Visual Project Organizer

Students will be presented with the driving question to start the unit. They will be introduced to Claudia, a senior from Durham, NC who is about to graduate from high school. Students will learn more about Claudia's background, long and short term plans for the future and current circumstances related to her finances. They will then review the guiding questions to help them create a product that will answer the driving question.

The students will complete the lesson on short and long term financial planning and goal setting. In this lesson, they will explore the topics of financial goal setting and compound interest to gain an understanding how saving and investing can be an effective tool to meet both long and short term financial goals. They will also learn how to come up with savings goals and determine how much money they will need to accomplish these goals, like emergency funds, education savings and retirement planning.

Next, the students will learn about different types of loans (personal, student, mortgage, credit cards) and how these can be used to meet financial goals. 

Potential pitfalls of using credit will also be discussed and how students can use credit and loans wisely.

Finally, students will learn about the importance of making smart consumer spending choices to help them meet their goals and stay out of unnecessary debt while identifying needs vs. wants and how to make wise choices as a consumer to help dollars stretch further.

After completing these lessons, students will work in small groups to create a product that answers the driving question for Claudia and her life situation. 

Students are free to create any type of product they choose as long as it answers the driving question and is something Claudia could use to successfully manage her finances in order to achieve her short and long term goals.