Project Based Learning - Exploration - Financial Literacy

After the definition of PBL has been established, I found myself  practicing modified versions of this great process and missing out on some details of it.  It is important for us to teach students to  meet the standards and our approach to teaching can be enhanced using Project Based Learning.  The importance of including all the essentials of this style is equally important.  

This year when working on the social studies, Financial Literacy, I determined that this topic was quite interesting to my students and valuable to them as well.  So as I researched the PBL Units, I found lots of interesting projects that involved financial literacy in the upper grades, but few in the primary grades.  One lesson I found was how High Schoolers Teach Students How To Save and that looked like parts could be used in a great PBL project for my 2nd graders.  Edutopia’s article on Financial Literacy for Elementary Students had some valuable resources as well.

After researching many ideas across the web, I could see many included the essentials needed to complete the whole process that PBL encumbers, but I didn’t find exactly a project to fit my purpose.  We have always been a part of Junior Achievement at our school.  Their information and materials were exactly what my students needed.  I would like to develop a project that would make more impact than just one day in a classroom.  

Source: http://www.cashnotesale.com/

My questions were varied and could include:  

• What goods and services do you use?
• How are resources used in various communities?
• What are some ways to find out about the goods and services used in other communities?
• How do individuals make and analyze the consequences of financial decisions?
• How do individuals meet their short- and long-term goals?

Upon reading Making a Case for Financial Literacy, then  finding a great project design tool from BIE.org, and a planning calendar, I am ready to begin my planning.

Other Instructional Resources:

• www.jumpstart.org  Jump$tart Coalition website, Clearinghouse

• www.nefe.org  National Endowment for Financial Education

• www.cee.org  Council for Economic Education

• www.ja.org  Junior Achievement

• www.federalreserveeducation.org  Federal Reserve ( Piggy Bank Primer)

• www.mymoney.gov  US Dept. of Treasury/ US Financial Literacy & Edu.

• www.usmint.gov  US Mint

• www.savingsmatterss.dol.gov  US Dept. of Labor