Active Learning Tools

An introductory activity to begin a discussion for any lesson plan content. Prompts are included for General Money Perceptions, Advanced Level Course Intro Lesson, Credit Cards, Checking Out Depository Institutions Lesson, and Taxes.

Also known as soft, power, and durable skills; these are important to develop while learning to work with others, share talents and strengths, communicate effectively, etc. It’s important to teach what “clear communication,” “reliability,” “flexibility,” etc. look like through different activities.

These provide an opportunity to engage actively, as individuals or in a team, with content related to a specific topic. Puzzles include personal-finance, taxes, entrepreneurship, and financial decision-making challenges.

Participants learn statistics about current American household financial situations while being broken into groups in a fun and creative way. Puzzle pieces are created by printing one statistic onto a piece of paper and then cutting the paper into fun shapes. Each participant receives a piece of a puzzle and must find others with the rest of the quote to form a group.

These can be used to focus at the beginning of class or to provide an engaging exit activity at the completion of class. The focus activity questions reinforce spending plan skills and financial education concepts.

Ice breakers can help create a positive learning mindset by setting a relaxed and enjoyable tone for the class. There are activities for the start of a course and/or first day when meeting new students or just when a break from content is needed.

This activity uses slogans for a variety of “sweet rewards” (candy, healthier food items, snacks, non-food items, etc.) that relate to personal finance content. It can be used as an introductory activity or anticipatory set for any content and may be facilitated in a variety of ways.

The object of Bingo is for a player to cover their squares horizontally, vertically, diagonally as a result of matching vocabulary words throughout the activity. This can be used to reinforce vocabulary from a variety of lessons or the Entrepreneurship Bingo activity is also available.

There are 3 decks of cards that can be used in a variety of ways. Card decks include "Companies That We Love!", "Match 'Em Up Employee Benefits", and "Questions About Money."

With Choice Boards, students have options to pick activities that connect to their own personal learning style to demonstrate their knowledge. This ALT has 3 choice boards, Summarizing a Topic, Tic-Tac-Toe and EdTech Tasks. There is also a blank choice board and rubric available.

This review activity asks participants to write questions and answers, and receive questions from others. Participants can collect clothespins by stumping classmates with their questions. They will also have to give clothespins if they answer questions incorrectly.

This activity encourages participants to review terms or facts. The answers to review questions are written on the board and when a question is asked, a participant holding a fly swatter walks to the board and swats the correct answer.

Financial Facts Feud is similar to the television activity show Family Feud©. Throughout the activity, participants work in teams to identify lists of information related to a specific topic.

A “foldable” is a layered, color‐coded, three‐dimensional graphic organizer. Foldables allow participants to creatively introduce or review concepts, summarize main ideas and key points, take notes, and can also be used as an assessment tool.

This encourages collaborative brainstorming and question answering in an engaging manner. Multiple sheets of paper with four questions are tossed around the room. If a participant receives a paper they must answer a question by adding a response that has not been previously recorded.

Guest speakers are a great addition to any classroom. Educators can help participants receive the most from a guest speaker visit by preparing for the visit, having participants take notes during the visit, and then reflecting on the visit.

Participants create bumper stickers to summarize any content.

Participants work in teams to answer questions. It is played like Tic‐Tac‐Toe or Hollywood Squares®. Use this activity to review concepts from any lesson plan. Questions specific to the Getting Paid and Credit Reports and Scores Lesson Plans are provided.

This activity introduces or reviews concepts while working cooperatively to the tune of songs with a financial message. Questions specific to the Major Expenditures: Housing, Transportation and Food Lesson Plan are included.

Participants build connections with how current media relates to the personal finance classroom. Participants will practice sharing thoughts, working in groups and analyzing the validity of sources.

This is designed like the tv game show Jeopardy®. This resource provides an empty PowerPoint trivia template to easily enter information to create your own trivia game. Also included are populated trivias for Take Charge of Credit Cards, Understanding Credit Cards and the Advanced Level Course Introduction lesson plans.

This reinforcement activity has participants collaborating to categorize or identify related information for reinforcement . Examples provided correspond with the Statement of Financial Position and the Introduction to Spending Plans Lesson Plans.

This activity reinforces vocabulary by using a Jenga® tower. Each piece is numbered, which corresponds with a vocabulary word. Participants roll a dice, which has a corresponding task, such as definition, draw a picture, use in a sentence, etc.

This activity reviews important content from any unit prior to completing an assessment. The game is staged just like baseball and designed so everyone in the class has a chance "at bat". Participants step up to the plate to answer a question or define a vocabulary term.

The object of spoons is for a player to match terms and definitions or concepts. When a player has a match they grab a spoon from the center of the table. Questions specific to the Types of Insurance Lesson Plan are provided.

The object of Taboo® is for a player to have their team guess the term at the top of a Taboo® card by describing the term without using any of the words listed underneath it. Questions specific to Getting Paid and Checking Out Depository Institutions are provided.

The time value of money is one of the most important concepts in personal finance. Use the visual demonstration provided in this ALT to illustrate the power of compounding interest. The demonstration uses colored jelly beans and an interactive graph to show how money can “magically” grow with interest.

This can be used as an introductory activity or to review concepts from a variety of lessons. Questions specific to The Basics of Taxes, Major Expenditures: Housing, Transportation and Food Lesson Plans, and the topics of saving and investing are provided.

Throughout the game, participants may purchase or sell property and/or dwellings in order to become the wealthiest and win the game. Participants can track the property transactions and life events to reflect on how real life events can unexpectedly change an individual’s financial situation.

Participants trade commodities on the market to try to ‘corner’ the market to win the hand.

Throughout the game, participants may change careers, family size, or the type of expenses. Participants can track personal information, income, and expenses to reflect life events and their financial effects.

To create a children’s book, the author must thoroughly understand the subject matter to pare the information to its simplest form. Because of this, creating a children’s book is an excellent assessment of knowledge. Sample topics relating to the saving and investing unit are included.

This activity provides ideas and resources for using books as an anticipatory set, as part of instruction, or as a service learning project. An extensive list of children’s books and high school level books that teach a variety of personal finance topics is provided.

This activity can be used to introduce media and reading. Financial topics are regularly presented and debated in the news. Participants will evaluate a current news article and then present the article in a television news interview format.

This Active Learning Tool includes a variety of vocabulary reinforcement activities that may be used with any content. Try Quiz Me Cards Concept Maps, Mini Dictionary, Take Flight, Crystal Ball, Forehead Detective, Bonus Basket Review and many more!

Young adults should begin thinking today about how they will invest in their human capital, transferable skills and education to be qualified for a variety of job opportunities that create well-being. By identifying with a young worker bee, students explore the advantages and disadvantages of career choices.

This movie is based on the life of Frank Abagnale, who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a pilot, a doctor, and a prosecutor. His primary crime was check fraud. This ALT illustrates how identity theft can be a very sophisticated practice and helps participants to identify ways they can protect themselves.

While working at a financial magazine, Rebecca Bloomwood works to overcome her own struggle by having to decide between needs and wants in the context of her shopping obsession. Her decisions land her with a pile of credit card debt. Participants evaluate how Rebecca makes financial decisions and the impact they have on her life.

The movie, “The Devil Wears Prada”, demonstrates the fact that young professionals beginning their path in the workforce may have to accept a job other than their first choice to be able to pay the bills. Participants will evaluate how Andrea handles dilemmas concerning her first job.

Regardless of your career path, knowledge and skills associated with managing money becomes important to anyone receiving a paycheck. The documentary “Broke” by ESPN films, examines the challenges that are unique to professional athletes when they are given much in terms of money.

This movie asks viewers to decide if success at work and accumulation of material goods are all that are needed to live a life fulfilled. Jack is given an opportunity to see what his life would have been like if he had made different decisions about his career and his family life when he was a young man.

Nora and Mary grew up in a mansion with all of their needs and wants met by hired help. When their father dies, they learn that their family estate was in bankruptcy and their father hadn’t planned for his untimely death. Through the support of family and friends they steer clear of long-term financial crisis and adjust to a different life style.

Statistics say that the average American will switch careers up to 7 times in their lifetimes. How can we prepare for the possible career changes that we will deal with during our working lives? The movie shows a man beginning a brand‐new career as an intern. This lesson studies the ways we can prepare for our working lives, and looks at the ways in which our abilities and skills can help us build great careers.

Dr. Seuss draws interest and attention to unchecked corporate greed as a threat to nature. The Lorax sounds the warning siren, but is ignored until it’s too late. Industry isn’t the sole culprit in this cautionary tale. Industry will only produce what it thinks consumers will buy. Participants learn about the four factors of production, the life cycle of a pair of jeans and do research on the Environmental Protection Agency.

Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins has many lessons about banking and careers. It also shows that finding a balance between work and one’s personal life is not always as easy as it seems. We learn the ways in which careers and occupational choices impact our lives, for better and for worse.

Walter and Anna are evicted from their Manhattan apartment. They buy what looks like the home of their dreams – only to find themselves saddled with a bank-account-draining nightmare. Participants create a poster outlining the advantages and disadvantages of owning a home.

This movie shows that although money does change things, it doesn’t need to change values in people. Participants create a greeting card illustrating the importance of investing or creating a will.

The movie, Mr. Holland’s Opus, demonstrates the variety of changes one may experience in work and personal life. Students evaluate the many roles Mr. Holland plays in his life and how he interpreted success. Students write an essay about the differences between needs and wants, and how they're determined by values.

Many people who have become successful in their families and careers have overcome incredible obstacles. They begin with one’s values, goals, character, work ethic, personal standards, and personality traits. A person’s decision-making skills will also have a profound effect on what the future holds. Participants identify examples of Chris Gardner’s values, goals, and personality traits and describe how these were evident through his actions.

Setting goals is an important part of overcoming obstacles and being successful. The movie “Rudy” allows students to see many examples of a young man who overcame great obstacles to realize his dream of playing football for Notre Dame. Students write SMART goals that would apply to Rudy’s path to achieving his ultimate goal.

The gift of giving can transform a person when they put others first. Giving to others can provide more satisfaction than receiving gifts yourself. Participants identify the gifts Red Stevens leaves for his grandson, Jason, and explore ways they can leave a lasting impression on those important to them.

This movie is the sequel to the 1987 film, Wall Street, and loosely based on the 2008 Financial Crisis. This film is rich in a number of financial topics including economic bubbles, clean energy, bailouts, ethics, and many others. Participants will create an infographic and research stock information.

Music can enhance the financial education classroom in a variety of ways. This active learning tool is designed to help educators incorporate music into instruction.