EDUCATIONAL LINKS
Companion Websites for CEE Programs
Financial Fitness for Life
Financial Fitness for Life® (FFFL) is a comprehensive personal finance curriculum for K-12 students that teaches students how to make thoughtful, well-informed decisions about important aspects of personal finance, such as earning income, spending, saving, borrowing, investing, and managing money.
Economic concepts form the foundation of all lessons, providing students with a decision-making framework for the real world. Content is based on national standards, and correlates to standards in economics, personal finance, mathematics, and language arts. With engaging, hands-on instructional activities, FFFL materials engage students of all ages in active learning. Materials are available in four grade levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 with a teacher guide and student guide that work in tandem. Corresponding parent guides for the K-5 and 6-12 grade levels contain activities to extend learning into the home Click on a grade level to access downloadable visuals, supplementary lesson activities, and lesson correlations to content standards in Colorado.
Gen I Revolution
Developed for middle school and high school students, this online game gives your students the chance to learn important personal finance skills as they play and compete against fellow classmates. The game includes fifteen Missions in which students attempt to help people in financial trouble. Students join the Gen i Revolution, strategically select their Operatives, and begin to explore and earn points as they work to complete each Mission. Gen I Revolution compliments the Learning, Earning and Investing lessons.
Learning, Earning and Investing (visuals)
To download visuals for your Learning, Earning and Investing lessons today! All teachers who attend Stock Market Experience teacher training are eligible to receive a complimentary copy of Learning, Earning and Investing,.
*Request Free Learning, Earning, and Investing for a New Generation lesson plan book. Eligibility for a free LEI lesson plan book requires attendance in a free Stock Market Experience™ training session AND registration to participate in the Stock Market Experience™ program.
Mathematics & Economics: Connections For Life
This web site was designed to help support the usage of both the Grades 9-12, 6-8, and 3-4 materials in the classroom.
Virtual Economics
This interactive tool helps you understand the most important concepts in economics and personal finance and find the right lessons to teach them at your grade level. Search a database of over 1,200 lessons by grade level, concept, Voluntary National Content Standard in Economics or your state economics standards. Then view and print the lessons you want. Our glossary also puts over 500 economics terms and definitions at your fingertips.
Data and Statistics
Current Economic Indicators
Source of data and economic indicators collected by the Census Bureau including statistics on poverty, income, jobs, unemployment, industries and sectors, e-commerce retail, national and local economic profiles.
The Dismal Scientist
Great site for economic statistics, calendar for latest reports on leading indicators and Fed action.
Gapminder World
This is one of the most innovative websites I've seen seen on showing and comparing the economic situation of countries. Simple to understand but very cleverly done. Especially see "Gapminder World" showing income per capita, life expectance, population size, and individual countries all on one easy to read map. Even by years, hit the "play" button and watch china's (big red circle) per capita income grow faster over the years (shown in the graph background).
Inflation calculator - that can be calibrated for different regions of the country. Want to know what $.28 per gallon of regular gas in 1958 costs today?
Loan Calculator - determines repayment figures and loan payoff time for student loans, car loans, or personal loans.
National Debt - up-to-date to the penny
Savings Calculator - works out interest on a savings account, IRA, ISA, or bond balance.
World Bank - source of the annual freedom index and teacher resources.
Economic Fun and Games
ECON STORIES - Econstories.tv is a place to learn about the economic way of thinking through the eyes of creative director John Papola and creative economist Russ Roberts. Visit Russell Roberts’ new Keynes Hayek “Fear the Boom and Bust” rap video.
Games Economists Play - Non-Computerized Classroom-Games for College Economics (113 games for both micro and macro).
Other Resources
Consumer Affairs Credit Card Review
Provides a credit card guide. Credit cards are a useful financial tool, but only if they are used responsibly. If the consumer chooses wisely, a credit card can even be used to earn rewards or to rebuild or establish a credit history.
The Simple Dollar
The Simple Dollar recently researched and published a tool to help people manage their debt to gain financial independence. This comprehensive tool can help those interested quickly develop their own personal debt payoff plan as well as offer strategies and techniques to accelerate debt payoff. The site also features quality information on credit cards, investing, banking, insurance and more. Great source for personal finance info.
Economics and Personal Finance Resources
Colorado Academic Standards
• Personal Financial Literacy
• Economics
Council for Economic Education (CEE)
Is a source of teacher training, educational materials and curriculum reform in economics.
EconEdLink
EconEdLink provides a premier source of classroom-tested, Internet-based economic lesson materials for K-12 teachers and their students. With over 250 lessons to choose from, teachers can use as many of the lessons as they would like and as often as they would like.
Education Cents
Provides higher education finance tools to help people in understanding finances.
FDIC Money Smart and Money Smart for Young Adults – This award-winning curriculum allows an instructor to teach financial education without prior certification or training. The adult curriculum consists of eleven modules, each of which includes an instructor’s guide, a PowerPoint presentation, and participant’s take-home guide. The young adult curriculum helps youth ages 12-20 learn the basics of handling their finances in eight fully scripted modules, each containing the same elements as the adult version. All modules, adult and young adult, can be taught independently or in combination with other modules.
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
As part of the nation's central bank, they promote economic growth and financial stability in our region and nation.
Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis
Contains Great Depression curriculum, two personal finance curricula along with 17 lessons for teaching economics and children's literature
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
Contains many subject areas including social studies. Example: US Great Depression through World War II including over 55,000 photographs from the Library of Congress.
Glossary of Economics Terms
Handy source for definitions.
Hands on Banking
An interactive web site with money management modules for elementary, middle and high school students, and adults
National Budget Simulation
This simple simulation should give you a better feel of the trade-offs which policy makers need to make in creating federal budgets and dealing with deficits.