working for more money, and talking about money? Money is an important part of our lives, but most of us know very little about why it is so important. For instance, how many of you have ever attended “Money School”? Think about it for a minute how much formal training have you received about how to handle money? For most of you, the answer is “very little.” When it comes to financial literacy, many teenagers fail to make the grade. But you can beat the average! When asked about basic financial concepts, high school seniors correctly answered only 48% of the questions, down from 52% in 2006. College students didn’t fare much better, with college seniors scoring 65% on their survey (administered for the first time in 2008).1 So, here’s how you can make the grade with flying colors! Young people need to: 1. Develop realistic expectations about money 2. Find the best people from whom to learn about money 3. Appreciate all the ways money matters in our society 4. Be aware of how money affects relationships and how relationships can affect the way you manage your money THInk AbOUT IT: Lead your students as they complete page 1 of the Journal. Discussion questions: • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rank yourself? • What do you already know about managing money? • What would you like to learn about managing money? ACT ON IT | Where Does the Money Go? Individual Instructions: Have the students individually complete the Where Does the Money Go? activity on page 2 of the Journal. Introduce this activity this way: It’s hard for most young people to understand what it takes to make money because they usually do not have to earn their own or pay for everyday expenses. This activity is designed to help you start thinking about when, where, and why we need money. Group Instructions: The above Journal activity can also be turned into a group activity by using the following instructions. Break the class into small groups and have the students locate the Where Does the Money Go? activity on page 2 of the Journal. For each category, the groups should brainstorm a list of things they have done, items they have used, places they have been, etc. that month which require money. Once the groups have made their lists, they should create posters to present to the class. Groups can draw pictures or use pictures and words from magazines to create their poster. Allow each group to present their list using their posters. Consider making a master list on the board for each category. Once each group has presented, lead a class discussion. Ask the students to list things they had forgotten. The teacher may need to add some items at this time to the master list. (Instructor’sNote:To save time, you might assign one topic for each group to brainstorm, create a visual and present to the class.) 6-7 2 | MONEY HABITUDESTM COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY THE DIBBLE INSTITUTE