Engage Elementary School Students with $martPath
Engage Elementary School Students with $martPath
In celebration of April and Financial Capability Month, the Making Cents Project is showcasing a different financial education program or resource each day of the month. The 28th in this series is $martPath from the Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati.
$martPath is an engaging, interactive, and easy-to-use way for teachers of students in grades 1-6 to embed relevant and fun economic and financial education in their classrooms. Best of all, $martPath is completely free! $martPath units teach students about personal financial responsibility (such as saving, prudent spending, and prioritizing needs and wants) through grade-appropriate, curriculum-aligned, interactive lessons.To get started, you will need to create a username and password. The program is intended for full group instruction with options for paper-based or online individual assessments for each grade level. Typically the teacher displays $martPath onto a screen and proceeds through a lesson’s videos and interactive games. Specific points within each lesson are identified as opportunities for class discussion. Below are samples of some of the lessons and the concepts each one reinforces:
- Grade 1, Lesson 2: Students learn about prioritizing wants, how they differ between people and how they affect spending decisions
- Grade 4, Lesson 3: Students learn to consider all of their options prior to making a purchase.
- Grade 6, Lesson 2: Students consider the benefits of regularly setting aside money to save before they spend.
- Middle School United States history, Lesson 1: Students create a spending plan to replace a broken part on time machine.
A user guide is provided for teachers or other adults who implement the program. In addition to helping users get started, it also provides in-depth directions for having students complete the pre- and post-assessments online. There are also lesson overviews for each lesson list the lesson objectives, the materials that are needed, and a walk-through of each lesson. Before getting started, check out the fast-paced video below. [embed]https://vimeo.com/169715375[/embed]Disclaimer: Resources included on the Making Cents blog have been reviewed by Pennsylvania educators and deemed worthwhile for classroom or professional use. Inclusion does not indicate endorsement by the Pennsylvania Department of Education or Penn State University.