal finance.
MMI has begun this site with money lesson plans designed for use in grades 3 - 6. These lessons teach personal finance concepts through the use of children's trade books. A new money lesson plan will appear every month, so we encourage you to visit us in the future for new ideas for your classroom.
These printable lessons include
a lesson description,
a personal finance concepts list,
cross-curricular connections,
instructional objectives,
detailed procedure steps,
activity sheets and visuals,
assessment techniques, and
extension/enrichment recommendations.
We hope that your students enjoy these money lessons and that you will return again soon to the MMI Educational Resources for Teachers.
|
|
| |
Educational Lessons |
|
| |
| |
The Berenstain Bears' Trouble with Money |
|
| |
|
Students read about the cubs' spendthrift ways and how Mama and Papa Bear teach them to earn and save. Students learn about figures of speech, and they create "critter banks" in which they can begin to save. |
|
| |
| |
Bingo Brown and the Language of Love |
|
| |
|
Bingo Brown's girlfriend has moved to Bixby, Oklahoma. Another girl, Cici, has decided that she likes Bingo, but Bingo's friend, Billy Wentworth, likes Cici. It is up to Bingo to try to make everything work out. |
|
| |
| |
Four Dollars and Fifty Cents |
|
| |
|
In this lesson, students use the book, Four Dollars and Fifty Cents, to discover ways that creditors can obtain payment from reluctant debtors. |
|
| |
| |
A Gift for Mama |
|
| |
|
In this lesson, students read a story about a young girl named Sara. Sara has always made gifts for her family for special occasions. For Mother's Day, Sara decides she wants to buy a gift for her mother. After reading and discussing the story, students will create a booklet in which they've illustrated Sara's short-term savings goal and their own short-term savings goal. |
|
| |
| |
The Hundred Penny Box |
|
| |
|
After reading The Hundred Penny Box, students compare how people save money in financial institutions. Students analyze the advantages of regular saving and how savings grow with compounding. |
|
| |
| |
Kermit the Hermit |
|
| |
|
This lesson will examine spending and saving decisions related to the book, Kermit the Hermit, a crab who wished to repay a poor boy's kindness but couldn't figure out how. |
|
| |
| |
The Leaves in October |
|
| |
|
In this lesson, students read a story about a family living in a shelter. The daughter, Livvy, and a friend, Belinda, sell tissue roses. They share their profits. Belinda spends her money; Livvy saves her. Students learn about different places to save their money and the advantages and disadvantages of each. They also learn that spending and saving decisions have opportunity costs. |
|
| |
| |
Meet Molly, An American Girl |
|
| |
|
Students will look at saving and spending decisions in 1944 through the eyes of Molly, a nine-year-old growing up during World War II. The lesson uses Meet Molly, An American Girl, by Valerie Tripp. The book is the first in a series of six books that feature Molly in 1944 America. After reading chapter 1, students complete an activity designed to focus on the reason for Victory gardens in 1944. After chapter 2, students complete "Halloween Opportunities," an activity that stresses the similarity between saving and spending decisions in 1944 and 1998 and that teaches opportunity cost. The last activity, "American Factories Go to War" utilizes the nonfiction excerpt in the back of the book to help students understand the large amount of saving that took place during the war because of consumer good shortages. |
|
| |
| |
Mixed-up Files |
|
| |
|
In this lesson based on From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, students use the experiences of Claudia and Jamie to learn about income, expenses, and the budget process. The book follows the adventures of two runaway children hiding out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Students complete an activity emphasizing the need for income and the importance of planning and budgets. Students also have an opportunity to update some of the 1967 prices used in the book. The assessment activity has students sort through expenses and income sources to construct their own weekly budget. |
|
| |
| |
Mr. Popper's Penguins |
|
| |
|
This lesson addresses the issue of credit, focusing on the importance of wise credit decisions, the risks lenders face, the role of interest or finance charges, and the credit user's responsibility to repay. Students read Mr. Popper's Penguins and discuss the use of credit in the story. They play a game that demonstrates the importance of responsible use of credit. |
|
| |
| |
Not for a Billion Gazillion Dollars |
|
| |
|
Students read a book about Matthew Martin who wants a new computer program. He has no savings, and he's in debt to most of his classmates and his parents. His parents share their experiences of buying on credit and getting out of debt. Matthew uses his allowance to pay off his debts and saves until he can buy the computer program. Students learn about the advantages and disadvantages of saving and credit, and they have an opportunity to obtain homework passes on credit. |
|
| |
| |
Stone Fox |
|
| |
|
In this lesson, students use the book, Stone Fox, to understand income, capital, saving, taxes, and credit. Stone Fox tells the story of Little Willy, a ten year old who enters a challenging dog-sled race in hopes of winning money to pay the back taxes on his grandfather's farm. |
|
| |
| |
Tarantula Shoes |
|
| |
|
Students read a book about Ryan O'Keefe, a young man who wants a pair of basketball shoes promoted by a basketball star. They learn about spending, saving, opportunity cost, and trade-offs as they study Ryan's decisions throughout the book. Students keep a diary of expenses to track their spending and examine their opportunity costs. |
|
| |
| |
Toy Craze |
|
| |
|
In this lesson, students use the book, The Berenstain Bears' Mad, Mad, Mad Toy Craze, to learn about spending, collecting, opportunity cost, saving, and speculating. |
|
| |
| |
Yard Sale |
|
| |
|
After the teacher reads Yard Sale, the class discusses spending decision of the animals in the story. Students learn a decision-making process and how to identify their opportunity cost. |
|
|
|
|
|
