TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of May 15, 2016

Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive

 

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Banzai! - Banzai.com

Grades
2 to 12
5 Favorites 0  Comments
  
Teach real-world financial literacy using Banzai! Learn to prioritize spending by using simulations, interactives, and "choose-your-own-adventure" style situations. There are three...more
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Teach real-world financial literacy using Banzai! Learn to prioritize spending by using simulations, interactives, and "choose-your-own-adventure" style situations. There are three levels: Banzai Jr (grades 3-7), Banzai Teen (grades 6-12), and Banzai Plus (grades 9-12) all available in PDF format. Start the course with an assesment (pre-test) to determine your financial literacy. Then engage in real-life interactive situations covering balancing a budget and paying your cell phone bill, to paying for unexpected bills like car trouble. Student accounts receive free access to Banzai for life, allowing the opportunity to go back and review lessons at any time. After creating a teacher account, request the opportunity to receive the Life Scenario booklets for your class at no charge (this is dependent on funding from local financial organizations). If not available, print the booklets using the PDF download.

tag(s): financial literacy (91), game based learning (171)

In the Classroom

Banzai is an excellent resource for any financial literacy course, or for those who don't have financial literacy classes as an option for your school. Create your classroom account, and then provide students with a class code to sign in to their account. Create as many classes as you like then have students follow the curriculum including pre-tests, simulations of life scenarios, interactives, and post-tests. The Banzai tool grades it all. Set up student accounts and assign activities based on your state standards. Be sure to share Banzai on your class website for students to explore at home. Enhance student learning goals by having students reflect on their learning using a blogging tool such as Penzu, reviewed here. Banzai would work well for blended or remote learning since it works on any internet connected device, including tablets and smartphones at home.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Mint - Intuit

Grades
9 to 12
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Mint is a free money management site featuring several tools for budgeting and tracking finances. Connect to virtually any financial organization to receive real-time updates from bank...more
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Mint is a free money management site featuring several tools for budgeting and tracking finances. Connect to virtually any financial organization to receive real-time updates from bank accounts, credit cards, and investments. Mint analyzes your financial information and provides tips for savings and account management.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (143), financial literacy (91), money (119)

In the Classroom

Share Mint with students as part of any consumer education lesson or course as a resource for managing their money. Even if you don't sign up for mint, take advantage of their Tools and Tips section to find money management articles for many different financial situations.

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WeTheEconomy - 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss - Vulcan Productions/Cinelan

Grades
9 to 12
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Build your understanding of the U.S. economy through a creative, well-organized collection of short films (5-8 min) designed to explain 20 key concepts that any informed citizen needs...more
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Build your understanding of the U.S. economy through a creative, well-organized collection of short films (5-8 min) designed to explain 20 key concepts that any informed citizen needs to understand. Unlike many informational films, these are quite engaging. The collection is divided into five chapters on Economy, Money, The Role of Government, Globalization, and Inequality. All of us can better understand how our economy works from watching these films and exploring some of the follow-up discussion suggestions, even among adults. Teachers can obtain a link to free, downloadable lesson materials, activities, and extensions by filling out a form with their email address. (The email comes within a few minutes, but watch your SPAM filter. Requesting the link via a home email may be better to avoid school filtering!) The teacher materials include correlations to CCSS standards in ELA, Math, and Writing. The content of the films and lessons supports many major concepts of economics and government included in state and other standards. App versions are available for both iOS and Android.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (143), financial literacy (91), money (119), supply and demand (4)

In the Classroom

Sign up to download the support materials and plan one or several lessons to demystify the economy as part of a civics/government class or an economics course. Transform the technology use in your class by assigning students to watch films in small groups and create digital booklets explaining the key concepts to the class using a multimedia tool such as Calameo, reviewed here. As economic issues come up in current events or during an election cycle, use these films to explain the underlying issues.

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Wall Street Survivor - Greg Isenberg and Rory Olson

Grades
8 to 12
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Learn about the Stock Market and the world of finances without spending a cent with Wall Street Survivor. Create a free account to access free courses and stock market simulations....more
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Learn about the Stock Market and the world of finances without spending a cent with Wall Street Survivor. Create a free account to access free courses and stock market simulations. Once registered, join stock market leagues. Set up your own practice portfolio for a no-risk option to dabble in stock trading and buying. Play against friends using your own settings and options for trading and selling. In addition to investing options, be sure to check out the large library of articles and tutorials teaching how the stock market works. Not all courses are free, but several basic introductory finance courses offer free lessons in an easy to understand format. If your district blocks YouTube, videos may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): business (47), financial literacy (91), money (119)

In the Classroom

Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share articles on personal finance, investing, and more. Challenge students (or groups) to create their own Stock Market Leagues to learn about investing and trading. Use Wall Street Survivor as an after-school program for students to learn about finances and investing. Share this link on your class website for students to explore on their own. Your math-savvy gifted students and finance aficionados will love this one.

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Budgeting Tools - Dave Ramsey

Grades
6 to 12
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Create and explore different budgeting options using this online tool. View proposed options in several categories such as housing, food, and personal expenses. Adjust your budget as...more
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Create and explore different budgeting options using this online tool. View proposed options in several categories such as housing, food, and personal expenses. Adjust your budget as desired to view various proposals and outcomes. Choose the link to print your finished budget.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): careers (139), financial literacy (91), percent (58)

In the Classroom

Use in a math class as a way to use percentages in a real world context. Help students gain better number sense of what percentages look like as the class experiments with different incomes on an interactive whiteboard or projector. For financial literacy, explore different budget options for any income using the budgeting tool. Compare and contrast options with different careers, income levels, or asset allocations. Divide your class up into groups with different starting incomes to create a budget. Have students discuss choices made. Use as part of a career unit. Find out starting salaries for different careers then explore budget options available within each career.

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TV411 - Finance - Adult Literacy Media Alliance

Grades
6 to 12
6 Favorites 1  Comments
 
Find web lessons, videos, and downloads about timely and necessary financial topics. Learn about credit card financing, hidden costs, and paychecks. Each lesson begins with an introduction...more
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Find web lessons, videos, and downloads about timely and necessary financial topics. Learn about credit card financing, hidden costs, and paychecks. Each lesson begins with an introduction to the activity including questions to answer. Feedback is given to the questions, including an explanation of the correct answer. Use the print downloads for creating a budget to use as an activity in class.

tag(s): financial literacy (91), money (119)

In the Classroom

Include this site in a course on personal finance, business, or consumer science. It would also be very useful as a real world application for math skills. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector to introduce or review financial topics. Take advantage of the free lesson plans. Share the videos with your class as you study finance and the economy. Share this site with parents through your classroom website or blog.

Comments

Great Resource! Ladisha, VA, Grades: 9 - 12

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Moneyville - Northern Bank's Financial Literacy programme

Grades
2 to 6
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Take a trip to MoneyVille, a fun interactive environment/virtual world to explore where money comes from, what money is worth and how to prioritize spending and saving. Choose a username,...more
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Take a trip to MoneyVille, a fun interactive environment/virtual world to explore where money comes from, what money is worth and how to prioritize spending and saving. Choose a username, password, and "design" your character. Throughout the activity, you are asked to make a number of decisions that can affect your finances for the year. Make money by picking apples and selling apple juice, working at the post office to sort packages according to value, working at the city gates painting, and more. Step into the time machine in Moneyville to journey to ancient Rome, ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages, or to the time of the dinosaurs. The money in Moneyville is generic so this site is useful in any country using any form of currency. Be sure to notice the menu bar at the top to find information for teachers and parents about the site, including some printables grouped according to age range. MoneyVille is available on the web and with apps available for the iPad and iPhone.

tag(s): financial literacy (91), money (119)

In the Classroom

Create a classroom account and have students work together and explore economic principles. Share how to use this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students create individual accounts and create a learning station for students to explore this site to learn more about economics. Take advantage of discussions that occur and use them for teachable moments when exploring economic decisions. Share this site with parents through your class website or newsletter for students to use at home.

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Festisite Money - Festisite

Grades
K to 12
6 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Have you ever wanted to see your own face on a dollar bill? Use this online image editor to personalized bills with your own picture. Just upload your picture (or ...more
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Have you ever wanted to see your own face on a dollar bill? Use this online image editor to personalized bills with your own picture. Just upload your picture (or any image) using the photo link at the bottom of the page. Images can be moved around within the picture frame, and there is an option to adjust the image size by zooming in or out. Save the edited image by right-clicking the image and selecting "save" to download the output image to your computer. Then print the dollar bill with your image. The site offers currency from many different countries from Antarctica to Yugoslavia, and you can create posters, decks of cards, and more.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): currency (14), financial literacy (91), money (119)

In the Classroom

Have fun creating personalized money for students to practice counting! Allow students to buy classroom rewards using your own classroom dollars generated using this site. Use class-made manipulatives from this site to teach basic economic concepts with simulations: running a small business, supply and demand, or simply making change. Use custom made currency as a behavior incentive system to help emotional support students build self-control. If students study different cultures, why not have them design their own country, complete with currency? Share this site with parents to use at home with their students or for the PTO/PTA to create fun money for school events.
 
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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America Saves - Consumer Federation of America

Grades
6 to 12
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America Saves is a national campaign that encourages individuals and families to save money and build personal wealth. There are free financial tools, savings services, tips for saving...more
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America Saves is a national campaign that encourages individuals and families to save money and build personal wealth. There are free financial tools, savings services, tips for saving for a car, how to save on a budget, and other resources offering help with managing money more effectively. It isn't necessary to register to use many of the site's resources. Registration allows you to input individual financial information into the planners to receive personalized planning information. Click "For Savers" to find savings tips, calculators, estimators, and savings strategies.

tag(s): financial literacy (91), money (119)

In the Classroom

To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to extend their learning and create an online graphic to share using Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here. Share this site with students to explore on their own, then challenge them to create a newspaper article about savings strategies using Printing Press, reviewed here.

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Spent - McKinney and Urban Ministries of Durham

Grades
8 to 12
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This employment/economics site leads you through the process of looking for a job, trying to make it through the month on a limited income, understanding the repercussions of participating...more
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This employment/economics site leads you through the process of looking for a job, trying to make it through the month on a limited income, understanding the repercussions of participating in a strike, and facing a time when there is no money. It is similar to a "real life" choose your own adventure. Most choices offer three options and share some pros/cons for each. After you select the job you would like to try for, the activity leads you to the requirements and possible pre-tests. If you do not qualify, you must apply for one of the remaining and less desirable jobs. Once you choose your job, you learn about costs of health insurance, taxes, housing, transportation, child care, and more.

tag(s): financial literacy (91), money (119)

In the Classroom

Use this site when you are teaching budgeting or learning about poverty in America. Business classes or courses on "life in the real world" will benefit from trying the entire simulation. Challenge students to work this site individually and keep notes of the choices/consequences they discovered on their path. Have them write blog entries based on their experiences. If individual computers aren't available, share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have cooperative learning groups create online "how to" books on surviving the challenges learned about on the website using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here.

Comments

Great game! The students at our alternative school LOVED it! Nonya, NC, Grades: 9 - 12

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BizKids - American Public Television

Grades
5 to 12
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Explore the many facets of the business world on this approachable site. All information is tied in to the T.V. show entitled "BizKids" which was created to teach kids about ...more
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Explore the many facets of the business world on this approachable site. All information is tied in to the T.V. show entitled "BizKids" which was created to teach kids about money and business. The site is divided into several different sections - for teachers and for students. The teacher section includes lesson ideas that tie into videos available on the website. This can be found under the Teachers link along with lessons available in both English and Spanish. Visit Resources for a Sample Business Plan for Kids, Profiles of Young Entrepernuers, Get Money Smart, and Student Activities.

Students can sign up to receive a newsletter with money tips just for them. Also included is a blog with links to other financial sites for kids.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): business (47), college (45), financial literacy (91), money (119)

In the Classroom

Use the search bar to find newsletter on "How to Hold a Fundraiser" when planning a class economics project or before a school fundraiser event to get ideas on how to boost fundraising income. Click the colorful links in the newsletters to watch a few of the short videos for creative ideas before creating classroom presentations of information studied in class. Divide up the online shows between students in your class and have students view and report back on the information presented in the videos. To show what they have learned from this site, engage and challenge students to substitute paper posters with an online graphic to share using Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here. Enhance learning by using a multimedia poster maker such as Genially, reviewed here, where students can choose the type of interactive presentation they would like to share. Ask students to complete the simulation "Living on the Edge" with an economic plan using a budget worksheet. Business teachers, family and consumer science classes, and young entrepreneurs will appreciate the many offerings on this site. College counselors will also want to share the college planning information.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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