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Economic Connections |
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Educational services promoting economic and personal finance literacy |
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Web Links: Individual and Household Choice State standard: How the economic forces of
scarcity and choice affect the management of personal financial resources,
shape consumer decisions regarding the purchase, use, and disposal of goods
and services and affect the economic well being of individuals and society. General (special
sections for students
and educators) advertising/media
(including privacy) Employment
(see also
Labor
Policy) FRAUD (including charity watchdogs) Saving/Investing
(see also
Market News and
Price Quotes and Stock Market
Investment Simulations) TAXES
(see Government:
Taxes/Spending) Utilities (including telephone service comparisons NOTE:
For information on
socially responsible buying and investing, see Economic
Systems: Consumer Action Consumer
Reports. News
and product reviews on consumer goods and services—some available to the
general public and others accessible only with a subscription. Links to
various consumer advocacy groups are also provided. An online
guide for teachers offers lesson plans and reproducible masters for using
the magazine. Federal
Citizen Information Center. The
primary consumer web site of the federal government. At this link you will
find a catalog of
free and low-cost federal government publications of consumer interest with
full-text versions of many. Subject areas include cars, federal programs,
money, education, health, food travel and more. The site includes these
notable links:
FirstGov.gov. Another web site maintained by the Federal government
that will help you find government information that you know is out there
(somewhere!) but you just don't know where to find it or how to even begin a
search for it. How to Negotiate. Dr. Phil's
negotiating tips to get what you want at the right price. CNNMoney.com.
Tips,
calculators, stock price quotes and links to all sorts of personal finance
information by Money Magazine. TheMint.org.
Ideas for teachers and parents to help
youngsters make the most out of their money. Topics include earning, saving,
spending, tracking, investing, and owing money. Activities include keeping a
money diary, where your paycheck goes, and more. Money Math. Download or order a copy of four
lessons created to supplement grade 7-9 math lessons with real-life examples from personal
finance. Money
Smart.
A financial education program available in five languages to help low-
and moderate-income families understand the basics of banking -- from opening
a savings account to choosing and using a credit card to buying
a home. Source: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Money Talks. The
University of California Cooperative Extension offers teens and their
teachers a 4-minute video on savings, an online newsletter plus quizzes on
topics such as saving, saavy shopping, and operating a car. The Motley Fool.
Get up-to-minute financial news, track an investment portfolio
and read articles on personal finance topics. Multilingual
Library of Consumer Information. Consumer Action offers a diverse selection of consumer materials in
seven languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and
Vietnamese. MyMoney.gov. The U.S.
government's website dedicated to teaching personal finance basics. Twenty
federal agencies have posted information on everything from balancing a
checkbook, to buying a home, paying for college and investing. Personal
Financial Education. Brochures and other educational materials from the FED
on consumer banking, consumer protection, economics, home and mortgage,
interest rates, loans & credit, and general information. Practical Money
Skills for Life. VISA U.S.A. has
developed a set of online personal finance education tools for parents,
teachers, consumers and students. Links to online resources appropriate for
use with young persons of preschool through college age. Resources include
curricula for use in schools, web sites, videos, publications, games and
interactive calculators. Consumer
Jungle: Surviving Solo. Computer activities give students a cost-of-living
reality check and information on budgeting, apartment rental agreements,
landlord-tenant rights, and utilities. Parent and teacher versions of this site are available
with tips and a unit plan. Consumer
Reports Center for Children, Youth and Families. Young people can take part in a consumer
survey or test a product used by kids. Appropriate for students in grades
4-8. Escape From Knab. Players of this online interactive game
are stranded on the slimy planet of Knab and need to earn enough money to get
back. Find out if you know enough about money and investing to earn your way
back home! Financial Literacy: On
the Money. Online
resources for teens about bank accounts, credit, making money and other
aspects of money management created as a supplement to a Public Broadcasting
Program on teens and money. Online calculators let students explore how much
money they can earn, how long it will take to save money for a future purchase
and credit card payments. GoogoPlex. The Credit Union National Organization
offers three web sites with calculators, games and a wealth of short articles
on earning, borrowing, saving and spending money. |
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5-Spot Clubhouse (Upper Elementary) |
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Hands on
Banking. An
online program for kids, teens and adults to improve your
knowledge of budgeting, bank services, saving and investing, credit, buying a
home, and starting a small business. Available in English and Spanish from
Wells Fargo Corp. TEACHERS! Don’t
miss the link to the teacher guide for each program. It All
Adds Up. Five
modules for teenagers: 1) Getting and Using a Credit Card, 2) Buying a Car,
3) Budget Odyssey, 4) Saving and Investing Blitz and 5) You're Going to
College. An online teacher
guide provides a summary of concepts and objectives. LearningToSave.com.
Simple activities, a coloring book and puzzles that teach students
about earning, saving, spending and giving. Other items on the site are
promotional The Mint: Smart Cents.
The U.S. Mint offers this web site for students on earning, saving,
borrowing, investing, and spending. Calculators help students learn about
interest and the rule of 72. There is
also a glossary of personal finance terms. Moneyopolis. As a new resident in the town of
MoneyopolisTM, you have $600 to use while visiting seven town
centers: Personal Planning, Shopping, Banking, City Hall, Community, and
Education. Your goal is to save at least $1,000 and to earn at least 3
Community Service Medallions by the end of your visit. Lesson ideas are offered for
teachers that will help teach grade 6-8 math, goal setting and money
management skills. Planet Orange. The basics of
earning, saving, spending and investing for grades 4-8. Visit any of four continents:
the Republic of Saving, Investor Islands, Moneyland and South Spending. Reality Check. Students respond to a set of questions concerning their anticipated
lifestyle (housing, transportation, food, insurance, entertainment, etc.).
Based on their choices they are given an estimate how much they will need to
earn and examples of jobs that would do so. Sense
and Dollars. Maryland Public Television offers this tutorial on earning,
spending and saving. Money games let you balance a budget, determine the cost
of a credit card purchase, and plan a dream prom. YoungMoney.com. InCharge® Institute of America, Inc.—a national, non-profit
credit counseling organization—offers this online magazine for college
stuents covering a variety of personal finance topics Wise
Pockets. A
clubhouse for kids with short stories on earning, saving, spending and
borrowing. Consumer
Jungle: Independent Living. Computer activities give students a cost-of-living
reality check and information on budgeting, apartment rental agreements,
landlord-tenant rights, and utilities. Parent and teacher versions of this site are available
with tips and a unit plan. Financial
Fitness for Life. Background info and how to order this National Council on Economic Education K-12
curriculum that integrates the national standards for economics, personal
finance, mathematics and language arts. The mix of materials includes teacher
guides, parent guides, student storybook for K-2 students, and worksheets for
older students. Web links and a CD-ROM offer interactive and technology-based
learning experiences. Specific topics covered include earning, borrowing,
saving and investing, buying smart and money management. Titles of the four
teacher guides are: High
School Financial Planning Program. Use this web page to order the free print
teacher guide and student workbooks with six units on goal setting,
budgeting, careers, credit, saving and investing. Sponsored by the National
Endowment for Financial Education, the kit offers simulations, case studies,
and interactive exercises and assessment materials. A web-based
training program for teachers is also available. Jump$tart
Coalition. Choose
Resources to search a database of primarily print personal finance
education materials developed by the members of this organization committed to
strengthening personal finance education programs in our nation's
schools. The Standards link outlines standards and benchmarks for personal finance
education in the nation's schools (grades 4, 8 and 12). National
Teen Resource Bureau. The National Endowment
for Financial Education offers this web site by and for teens. NEFE provides
the content, structure and management but relies heavily on the insight and
creativity of young persons when generating materials. LifeSmarts. Details
on a free national competition for grade 9-12 student teams that focuses on
what teens need to be smart and responsible consumers. Regional and state
competitions are available in many states. There is also an online option. Money
Management International Lessons. Lessons for teaching money management using children's
trade books. Money Math: Lessons
for Life, Four math lessons using real-world personal
finance topics for grades 7-9 on saving and the value of compounding;
occupations; salaries and taxes; and budgeting. Money Smart. An overview of this free print curriculum
developed to assist educators of lower income consumers who do not have
traditional relationships with financial institutions. Ten units provide an overview of the
services and products provided by insured financial institutions and lessons
on checking accounts, borrowing, saving, and buying a home. Order online
from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Zillions.
Consumers Union no longer publishes this magazine for grades 4 to 8
but it has posted many lessons online based on past issues. Even if you don’t have back issues in your
library you will find interesting approaches for helping students become
savvy consumers. |
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Advertising |
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Adbusters: Spoof Ads. View spoofs of real advertisements
created by an activist group concerned about the impact of commercials on our
world. Categories of ads include fashion, food, alcohol, tobacco,
and miscellaneous. Instructions are provided how students can make their own
spoof print ads. Ad*Access. Ad*Access Billing itself as "the world's
largest searchable database of classic print ads", AdFlip indexes actual
ads by category (automotive, electronic, fashion, etc.), decade (1940s to
current), and several specialty categories (ad as art, famous, advocacy,
provocative, today's top ten). Click on the thumbnail of a specific ad to see
a full-page version. Advertising. Publications from the Federal Trade Commission
telling consumers and businesses what is legal and illegal when marketing
goods and services. Consumers are
advised offered practical advice to help screen “fact” from “fiction” in
advertising. See the FTC’s sections
on Telemarketing for
additional information. Advertising
Codes. Codes for advertising and online business
practices from the Better Business Bureau. CreatAbiliToys:
The Museum of Advertising Icons. It will take a little patience to figure out how to use this
site featuring over 700 advertising icons spanning more than a century of
American history, but it is can be worth it.
Use it to show students how businesses use imaginary characters and
toys to create brand loyalty. Icons
include the Jolly Green Giant, the Pillsbury Dough Boy, the M&Ms
characters, etc. Click on items in
the cases or use the toy search feature to learn more about specific icons. The Direct Marketing Association. Contact information
and advice how to have your name removed from mail, telephone, and email
lists. Don’t Buy It: Get
Media Smart. For
9 to 11-year olds, an introduction to the objectives and tricks of
advertising. Users are invited to
create an ad, design a cereal box and be an ad detective locating places
companies place ads. In an
entertainment section, students learn secrets about how music is selected for
radio and magazine cover models. Lesson plans are provided for teachers and a
parent guide to using media are also offered. School
Tour. Take a tour of your school and your school grounds
looking for advertisements. This Center for Commercial Free Public Education
web page will give you ideas about where to look. Follow other links on the
page for background information
on how marketers pitch products in schools. What's
in a Name? The Corporate Branding of America's Schools. Download this
5th annual report (.pdf format) addressing the question of private and
corporate sponsorship of public education and education-related activities
across the U.S. Trends examined include the selling of naming rights to
school athletic facilities, exclusive product agreements, corporate-sponsored
incentive programs, and the corporate appropriation of public school space
for their brand names or logos. Source: Commercialism
in Education Research Unit. . Consumer
Jungle: Computers. Computer
activities show students how to buy, sell, navigate, and communicate online
safely and efficiently. Parent and
teacher versions of this site are available with tips and a unit plan. On-Line Privacy Seals of Approval. Several organizations
review the privacy policies of web sites and assign a seal to those that meet
these criteria. Two of the major programs are TRUSTe and the BBBOnline Privacy Seal. Online
Safety and Security. The Federal Trade Commission advises
how persons can protect their privacy and the privacy of children on the
Internet. Don’t miss the Kidz Privacy
page with more info for kids, parents and teachers. Pocket
Guide: Entertainment Ratings. The FTC explains ratings for movies, internet games,
video games, coin-operated video games and music. Links to industry and
government sites that have an interest in ratings are also provided. |
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Auto. Publications
on buying, renting, insuring and donating motor vehicles from the Better
Business Bureau. Automobiles.
Publications from
the Federal Trade Commission on buying, leasing and maintaining vehicles
including an explanation of some consumer protections. Cars. The Federal Citizen Information Center's page of links to government
publications on buying, leasing and maintaining vehicles. Consumer
Jungle: Cars.
Computer activities guide students through the process of buying,
financing and maintaining a car. Parent and teacher versions of
this site are available with tips and a unit plan. See the Credit Section of this
page for auto financing. CarFax.com. Purchase a report based on a used
vehicle's identification number that will tell you whether a used vehicle has
been wrecked and repaired, flood-damaged, or had its odometer rolled back. CarsDirect.com. Research and compare new vehicles,
their options, prices and financing. Edmund’s New
and Used Car Buying Guide. Price information and reviews on
new and used motor vehicles. Fuel
Economy Guide. The federal government's ratings of fuel efficiency for
autos and trucks. The
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Tips for selecting a safe vehicle and
find out which vehicles have good, bad, or mediocre ratings for
insurance injury, collision, and theft losses. Intellichoice.com. Compare the safety, comfort and
performance features of up to four new automobiles simultaneously. Links let
you build a vehicle, learn about financial incentives, and visit
manufacturer's sites. Kelley Blue Book. Price information, previews and
reviews on new and used automobiles and motorcycles. National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Check the findings of the federal
government's crash tests, vehicle recalls and other reported consumer
problems. Where-Can-I-Buy-A-Car-Online.com. Links to web sites that offer new
vehicle price quotes online and a scorecard of each site's features. A Consumer Guide to Leasing. Advice from the
Federal Reserve System on negotiating a lease and comparing lease offers.
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BankRate.com, BanxQuote.com
and Eloan.com. These sites offer up-to-date
rates and information on mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, home equity
loans, savings and other banking products. CardTrak.com and CardWeb.com Check rates and offers for
all types of credit cards and the latest news on credit use. Credit. Publications from the Federal Trade Commission telling consumers and
businesses what is legal and illegal with respect to consumer credit. Consumers are offered practical advice on topics
such as choosing a credit card, how to avoid card theft and protecting one’s
privacy. Consumer
Jungle: Credit . Computer activities introduce students to
the costs and benefits of credit, types of credit, choosing a credit card,
reading statements, and signs of trouble.
Parent and teacher versions of this site are available with tips and a
unit plan. Credit Scores. Fair Isaac, the firm that computes the
so-called FICO score, offers you your credit score and a personalized
analysis. Credit Smart.
A condensed version of a curriculum in English and Spanish from created to
help consumers understand, build and maintain better credit. Teachers can
also order a full copy of the curriculum on CD. Source: Freddie Mac. Finance. The Better Business Bureau offers a
variety of publications on credit and credit scams. Money. The Federal Citizen Information Center's page of links to
government publications on money management with special sections on credit,
saving, investing and retirement planning. PayDayLoanInfo.org. Answers to questions concerning
payday loans, a loan calculator, and more concerning payday loans. Personal
Financial Education. Brochures and other educational materials from the FED
on consumer banking, consumer protection, economics, home and mortgage,
interest rates, loans & credit, and general information. |
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The College Board. Detailed cost figures
for hundreds of institutions. Use the
Scholarship
Search feature to locate scholarships, loans, internships, and other
financial aid programs from non-college sources. College is Possible. The American Council on
Education offers primers on financial aid, courses students should take to
prepare for college, choosing the right college, and more. CollegeProfiles.com. Help for choosing the right school – in-depth profiles
with information about academic programs, athletics, campus life, facilities,
expenses, financial aid and much more. From each profile, you can link
directly to the home page of each institution. A custom
college search allows you to select schools by location, cost and majors
offered. FinAid. Information on
loans, scholarships, and military aid plus calculators that can help you
figure out how much school will cost, how much you need to save and how much
aid you'll need. Use the online calculators to
answer what if
questions related to paying for a college education. Paying
for College. PBS offers an
overview of options for financing college with links to sources of government
aid including Americorps and the U.S. Military. Scholarships, Employment and Job
Placement Federal
Trade Commission publications warn consumers about scholarship and vocational
training scams. Student Financial Assistance. The federal
government tells who
is eligible and how to apply for federal student aid programs. Be sure to check out The
Student Guide—the Federal Government’s most comprehensive publication on
student financial aid. Students.gov. Thousands of links to information on preparing
for college, selecting a school, study abroad, paying for school, career
opportunities, internships, community service, travel, housing, taxes and
much from the federal government. Both Business
Week and Kiplinger
Magazine provide state-by-state information on 529 College Savings
Plans. U.S.
News: Education.
Ratings, tools and other help for finding a college, grad school, distance
learning program and financial assistance. |
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