Our commitment to youth education

"We need to focus on the quality of our service and giving back...We need to have an impact in the classroom rather than just painting the classroom." —Bob Moritz, Forbes June 2010

PwC’s Financial Literacy Curriculum

A signature component of PwC's Earn Your Future commitment to youth education is our Financial Literacy Curriculum. The curriculum is composed of easy to follow lesson plans, accompanied by interactive handouts and dynamic multimedia components. The modules span grades 3-12 and may be downloaded using the links below. We created this curriculum to provide students and educators across the US access to financial literacy education. We want you to download it, teach it, and share it.

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Click on the orange bars to download curriculum materials.

Financial literacy and sustainability lessons

General

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
General All Classroom management tips
 
Classroom management tips

Financial literacy: Financial responsibility & decision making

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
Personal Information and Identity Theft 3–5 Students learn about identity theft and various methods used to steal identities. Students develop an identity theft prevention tip sheet and propose ways to share their tips with their families and friends. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout B Key
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key
Evaluating Financial Information 6–8 Students will analyze and evaluate advertising claims. Students will review online and printed sources of product information and list the strengths and weaknesses of each. Students will develop an advertisement pitch and their peers will evaluate the financial claims and determine the validity of the claims. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout C
Handout D
Product Cards
Assessments
Assessments Key
Consumer Fraud 9–12 Students will investigate current types of consumer fraud, including online scams. Students will recommend actions a victim of fraud or identity theft should take to restore personal assets and security. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout C
Fraud Term List
Powerpoint
Assessments
Assessments Key

Financial literacy: Credit & debt

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
Creditworthiness 3–5 Students will learn the difference between buying with cash and buying with credit. Students will describe the qualities that would be desirable in a person who borrows a favorite personal possession. Given a scenario, students will describe steps that a person could take to begin to regain a lender's trust after losing or damaging borrowed personal property. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout B Key
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key
Credit Reports 6–8 Students will explain why it is important to establish a positive credit history and explain the value of credit reports to borrowers and to lenders. Students will apply legal guidelines to determine permissible uses of a credit report other than granting credit. Students will discuss ways that a negative credit report can affect a consumer's financial future. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout B Key
Handout C
Handout C Key
Handout D
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key
Credit Record and Debt Prevention 9–12 Students will analyze the information contained in a credit report, indicate the time that certain negative data can be retained, and describe how to dispute inaccurate entries. Students will examine possible consequences of excessive debt and list actions that a consumer could take to reduce or better manage excessive debt. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout B Key
Handout C
Handout C Key
Handout D
Handout E
Handout E Key
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key

Financial literacy: Risk management & insurance

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
Risk Management 3–5 Students will identify examples of risks that individuals and households face (such as illness and/or theft). Students will describe how valuable items might be damaged or lost and ways to protect them. Given a scenario or activity, students will analyze how to reduce and avoid different kinds of risk. Lesson
Handout A
Handout A Key
Handout B
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key
Insurance Why's and How's 6–8 Students will explain the primary purpose of various insurance types and the individuals that may benefit the most from the insurance coverage. Students will examine the factors that may increase or reduce insurance premiums. Lesson
Handout A
Handout A Key
Handout B
Handout C
Handout C Key
Handout D
Handout D Key
Handout E
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key
Insurance Costs and Considerations 9–12 Students will analyze factors that may increase or reduce insurance premiums. Students will develop a personal insurance protection plan for their home, health and automobile(s) by comparing benefits and premiums for each insurance type. Lesson
Handout A
Handout A Key
Handout B
Handout B Key
Handout C
Assessments
Assessments Key

Financial literacy: Saving & investing

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
Saving Matters 3–5 Students will describe the advantages and disadvantages of saving for a short-term goal. Students will identify a short-term financial goal (i.e., purchase a new bike, attend summer camp, purchase an amusement park ticket) and develop a plan and timetable for achieving it, including ways to earn money and ways to reduce expenses. Lesson
Handout A
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key
Investing for the Future 6–8 Students will learn about the time value of money and explain how small amounts of money invested regularly over time grow exponentially. Students will devise a periodic investment plan for accumulating the tuition required to attend a four-year college. Lesson
Handout A
Handout A Key
Handout B
Handout B Key
Handout C
Handout C.2
Handout C.3
Handout D
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key
Building Wealth 9–12 Students will identify and compare strategies for investing, including participating in a company retirement plan. Students will explain the relative importance of the following sources of income in retirement: Social Security, employer retirement plans, and personal investments. Students will devise a periodic investment for identifying the appropriate types of investments for accumulating $3M by the age of 65 for retirement. Lesson
Handout A
Handout A Key
Handout B
Handout C
Handout D
Handout E Facilitator
Handout F Facilitator
Powerpoint
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key

Financial literacy: Income & careers

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
Career exploration 3–5 Students will participate in a virtual career day. Students will examine various career opportunities in priority industries (STEM, finance, "Green", medical field). Students will virtually shadow a professional to better understand the typical day to day tasks for the position. Students will interview their parents to learn more about what their parents' careers are about. Students will discuss the possibility of hosting a career fair in their school. Lesson
Handout A
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key
Career exploration 6–8 Students will compare personal skills and interests to various career options. Students will identify a career goal and develop a plan and timetable for achieving it, including educational/training requirements, costs, and possible debt. Students will analyze how economic, social, cultural, and political conditions can affect income and career potential. Lesson
Handout A
Handout AA
Handout AAA
Handout B
Handout C
Handout D
Assessments
Assessments Key
Career survey 9–12 Students will complete a career survey to assist them in better understanding college majors and the academic requirements for each college major. Students will identify a college major and develop a plan and timetable for achieving it, including general college entrance requirements, tuition costs, and possible college financing options. Students will analyze how various decision points (public/private institution; 2-year versus 4-year degree, etc.) can impact career opportunity and post-secondary expenses. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout C
Handout D
Handout E
Handout F
Handout G
Handout H
Assessments
Assessments Key

Financial literacy: Planning & money management

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
Charitable giving 3–5 Students will learn about charitable organizations and how monetary donations from individuals benefit both the charitable organization and the people it serves. Students will identify a charitable organization to support and discuss the implications of their donation. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout C
Video
Assessments
Assessments Key
Spending and saving 6–8 Students will learn about the components of a personal budget, including income, planned saving, taxes, and fixed and variable expenses. Students will identify a financial goal and develop a budget to manage spending to achieve financial goals. Lesson
Handout A
Handout AA
Handout B
Handout C
Handout D
Assessments
Assessments Key
Financial plan 9–12 Students will learn about the components of a personal budget, including income, planned saving, taxes, and fixed and variable expenses. Utilizing a case study, students will develop, monitor, and modify a financial plan, including goals, cash flow statement, and a budget. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout C
Handout D
Handout E
Handout F
Assessments
Assessments Key

Financial literacy: Home buying

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
Income vs. monthly payments 3–5 Students will learn about factors people usually consider when choosing a place to live, as well as the characteristics of the homes that need to be studied. Students will learn how a house’s characteristics and amenities impact the cost of the home. Students will explore what might be an affordable monthly payment based on income and other expenses. Lastly, students will calculate a very basic total cost of a mortgage in order to understand the cost of interest. Lesson
Handout A
Handout A Key
Handout B
Handout B Key
Assessments
Assessments Key
Terms of a mortgage 6–8 Students will learn about some of the variables of a mortgage including amount of principal, length of mortgage, and interest rate. Students will calculate various scenarios to determine which of these three variables has the greatest impact. Students will also discuss interest rates to gain a better understanding of how compounding interest increases the interest paid on a mortgage. Lesson
Handout A
Handout A Key
Handout B
Handout B Key
Handout C
Handout C Key
Assessments
Assessments Key
Presentation
Mortgage decisions 9–12 Students will learn about some of the variables of a mortgage, including amount of principal, length of mortgage, and interest rate. Students will calculate various scenarios to determine which of these three variables has the greatest impact. Interest rate will be discussed so students understand how compounding interest increases the interest paid on a mortgage. Lesson
Handout A
Handout A Key
Handout B
Handout B Key
Handout C
Handout C Key
Home equity
Monthly expenses
Presentation
Assessments
Assessments Key

Financial literacy: Stock market

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
Stock market 9-12 Students will learn how the stock market works and investigate how different companies’ stocks have performed. Then, students will calculate gains and losses of specific stocks when bought and sold. Finally, a stock market game will simulate buyers in the stock market with a goal of making the most money. Lesson
Powerpoint
Handout A1
Handout A2
Handout A3
Handout B
Handout B Key
Handout C1
Handout C2
Handout C3
Assessments
Assessments Key

Financial literacy: Paying For College

Subject Grade level Lesson
description
Materials (some include videos)
Understanding financial aid options 6-8 Students will gain tools necessary to begin saving for a college or university that will best meet his or her needs and abilities -- academically, socially, philosophically, and financially. Students will learn about the selectivity of various academic institutions, and get an understanding of financial aid options that are available during the admissions process. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Assessments
Assessments Key
Selecting a school 9-12 Students will gain tools necessary to choose a college or university that will best meet his or her needs and abilities -- academically, socially, philosophically, and financially. Students will learn about the selectivity of various academic institutions, and get an understanding of financial aid options that are available during the admissions process. Lesson
Handout A
Handout B
Handout C
Handout D
Assessments
Assessments Key

Sustainability

Subject Grade Description Files
Conservation: Water K-2 Students will learn about fresh water: where it comes from and how we use (and waste) it in everyday activities. Students will learn that there are two parts to water conservation: quality and quantity. For quantity it is about using less, and quality is about limiting what we throw down the drain. Students will learn about filtering by testing water filters and develop strategies to use less, and save more, water. Lesson
Handout A
Video
Video
 
Waste and recycling: Recycling paper 3-5 Students will learn about paper: where it comes from and how we use (and waste) it in everyday activities. Students will learn that paper is usually made of natural fibers that come from trees and plants; that almost half of the trees harvested each year for industrial use go into making paper; that most paper can be recycled, and we can develop strategies to recycle paper, use less new paper, and preserve more trees and forests. Lesson
Handout A
Video
 
Waste and recycling: Recycling and energy recovery 6-8 Students will learn about what happens to garbage after it leaves our homes, how much garbage we produce per person and together in the U.S. each year, and discuss the harmful environmental repercussions of so much waste. Students will visualize the percentages of material components of garbage and experiment with a waste-to-energy method. Students will strategize about how to reduce the amount of garbage and how to put garbage to productive use for society. Lesson
Handout A