Course Guides

Since 2001, more than 40,000 educators nationwide have gained access to the Take Charge Today educator-tested curriculum and professional development. These opportunities provide them with money management tools and lesson plans for use in their 7th through 12th grade classrooms. An estimated 750,000 students receive this high quality, entertaining and educational curriculum each year.

CHECK OUT ALL COURSE GUIDES

More than 75 lesson plans have been designed, tested and edited in collaboration with university researchers, financial industry experts and our National Master Educator Team of current classroom educators. Take Charge Today curriculum materials are designed in a ready-to-teach, modular format and available free of charge. Explore the following curriculum pages to learn more about the available resources to begin customizing financial education instruction to your environment.

Introductory

450 minutes (2-week course)

2,000 minutes (9-week course)

Syllabus

provides a brief course description, content overview, instruction methods used, assessment tools and supplies needed.

Introductory Level Course Review Trivia

An interactive PowerPoint trivia review activity.

2,000 minute guide pre and post-test

A comprehensive multiple choice exam

Test Bank

Each unit includes a test bank of three or more multiple choice questions from each lesson plan from that unit.

"Life of..."

are individual spending plan simulations completed by analyzing the life of a teenager. Each simulation showcases a family who is working with their teenage child to create a spending plan. Participants identify the family’s values, needs and wants to make major expenditure decisions and create a spending plan.

Advanced

450 minutes (2-week course)

2,000 minutes (9-week course)

4,000 minutes (semester/tri-mester, block course)

8,000 minutes (year-long course)

Lesson Plan Overviews

View the cover page for all advanced level lessons to see what to expect.

Syllabus

provides a brief course description, content overview, instruction methods used, assessment tools and supplies needed.

Parent/Guardian Letter

Provides background information about the need for financial education and a brief summary of the content included in the Advanced Level course. A parent/guardian movie letter template is also available to receive approval from your student’s parents/guardians to show personal finance related PG and PG-13 movies during your course.

Advanced Level Course Introduction Lesson Plan

This lesson plan is designed to introduce the Advanced Level course. Concepts are introduced in this lesson and then reinforced throughout the lesson plans in the entire course. This lesson includes a pre-test and course introduction trivia activity.

4,000 minute pre and post-test

A comprehensive multiple choice exam.

Test bank

Each unit includes a test bank of three or more multiple choice questions from each lesson plan from that unit

Unit assessments

A project-based assessment lesson plan is available for every Take Charge Today unit to reinforce essential content.