Lesson Plan:
Money Skills for Life
About the AFSA Education Foundation
This lesson plan was developed as a supporting teaching resource for the AFSA Education
Foundation’s financial literacy panel presented at the 2022 FCCLA National Fall Conference.
For more than 30 years, the AFSA Education Foundation has been dedicated to providing freepersonal finance curriculum, resources, and training to educators of all types. The foundation’s
mission is to educate consumers of all ages on personal finance concepts and help them realize
the benefits of responsible money management while also gaining a better understanding ofthe credit process. The foundation offers educators a wide breadth of personal finance teaching
resources, including access to a free, customizable, online personal finance course
MoneySKILL®.

Topic: Money Skills for Life
Grade Level: 6-12
Timeframe: Approximately 145-190 minutes (about 3-4 class periods); exact time may vary
based on students’ grade level.
FCCLA National Program(s) Integration:
Financial Fitness
Career Connection
Community Service
FCCLA STAR Event Integration:
National Programs in Action
Career Investigation
Learning Objectives:
1. Students will describe their future lifestyle goals and estimate the financial resources
necessary to achieve those goals.
2. Students will identify ways in which philanthropy and volunteerism can factor into
their financial futures.
3. Students will evaluate whether a career pathway aligns with their future financialgoals.
4. Students will create their own financial literacy panel that discusses how teens canprepare for their financial futures.

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Lesson Plan:
Money Skills for Life
National FCS Standards:
2.6 Demonstrate management of financial resources to meet the goals of individuals andfamilies across the life span.
2.7 Demonstrate the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage one’s financial resources
effectively for a lifetime of financial security.
Materials Needed:
Projector
Computers or other internet-connected devices for students
Wheel of the Future handouts
Writing utensils
Whiteboard or chart paper and markers
Preparation:
Print one Wheel of the Future handout for each student.
Prior to the lesson, visit the AFSA Education Foundation website and sign up for a free
MoneySKILL instructor account using your school email address. Each registration is reviewed
and a password is emailed to approved registrants within 24 business hours. You will then beable to create courses and add your students.

Introduction
Introduction Timeframe: 15-20 minutes
Directions:- Have students complete the Wheel of the Future handout by writing or drawing their
future goals in each section of the wheel. Invite students to share their wheels insmall groups or present them to the class.
- Discuss – What goals do you have for your future?
- Discuss – How will your finances affect your goals for the future?

2Lesson Plan:
Money Skills for Life
Activity 1: The Plans We Have for Our Lives
Activity 1 Timeframe: 25-30 minutes
Directions:- Prior to the lesson, visit the AFSA Education Foundation website to sign up for a freeMoneySKILL instructor account and create MoneySKILL accounts for students.
- Have students use their internet-connected devices to log in to their MoneySKILL
accounts and work individually or in small groups to complete Module 1: The Plans
We Have for Our Lives.
- Discuss – In this module, what plans do Andrew, Maria, and Joey have for their lives?
How will these plans affect their financial futures?
- Discuss – Look at your Wheel of the Future handout. What financial decisions will you
need to make in order to achieve your desired lifestyle?
- Introduce Financial Literacy Panel Video – Today we are going to hear from threefinancial services professionals and learn about their pathways in life so we canprepare for our own futures.
- Watch the Introduction (00:00 – 05:09)
Activity 2: Community Service Discussion
Activity 2 Timeframe: 20-30 minutes
Directions:- Watch the Community Service (05:09 – 18:07) section of the financial literacy panel.
- Discuss – How do the financial services experts in the video serve their communities?
How do you hope to serve your community in the future? (Students can share what
they wrote in the Community Service section of their Wheel of the Future.)- Research – How can our FCCLA chapter serve our community? Have students use
their internet-connected devices to research local organizations and nonprofits that
help families in need of financial assistance. Make a list of these organizations on awhiteboard or chart paper.
- Discuss – How can our FCCLA chapter work with these organizations to help families
that need financial support?

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Money Skills for Life
Activity 3: Financial Education Discussion
Activity 3 Timeframe: 20-25 minutes
Directions:- Watch the Financial Education (18:07 – 27:24) section of the financial literacy panel.
- Pair/Share – Have students work with a partner to verbally summarize theinformation from this section of the video.
- Discuss – Why is it important for students to learn about personal finance in middle
school and high school?
- Discuss – What financial decisions can you make today to prepare for the future
lifestyle you want?
Activity 4: Career Advice Discussion
Activity 4 Timeframe: 35-40 minutes
Directions:- Watch the Career Advice section (27:24 – 47:35) of the financial literacy panel.
- Discuss – How did the experts in the video prepare for their careers in financial
services?
- Discuss – What can you do in high school to explore different career pathways andprepare for a future career?
- Help students use the Occupational Outlook Handbook to find information about
their desired career pathway and view the annual salary for the career they included
on their Wheel of the Future. Then have students use the MoneySKILL Reality Check(students can find a link at the bottom of their MoneySKILL course module listings) tolearn what income level they need to support their future lifestyle.
- Discuss – What jobs did the MoneySKILL Reality Check recommend for you?
- Discuss – Will the expected salary of your chosen career be able to support thelifestyle you created on your Wheel of the Future? Why or why not?

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Lesson Plan:
Money Skills for Life
Activity 5: Create Your Own Financial Literacy Panels
Activity 5 Timeframe: 20-30 minutes
Directions:- Watch the Questions (47:35 – 55:21) section of the financial literacy panel.
- Have students create and act out their own financial literacy panels. Divide students
into groups of 3-4. One student will be the moderator, and the others will be teen
experts who are giving financial literacy advice to an imaginary audience. Invite themoderators to create their own questions, or use the ones provided below:
o What can teens do to develop financial literacy skills in high school?
o What plans do you have for your future, and how will your finances affectthose plans?
o Why should teens use the MoneySKILL Reality Check tool to estimate their
future financial needs?
o Why should you research a career’s expected salary during the process ofchoosing a career?
o How can you use your financial resources or your knowledge of personal
finance to serve your community?
o What personal finance tips would you share with other teens?
- Students may create a video recording of their panel discussion or take notes tosummarize the main points of their discussion.
Alternate Activity:- Assemble a financial literacy panel consisting of financial professionals from your owncommunity. Help students contact employees at financial services firms and invite
these professionals to your school to share with the student body. Brainstorm a list ofquestions to ask the panelists and select students to serve as moderators during thepanel.
Wrap-Up
Timeframe: 10-15 minutes
Directions:- Have each group share a summary of their small-group financial literacy panel
discussion from activity 5.
- Discuss – Which panel question was the easiest for your group to answer? Whichpanel question was the most difficult?
- Discuss – What is one step you can take today to start preparing for your financial
future?

5Wheel of the Future
What will your future look like? Imagine your life 10-15 years fromnow. Identify your goals for your future lifestyle and write or draw
your goals in each section of the wheel. See the following page forideas of what to include in each section.

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Wheel of the Future
The following examples can help you complete each section ofyour wheel. You are not limited to the examples on this list—use
your creativity to build your own future!

Career• Human Services• Education & Training• Hospitality & Tourism• Visual Arts & DesignVacations• Traveling in-state• Road trips• Air travel• International travel

HousingTransportation

EntertainmentEducation• Live at home withparents/family• Apartment• Shared apartment• House• Streaming services• Movies• Concerts• Sporting events

Family & Pets

• Spouse• Children• Pets• New car
• Used car• Public transportation• Other (biking orwalking)• In-state college• Out-of-state college• Vocational/Career andTechnical Education• No education

Community Service• Volunteering• Donating money• Donating items• Fundraising7Lesson Plan:
Money Skills for Life
Additional Resources
MoneySKILL
Developed by the AFSA Education Foundation, MoneySKILL is a free online personal financecourse for middle school, high school and college students. In addition to being completely free(and ad-free) for all users, MoneySKILL is offered in English and Spanish, contains audio
dictation options, and aligns with nationally recognized K-12 personal finance standards. Boththe curriculum and its underlying technology infrastructure are updated regularly.
There are over 35 modules available for use, but the following MoneySKILL modules align withthe objectives for this lesson and could be used as enrichment activities or homeworkassignments:- The Plans We Have for Our Lives- Lifetime Plan
- Earned Income and Skill Demand*- Earned Income and Skill Supply- The Consumer Life Cycle*- Income Over the Life Cycle- Student Loans*Easily adaptable for middle school students
MoneySKILL Teacher Guide – Learning Activities Per ModuleThis includes an extensive array of free digital personal finance education resources thatsupport the MoneySKILL curriculum, including online calculators, worksheets, simulations,infographics, and more. To download, visit the “Resources” section when you log in to yourMoneySKILL instructor account.
Ambassador Toolkit
Help your FCCLA chapter spread the word about personal financial literacy. Use the MoneySKILL
Ambassador Toolkit to draft social media posts for your FCCLA chapter’s social media pages.
Make sure to tag @AFSAEducationFN and @NationalFCCLA in your posts!
Example social media post:• Are you ready to start preparing for your financial future? Ask your FCCLA chapteradviser about @AFSAEducationFN’s #MoneySKILL curriculum, a free online program fullof money-management education. Check it out at www.moneyskill.org.
@NationalFCCLA8

Lesson Plan:
Money Skills for LifeAFSA Education Foundation Resources
The following resources provide more information about the topics in this lesson and empower
students to prepare for their financial futures.
• Understanding Vehicle Financing• Understanding APR• Consumer Budget Worksheet
FCCLA Financial Fitness National Program
Financial Fitness engages members in teaching one another how to earn, spend, save, andprotect money wisely. Through FCCLA’s Financial Fitness program, members plan and carry out
projects that help them and their peers learn to become wise financial managers and smart
consumers.
FCCLA Career Connection National Program
The Career Connection program helps FCCLA members learn more about themselves, theworkplace, and careers so that they can put themselves on the pathway to future success. The
projects that members conduct around Career Connection units will give them the confidence
to face the thousands of overwhelming options that come with future career decisions.
FCCLA Community Service National Program
The Community Service program guides FCCLA members to identify local concerns and carryout projects to improve the quality of life in their communities. Through their projects,
members experience character development and improve their critical and creative thinking,interpersonal communication, practical knowledge, and career preparation.

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