Dollars with Sense New Facilitators' Guide

JA Canada

A Member of JA Worldwide

DOLLARS WITH

SENSE

Program Guide

for Facilitators

Acknowledgments

JA Canada™
Karen Gallant, VP, Programs & Charter Services
Andre Gallant, M.Ed., Director of Programs & Charter Services

Curriculum Consultants

Deborah Homuth, M.Ed., Director, H2 Learning Consultants
Marsha Levy, Results Canada Consulting & Training

Program Reviewers

Wafa Bilal, JA British Columbia
Karen Chafe, JA London & District
Laura Kaun, JA Waterloo Region
Sarah Porte, JA Nova Scotia
Karen Vavrek, JA Southern Alberta
Deborah Wakeham, JA British Columbia
Barbara White, JA Peterborough Lakeland Muskoka

Graphic Designer

Juni Xu

Special thanks to for their support of Dollars with Sense

Any text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, except in the course of
conducting a registered JA Canada™ class or with the permission of the publisher.
Dollars with Sense – Program Guide V7-2018
Copyright © 2018 JA Canada™

DOLLARS WITH SENSE

© JA Canada 2018

Table of Contents

PREPARATION FOR THE CLASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1
PLANNING GUIDE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
GETTING STARTED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Getting to Know You

LESSON 1 – MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND. . . . . . . . . . . 7

Ready, Set, Go!
How Will You Pay?
The Cost of Credit
Extended Activities

LESSON 2 – SMART SHOPPING IN AN ONLINE WORLD . . . . . . . 13

Why Do We Buy the Things We Buy?
Are All Online Sites Safe?
Are You a SMART Consumer?
Extended Activities

LESSON 3 – SPENDING, SAVING, AND SHARING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Needs, Wants, and Goals
Making a Project Budget
Extended Activities

LESSON 4 – MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU. . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Become Investment Wise
Extended Activities

LESSON 5 – USING CREDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Credit with Sense game

WRAP UP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Bingo
Presentation of Certificates

CLASSROOM MATERIALS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
NOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

DOLLARS WITH SENSE

PREPARATION FOR THE CLASS

MATERIALS OVERVIEW
JA Canada seeks to create educational partnerships between schools, volunteers, business
Use the checklist on page 39 of this leaders, and donors by providing opportunities for students to shape their future and
Program Guide to ensure that you have achieve success. Through the delivery of cutting-edge, experiential learning in financial
literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, JA Canada expands the potential for young
received all the necessary materials. people to engage in their own economic development and contribute to the strength of
their families, their communities, and Canada’s economy.
Program Guide
Read this Program Guide carefully JA’s unique approach offers volunteers the chance to deliver our curriculum, share their
before delivering the program. If you experiences, and make a significant impact on youth contemplating their future. Our
are teaching with a partner, you will classroom volunteers transform the key concepts of our lessons into a message that
each want to have your own guide. inspires and empowers students to believe in themselves, to discover their potential, and
to provide direction so they can craft their future.
Multimedia Resources
A number of Multimedia Resources Dollars with Sense is an interactive program designed to encourage students to develop
are to be used in this program the financial literacy necessary to make informed decisions about their financial
including slides, web links and videos. life. In the lessons that follow, students will learn from you about budgeting, money
These Multimedia Resources are management, and investments. Thank you for making this possible.
available in two locations:
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
JA Canada Digital Resource Portal Dollars with Sense is structured into four core lessons. The program is designed to
- https://resources.jacanada.org/ accommodate a variety of delivery options:
Featuring a complete collection of • one full-day or two half-day delivery
multimedia resources. First-time • one lesson per session or four total sessions
users must create a Log-In. Access is Each lesson is built around mandatory Core Activities. Extended Activities are optional
confirmed via email. Test your access activities that some groups may get to if there is enough time. Often no Extended Activities
and explore the Portal content before will be completed due to time constraints; however, the classroom teacher could do them
arriving at the school. This Portal may following the program. Extended Activities should not be substituted for Core Activities. A
be used in the classroom if reliable Planning Guide is available on page 5 to assist you in structuring the timing for delivery
internet is available. in the classroom. While there are 5 lessons in the DWS program, you are likely to only
need 4 lessons in a typical day. Either lesson 4 or 5 can be omitted if time is too short.
USB Key – Easy to use and provided Each lesson in the Program Guide includes:
in your Classroom Materials kit. Plug • A general overview
and play in the teacher’s computer. • Learning objectives
The USB Key contains an all-in-one • A guide to assist in planning your time
PowerPoint slide presentation saved Note: The times are given as maximums. Do not spend more than the allocated maximum
in Windows and MAC formats. Open
and run the slide presentation during time on an activity.
each lesson using the visual supports, • Instructions for conducting Core Activities, suggested time for each activity, and a list of
web links and videos provided.
the resources that you will need
• Tips for volunteers
• Activities that require students to use their portfolios. Look for this symbol  

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© JA Canada 2018

PREPARATION FOR THE CLASS

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES MATERIALS CONT.

The Volunteer’s Role Tent Cards
Each volunteer is expected to participate in training hosted by JA. The training sessions
are designed to familiarize volunteers with the Dollars with Sense program and to These are to be distributed to the
provide them with valuable information on how to facilitate student learning. As a students at the beginning of the
volunteer, you are an important role model to students. In fact, you may be the only delivery day. Tent cards sit on the
business professional with whom many of them have the opportunity to interact. students’ desks indicating their names.
You will be able to relate the concepts and key ideas of the program to your own If you are delivering the program over
experiences and enrich explanations so that they become more than theory to the multiple sessions, collect the tent cards
students. Some of the roles you will play include the following: after each session, and pass them out
Business Resource again at the following session.
Although students are likely to know people in the community who have experience
with the business world, it is unlikely that they have asked questions that they Student Portfolio
will speak to you about. You have the opportunity to talk openly about both your
educational and occupational backgrounds. Relate the memories and aspirations you These are comprised of task sheets
had at their age, and tell the students how those have changed or remained the same. and supporting information that the
Facilitator students need in order to complete
Each Junior Achievement program is flexible and allows for creativity. You will have the lesson activities.
received training on each of the lessons. It is the presence of a volunteer that makes
each JA program a unique learning experience. Classroom Materials Kit
Motivator
Do you remember what it was like to be a young student? If you could each go back Included in the kit are a number of
in time and know then what you know now, would you do things differently? This essential resources to be distributed to
is your chance to share your knowledge. Talk about your job, your industry, and the students.
opportunities that are available to people in your field. What would you have liked to
know before you made your choices? Share those thoughts with the students in your 3
class. The information you provide to the class could encourage students to seek out
opportunities that they might otherwise miss.
Role Model
You are an example to the students of the benefits of education, the importance of
hard work, and the advantages of setting and meeting personal goals. Students will
look up to you and will be eager to learn all they can about the business world. The
discussion of business ethics and professional conduct are important in the classroom,
as they will teach the students the appropriate way to behave in the workplace.
Volunteer/Teacher Cooperation
Maintaining open communication and building a strong, positive working
relationship with the classroom teacher is critical. As the volunteer, you need to
make sure that you are aware of the classroom rules and any procedures that have
been established by the teacher. Let the students know that your time together will
follow the regular classroom rules. Teachers are responsible for maintaining order

DOLLARS WITH SENSE

PREPARATION FOR THE CLASS

WHAT TO DO IF… and discipline. It is their responsibility to assist you in providing an atmosphere that
is conducive to learning. They can provide you with valuable feedback on students’
Your class is accelerated… reactions to directions and activities which will help you communicate with the
Hopefully, your teacher will have informed you of students more effectively.
this prior to your arrival in the classroom. If so,
consider preparing further activities to support OVERALL APPROACH
the materials in the program. The classroom This program is designed so that students construct understanding by participating
teacher is your best resource! Be sure to ask for actively in the lessons. From a presenter’s perspective, it may seem easier to just tell the
recommendations on program adjustments. students what you want them to learn. However, if we want students to learn deeply
then we must allow them to develop their own understanding through the active
Your class has special needs… process of making meaning for themselves. Therefore, the majority of lesson time will
Working closely with the teacher is essential to be spent having students engaged in activity to help lead them to understanding.
success. Ask the teacher for recommendations
on what teaching techniques work best and what • To support this approach, questions marked with Q have been scripted carefully for
should be avoided. Tips that often work are:
slowing the pace, reducing the objectives, and facilitators to use. Whenever you can ask instead of tell, do so.
using more visual aids with the activities. • The first few minutes of lesson time are critical. This is when students are “hooked”

A student does not participate… into the learning. As often as possible, ensure that the opening of lessons is on topic,
It is difficult to know why an individual has briskly paced, and inviting.
chosen to stay uninvolved in an activity. Explain to the classroom teacher that the program is very full and that you need all the
available time to deliver it. Thank the teacher for helping you begin the program on
Although we would like to encourage every time.
student to participate, some students may not This program has been structured to be more alike than different each time it is
be comfortable with the program or a particular delivered in hundreds of classrooms across Canada. What will be unique however, is
activity. Do not force students to participate or put that the program is being delivered by you! Your unique personality, perspectives, and
them on the spot. experiences will enrich the experience for students.
In each lesson there are activities for the whole class, activities for students to do with
Try to provide supportive and positive comments a partner, as well as activities for students to complete on their own. The variety of
that do not single students out in the classroom learning strategies will help to keep students engaged. At the end of each lesson is an
or require a response on their part. Extended Activity entitled: “What Did I Learn?” These reflection activities are best
done immediately after each lesson; so, if there is no class time remaining for this
You have a compulsive talker… Extended Activity, encourage the classroom teacher to complete this with the students
It is important to show interest in this individual following your presentation.
without jeopardizing quality learning time for Build on where the students are in life. They must be able to relate the information
the rest of the class. If an activity requires you provide to how it will affect them. Attempt to draw on the students’ own
information to be read aloud from the Student experiences to illustrate points. Use examples within their frames of reference.
Portfolio, encourage extremely talkative students Be aware of your terminology. The terms ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ can easily be replaced with
to volunteer. terms such as “at home” or “with your family”. Not all of the children in your class will
come from a traditional family. Do your best to be sensitive to this.
You begin to lose control of the class…
Good eye contact can sometimes regain student AT THE END OF THE PROGRAM
attention; if not, it may be time to switch topics. • Review what has been learned and accomplished.
If the problem persists, this might be the time to • Congratulate the students on their efforts.
involve the teacher. • Present the students with the Certificates of Accomplishment provided in your kit.

You have materials to distribute...
Identify a student or ask the classroom teacher to
assist you in distributing resources efficiently.

You are presenting over one full school day...
Students may need a 5-10 minute break after
each hour of presenting or after each lesson.

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© JA Canada 2018

Planning Guide

GETTING STARTED 5 MIN

LESSON 1 50 MIN LESSON 2 50 MIN

Money Makes the World Go Round SMART Shopping in an Online World

CORE ACTIVITIES 10 MIN CORE ACTIVITIES 6 MIN
25 MIN 20 MIN
Ready, Set, Go! 15 MIN Why Do We Buy the Things We Buy? 20 MIN
How Will You Pay? Are All Online Sites Safe?
The Cost of Credit 20 MIN Are You a SMART Consumer? 15 MIN
10 MIN 15 MIN
Extended Activities (Optional) Extended Activities (Optional)
Whose Currency Is It? 5 MIN Make SMART Consumer Decisions 5 MIN
Inflation Activity Know Your Consumer Rights
What Did I Learn? What Did I Learn?

LESSON 3 50 MIN LESSON 4 25 MIN

Spending, Saving, Sharing 15 MIN Make Your Money Work For You
25 MIN
CORE ACTIVITIES 10 MIN CORE ACTIVITIES 15 MIN
Needs, Wants, and Goals 10 MIN Become Investment Wise 10 MIN
Making a Project Budget Credit Reports
Credit Scores 5 MIN 35 MIN
Extended Activity (Optional) 5 MIN
Extended Activities (Optional) How Does the Stock Exchange Work
A Four-Week Budget & Additional What Did I Learn?
Information on How to Budget
What Did I Learn?

LESSON 5 45 MIN WRAP UP 20 MIN
Bingo 5 MIN
Using Credit 45 MIN Awarding Certificates
of Accomplishment
CORE ACTIVITIES
Credit with Sense game

THANK YOU

To Volunteers and Teachers

Thank you for your hard work in preparing and delivering the Dollars With Sense program. Your willingness to deliver

a high quality learning experience about financial literacy will empower students for years to come.

DOLLARS WITH SENSE 5

Getting Started

TIPS CORE ACTIVITY – GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Before You Begin SUGGEST 5 MINUTES
Check with the classroom teacher
on the daily schedule, classroom Introduce Yourself, and the Program
routines, and ground rules. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself, Junior Achievement, and the Dollars with
Sense program. Tell the students that they will be looking at ways of ensuring they are
Provide the classroom teacher with shopping, saving, and investing wisely. Explain that the Dollars with Sense program will
the USB Key and work together to examine ways of finding the balance between having fun with the money you have and
open, test, and play the Multimedia planning for the future. Introduce yourself by describing some aspects of your education,
Resources. work experience, and choices you have made in your career. Tell the students why you are
there. Let them know why you are involved with Junior Achievement and what objectives
Discuss with the teacher any you achieve through volunteering. You may have your own way of describing Junior
accommodations for special needs Achievement, but if you need some ideas, this script might help:
students in the class.
Junior Achievement is a charity. This means people give their time and resources to help Junior
Materials Achievement teach students like you how to succeed in their personal finances, how to start
Student Portfolios your own business, how to prepare for the modern workforce, and more. I am really excited
Tent Cards to be here today and share what I know, and Junior Achievement made it possible. I am not
USB Key - Multimedia Resources getting paid to be here today. You might be asking why I would I volunteer to do this…well, I
JA Dollars (Optional) volunteer because…

Building Rapport Get to Know the Students
Your opening minutes in the
classroom will be instrumental in Ask the students what they have done in the past or what they are doing now to earn
building rapport with the students. money. Ask as many students as you can, as quickly as you can, by calling on them as
Take some time at the beginning of you walk around the room and between their desks or tables.
your first lesson to get to know the
students. Be yourself. Be genuine and After a minute or so of this, distribute the tent cards. Ask students to print their first
open. names in large print on the tent cards and fold them so you can always see their
Use students’ names. Using students’ names. Ask students to add a small symbol to their name card that represents how
names will help you maintain control they make money. For example, if they babysit they should draw a small baby in the
in the classroom. corner of their tent card. While students are working on their tent cards, distribute the
Student Portfolios.
TEACHING TIP
STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS
You may wish to handout JA Dollars
as a reward and to encourage The single most important characteristic of a class of students this age is its diversity. The
positive, active participation. Instruct adolescents in your Dollars with Sense class are likely to vary in personality, aptitude, life
students to save the JA Dollars they experience, and interests. Nevertheless, it is possible to make several generalizations about
earn and at the end of the program, these students.
write their name on the money they • They need and want approval.They seek attention and recognition. Even the shy, quiet
have collected to enter a draw to win
a small prize. (optional) students want you to notice them.
• They are often insecure, self-conscious, and concerned about what their peers think, and
6
may seem reserved or suspicious of adults.
• They enjoy active learning. The typical middle school student has a short attention span.
• They often underestimate their own potential and may be apprehensive about the future.

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© JA Canada 2018

LESSON 1

Money Makes the World Go Round

OVERVIEW PREPARATION
Students will learn about money as a means of exchange for goods or services. They
will also learn about how to conduct transactions using a variety of different methods Review the activities in the
of payment and investigate the most appropriate methods of payment in different Student Portfolio on pages
situations. 2-11.
OBJECTIVES
Students will: MATERIALS

• Develop a money management self-profile Tent Cards
• Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of payment
• Determine what method of payment to use Student Portfolios
• Identify the cost of credit
Multimedia Resources
Multimedia Resources – Access the Multimedia Resources from either the JA slides, web links, & videos
Canada Digital Resource Portal or the USB Key (see page 2). Avatar Challenge #1 Cards
(Optional)
CORE ACTIVITY 1 – READY, SET, GO!
PLANNING YOUR TIME
SUGGEST 10 MINUTES
Getting To Know You
Student Portfolio pages 2-3 5 MIN
Core Activities
Ask the following questions:
Money Profile Ready, Set, Go! 1
10 MIN
Q: How many of you like money? Raise your hand if you do. How Will You Pay?
25 MIN
You should raise your hand too. Agree with students that we are all alike when The Cost of Credit
it comes to liking what money helps us do. However, our attitudes and our 15 MIN
behaviour with money are often not alike. Total Required Time: 55 MIN

Q: How unique are we? Let’s determine your money management profile. Extended Activities (Optional)
Whose Currency Is It?
Using yourself as an example, rate yourself on the first statement showing 20 MIN
students how the scale works. Ask students if they have any questions. Then ask Inflation Activity
students to complete the Money Management Self-Profile on page 2-3 of the 10 MIN
Student Portfolio. What Did I Learn?
5 MIN
After 2 minutes or so, students should be ready. Double check that they have given
themselves a total score, then review with student what they have discovered about
themselves.

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MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

VOLUNTEER CORE ACTIVITY 2 – HOW WILL YOU PAY?
CONNECTIONS
SUGGEST 25 MINUTES
You may also want to show them
a variety of debit and credit cards Student Portfolio pages 5-9
that the typical person today
carries in his or her wallet. Do This is the first avatar challenge.
you still carry a cheque book?
Why not? How do you and your Q: Do you know what an avatar is?
family members exemplify the
movement to a cashless society? An avatar is a character or figure that represents a person in a game. Throughout
How do we see this in business the Dollars with Sense program, we will follow this avatar and help the avatar solve
today? (i.e. direct deposit of pay challenges. In a few moments, we will select one avatar and solve their challenge but
cheques into accounts) let’s first learn about different forms of money, different methods of payment.
Ask students to turn to pages 5-7 in their Student Portfolio where they will find
Note: Monetary instruments information about different methods of payment. While reviewing each method
are regulated by banks. Store of payment in the slide presentation, help students understand each and discuss
value cards or gift cards are benefits and cautions of each. As benefits and cautions are discussed, ask students to
not currently considered to be record this information on page 8 of their Student Portfolio.
monetary instruments. Help the class to select one avatar they will follow throughout the Dollars with
Sense program. A vote by show of hands is one method to use when selecting an
avatar.
Using the Multimedia Resources, open the slide of the avatar that has been selected
and share the challenge details with students. Or use the optional Avatar Challenge
Cards found in your classroom materials kit.
As part of this avatar challenge, students make and record their decisions on page
9 of the Student Portfolio. Depending on available time and the dynamics of your
class, instruct students to complete the task on their own, with a partner, or divide
the class into small groups so that students work together to solve this challenge.

Instructions provided on the Avatar Challenge #1 Card

• Use the Brainstorming Box on p. 8 of the portfolio to identify some benefits and
cautions when using the 8 different forms of money.

• Once you have evaluated the benefits and cautions of using each of the 8
different forms of money, write in the Decision Box on page 9 which of those 8 forms
of money your avatar should use to make purchases.

• You may only use a particular form of money once. You can’t use the same form of
money to pay more than one of the avatar’s bills.

• Then identify the main reason you chose that particular form of money for that
particular purchase.

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1

MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

Circulate through the class while students are working on the challenge and provide TIP
examples and support where needed. Once students have made their decisions, ask
them to present their answers with well-explained rationale to the class. Following the Ask the classroom teacher to circulate
discussion, share the correct answers with students. through the class and help you check
the Brainstorming and Decision
The correct answers are shown below Boxes for appropriate and detailed
responses. The activity will encourage
1. Guaranteed Cheque students to think about why some
2. Personal Cheque (Cash is also acceptable) methods of payment are more
3. EFT appropriate in certain circumstances.
4. Credit Card
5. Mobile Payment, Debit Card or Cash

CORE ACTIVITY 3 – THE COST OF CREDIT 9

SUGGEST 15 MINUTES

Using the Multimedia Resources, access the Cost of Credit Calculator. Internet is
required to run the Calculator. Work with the students to explore the Calculator and
find the answers to the following questions:

Q: I can only afford to pay $100 per month towards my credit card with a balance

of $2,465. How long will it take me to pay it off and how much will I pay in total
if the interest rate is 19%? What if the interest rate is 27%?

Q: How much of that cost will be interest?

Based on the experience of using the Cost of Credit Calculator, ask students the
following questions:

Q: What do people mean when they say there is a “cost to borrowing”? What could

the “cost” be referring to?

Q: If a credit rating/score for a person is based on how much money is owed and

how long it takes to pay it off, then could my credit rating/score be affected by
not paying off my credit card more quickly?

Q: How can I avoid getting into financial trouble with my credit card?

Using the Multimedia Resources, play the video Get It On Credit (4 minutes). You
can pause the video during play to provide explanation and to answer questions or do
so at the end.

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MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

EXTENDED ACTIVITY 1 - WHOSE CURRENCY IS IT?

SUGGEST 20 MINUTES

Student Portfolio page 4

TIP Q: What do you think the word “currency” means?

It is less important that students get Currency is a system of money that is in use within a particular country or region.
all the matches correct in the time Ask students to turn to page 4 in their Student Portfolio and complete the activity
provided; rather, this activity is about “Whose Currency Is It?”
developing awareness that there are
many currencies in the world. Form of Currency Country

10 Real Brazil

Rupee India

Yen Japan

Ruble Russia

Euro Germany

Pound Sterling England

Yuan China

Dinar Iraq

Rand South Africa

Peso Mexico

Franc Switzerland

Now, lead students through a discussion as follows:

Q: How could we find out exactly which form of currency is worth the most today?

Have students brainstorm. Some students may know that they could go to the bank or
search online.

Q: Why did I say “today?” Could it be different tomorrow? Or next year?

Explain briefly that the value of currency fluctuates based on how much a particular
form of currency is wanted or is in demand.

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MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

Using the Multimedia Resources, access the Currency Converter. The internet is
required to run the Converter. Although accessing the Converter online and in real time
is encouraged, if the internet is unavailable, use the values listed below:

Foreign currency Canadian dollars

100 Real $31.48

100 Rupee $1.86 TIP

100 Yen $1.21 You can access currency exchange
rates before going into the classroom
100 Ruble $2.07 to ensure that the figures are up-to-
date.
100 Euro $146.84
11
100 Pound Sterling $171.98

100 Yuan $18.89

100 Dinar $0.11

100 Rand $9.08

100 Peso $6.80

100 Francs $133.47 Note: Based on values
published in December 2019

EXTENDED ACTIVITY 2 – INFLATION ACTIVITY

SUGGEST 10 MINUTES

Student Portfolio page 11

As more people make more money, more money becomes available, and the price of items
goes up. This is called inflation. Ask students to complete the table on page 11 of the
Student Portfolio and review the answers together.

3 BEDROOM 1950 1980 Today
BUNGALOW $16,000 $64,600 $365,000

4 DOOR SEDAN $1,480 $7,200 $30,000
$0.33 $0.51 $1.08
ONE LITRE OF GAS $0.05 $0.51 $2.50

LOAF OF BREAD
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MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

EXTENDED ACTIVITY 3 – WHAT DID I LEARN?

SUGGEST 5 MINUTES

Student Portfolio page 10

Direct students to turn to page 10 in their Student Portfolio and to complete the self-
reflection task found there. Give them the choice of writing something for each of the
activities or choosing only one to reflect upon. There is no need to discuss their self-
reflections; rather, you and the classroom teacher should review them either between
lessons or at a later time.
What Did I Learn?
Use the prompts below to write down what you have learned.

Money Management Self-Profile?
What did you learn about your money
management behaviour? What will you
try to do differently from now on?

What is it Worth? How Will You Pay?
Name one way that money makes the What did you learn about different forms
world go round. of money?

12 DOLLARS WITH SENSE

© JA Canada 2018

LESSON 2

SMART Shopping in an Online World OPEN

OVERVIEW PREPARATION
The students will learn that making good financial decisions about how they spend
their money is an important part of money management. They will reflect on the Review the activities in the
factors that influence people’s spending. Students will also look at ways of becoming Student Portfolio on pages
a SMART consumer. To help students develop an understanding of their rights and 12-15.
responsibilities as consumers, students will develop awareness of how to shop safely
on-line, how to be “spam smart” and how to protect their privacy. MATERIALS

OBJECTIVES Tent Cards
Students will:
• Analyze purchasing influences Student Portfolios
• Assess the security of a website
• Know how to protect themselves when they shop online Multimedia Resources
• Spot a scam slides, web links, & videos
• Explain how data from online shopping is collected and used Avatar Challenge #2 Cards
(Optional)
Multimedia Resources – Access the Multimedia Resources from either the JA
Canada Digital Resource Portal or the USB Key (see page 2). Online Scenario Cards
(Optional)
Website Whatzit Cards

CORE ACTIVITY 1 - WHY DO WE BUY THE THINGS WE BUY? PLANNING YOUR TIME

SUGGEST 6 MINUTES Core Activities

Student Portfolio page 12 Why Do We Buy the Things
We Buy? 6 MIN
Q: What influences us to shop? Are All Online Sites Safe?
20 MIN
Encourage students to share their thoughts. Then ask students to turn to page 12 in Are You a SMART Consumer?
their Student Portfolio to complete the matching activity Why Do We Buy the Things 20 MIN
We Buy? Students can work on their own or with a partner. Total Time Required:
50 MIN
Tell the students that looking at our spending patterns over a period of time helps us
better understand what influences us, and that helps us become more aware of how Extended Activities (Optional)
we spend our money. Make SMART Consumer
Decisions 15 MIN
After 3-4 minutes, review the answers (from top to bottom: 3, 5, 1, 2) as a whole Know Your Consumer Rights
group. Stress the explanation of why students matched particular items. 15 MIN
What Did I Learn? 5 MIN
TIP VOLUNTEER CONNECTION
13
Be sensitive to the variance in You may want to share a personal
economic situations of students in experience. What motivates your spending?
the classroom. Some students may Describe a recent purchase that you
have little or no spending money made and ask the students to guess what
while others may have a lot. influenced you. There is no need to tell them
what actually influenced you; rather, the idea
DOLLARS WITH SENSE is to get students thinking about shopping
influences.

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OPEN SMART SHOPPING IN AN ONLINE WORLD

VOLUNTEER CORE ACTIVITY 2 – ARE ALL ONLINE SITES SAFE?
CONNECTIONS
SUGGEST 20 MINUTES
If you have a personal
experience with online shopping
that turned out to be a scam or Safe Websites & Online Scenarios
a fraudulent site, you may want
to explain this experience to the Q: Who has made an online purchase?
students and what you learned.
Encourage students to share their stories and experiences.
TIPS
Q: Is it easy to tell a safe website from an unsafe website?
Review terms such as:
Credit security – Reviewing credit Encourage students to share what they know.
card bills and credit reports as well as
shredding credit related documents Using the Multimedia Resources, play the video Secure Websites. You can stop the
Scam/Fraud – A deal or information that video at 1:51 of play to provide explanation and to answer questions. You do not need
is not real or true to play the video until the end.
Identity theft –When someone steals
your personal information to take over Using the Multimedia Resources and dependent upon the amount of time available,
your credit or use it for fraudulent select no more than 2 of the Online Scenario slides (1-6 available) to read and discuss
purposes with the class. Or use the optional Online Scenario Cards found in your classroom
Privacy – Ensuring that no one materials kit.
has access to personal information Website Whatzit
including passwords Tell students that most people have questions about online security and so we will
Make sure that students understand look at some of the most common questions together.
that you are NOT advocating that they Website Whatzit is a Q & A card game that contains 17 question cards and 17
shop online without supervision. A corresponding answer cards. Hand out question and answer cards so that every
parent or guardian should supervise student holds one card. Be sure to organize the cards before going into the classroom;
students online. for every question card that is handed out, the answer card should also be handed out.
If your class is smaller than 34 students or you wish to downsize this activity, select
only a small number of question cards and corresponding answer cards to hand out to
students.
Invite one student to stand and read their question card aloud. Students must
carefully listen and stand if they think they have the correct answer card. If more than
one student stands, then the person with the question will need to choose what they
feel is the correct answer. The question and answer key can be found on page 15.
Dependent on the amount of time available, a modified version of this card game can
be played by handing out only the answer cards. Read the question cards aloud and
ask students to stand if they hold the correct answer card and to read their answer
card aloud.

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Website Whatzit Questions and Answers Q: What should you do if someone tries to distract you
Q:
A: What indicators tell you a website is secure? bottom while you are using an ATM machine?
A closed padlock icon, unbroken key in the A: Ignore the distraction and stop what you are doing
right corner of the screen, or a website address that
begins with https:// until you can focus. Never let anyone else swipe your

Q: With which type of Wi-Fi connection should you avoid card for you!

making purchases? Q: What are the ways that criminals can gain access

A: Through public Wi-Fi to personal information through a computer or

Q: How would you describe websites that ask for financial smartphone?

information via email or pop-ups? A: Phishing, smishing, vishing, and pharming
Q: What kind of information do legitimate organizations/
A: Fake, fraudulent, illegitimate! Close them quickly!

Q: What “wall” should always be activated? companies NEVER ask you to verify via email?
A: Your firewall. Windows Firewall is on by default in the
A: Personal information. This is called Phishing.
latest version of Windows. Make sure you don’t turn Q: Why shouldn’t you respond to text messages sent to your
it off.
phone by strangers?
A: Smishing stands for short message service and if you
Q: What information should an online store keep 100%
respond, you are verifying your phone number to
secure? others who might try to scam you.

A: Your credit card or debit card information. Q: Should you respond to live or automated callers claiming

Q: What information is easy to find about legitimate you’ve won a holiday?

merchants where online purchases can be made? A: No! This is called vishing. Your personal information is

A: Sales, return, and privacy policies. If they aren’t there valuable. Keep it safe.

or are hard to find, don’t shop at this site! Q: An email or text message that begins “Dear Valued

Q: What information should a legitimate company include Customer” or “You have won a prize” is probably what?

on their “contact us” page? A: A scam!

A: Name, physical address including country and email Q: Why would a fraudster want your personal information?
A: To get access to your bank account, to sell your identity,
address.
to set up a loan in your name, or to conduct illegal
Q: What information do reputable businesses summarize activity.

before you complete an online transaction? Q: What should you do if you think you’ve been scammed?
A: Call your bank and the police; change all of your online
A: Item selected for purchase, price, additional charges,
passwords and PINs.
taxes, and shipping.

Q: This secret code should NOT include any part of your

name, birthdate, social insurance number, address, or

phone number.
A: Your PIN.

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TIP CORE ACTIVITY 3 – ARE YOU A SMART CONSUMER?

Students may be unfamiliar with SUGGEST 20 MINUTES
the term acronym. Provide some
examples that students may be Student Portfolio page 13
familiar with such as BTW or LOL. This is the second avatar challenge.

As students work on this activity or Q. What do you think being a SMART consumer means?
any other activity, circulate around the Students may have a few ideas to offer. Review with students the meaning of the
room. Your interest in the task at hand acronym SMART.
and physical proximity to students will Explain to students that their avatar has a purchase that they would like to make. But,
help to keep them on task. before they make it, they would like you to provide them with some advice.
Explain that students will conduct a SMART analysis for their avatar. Students should
record their notes and ideas on page 13 or their Student Portfolio. Depending on
available time and the dynamics of your class, instruct students to complete the task on
their own, with a partner, or divide the class into small groups so that students work
together to solve the very same avatar challenge.
Using the Multimedia Resources, open the slide of the same avatar that was used
in Lesson 1 and share the challenge details with students. Or use the optional Avatar
Challenge Cards found in your classroom materials kit.
Once students have completed their analysis, work as a whole class to present ideas.
Discuss specific examples and advice that could be provided to their avatar.

Sample Instructions for Avatar Challenge #2

Hi team! Lauren here. I have another challenge that I need your help with.

I want to purchase a puppy. I spend a lot of time working and I would love a dog to keep me company. She could come to
work with me at Happy Horses Riding and Boarding Stable. She could keep me company in the barn and watch the kids ride.
Is this a good idea? I need you to conduct a SMART analysis for me before I make this purchase.

Instructions S - Stop and Think
• Use the letters in the word SMART to represent a step that Lauren should M - Make a Plan
take before making this decision. A - Ask Questions
R - Review Information
• Record your notes and ideas on page 13 of the Student Portfolio and be T - Take Action
prepared to present your ideas to the class.

For example, S stands for Stop and Think: Lauren should stop and think about whether she will have enough time to train and
care for a puppy too. Will the dog bother the horses? Will the horses bother the dog? How much will it cost to get the puppy’s
shots and feed it?

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S Stop and Think.

This is the time to stop and think about making a consumer decision. This step could
take a few minutes, or much longer. It all depends on the purchase. What are some of
the things you should stop and think about? Why are impulse purchases usually not
good ones?

M Make a Plan.

At this point, consider your purchasing options. To make a plan, figure out
what information is needed, how to obtain it, and when a decision needs to be
made. What kinds of information should you look for? Where can you find this
information? Why is this information important?

A Ask Questions.

Asking questions helps consumers to make better decisions. What questions
should you ask yourself or others before a major purchase? Who can you ask for
information or advice? How many different people might you want to consult?
Why?

R Review Information.

Taking time to review the information with others helps consumers make better
decisions. Who can help you review the information? Why is this a useful step?

T Take Action.

Decide what payment method is best to use. Make the purchase. When making a
purchase, consumers should always keep their receipt in case they need to return the
item.

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TIP EXTENDED ACTIVITY 1 – MAKE SMART CONSUMER
DECISIONS
These extended activities could be
used by the classroom teacher as a SUGGEST 15 MINUTES
follow up to the program.
Student Portfolio page 15

Ask the students to turn to page 15 in the Student Portfolio. Assign each group one
scenario. Ask students to think about being SMART consumers and to make SMART
decisions as a group. Ask each group to present their decision to the class and to
justify their decision using the SMART acronym. Encourage discussion and debate
about the decision presented by each group.

EXTENDED ACTIVITY 2 – KNOW YOUR CONSUMER RIGHTS

SUGGEST 15 MINUTES

Explain to the students that business transactions involve two “parties” the consumer and
the business. Each has certain rights and obligations. Being a smart consumer, means
knowing your consumer rights and obligations.
Explain that when you open an account with a financial institution or a store, there
are specified “Terms of Agreement”. Tell the students that they should always read the
“Terms” very carefully so they fully understand their rights and obligations and those of
the business.
As you read the following statements, ask all students to stand if they think the statement
is true. Then tell students the correct answer. You may have time for all or only focus
on a few. Call on one student to justify his or her response. The responses will provide
good debate on issues, their own consumer experiences, and expectations. A quiz to test
students’ knowledge of their rights can be found in the Multimedia Resources.
1 When you order a product, it must be delivered within 30 days of the promised

delivery date or you can ask for a refund. True
2 You and your friends are looking at clothing in a store at the mall. The clerk asks

you and your friends to “either buy something or leave.” You have to follow the
instructions and “buy something or leave.” True.
3 If something is advertised at one price on their website, you are entitled to that price if
the item in the store is marked at a higher price. False
4 You are thinking of buying an item from an online store. You know that the same item
is priced lower at another site but you would really like to buy from the first store. You
should tell the store and they must then match the other price. False

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5 Even if you paid for downloaded music files or ring tones, you can’t share with a
friend. True

6 Every time you choose to buy something online you are entering into a contract
with the vendor. True

7 When you shop online and buy something from an American website there will
be an exchange fee charged. True

8 When you are buying from a private individual in person or online (e.g. Kijiji),
consumer protection laws still apply to protect you. False

9 Some shopping sites make it hard for you to get out of the site. For example, the
“back” button on your browser might be disabled or all your recently visited site
options get deleted. These sites are still safe to shop. False

10 When you order a product online that costs more than $50, the business must
provide you with a contract by mail, or in a format that allows you to print a copy.

True

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OPEN SMART SHOPPING IN AN ONLINE WORLD

EXTENDED ACTIVITY 3 – WHAT DID I LEARN?

SUGGEST 5 MINUTES

Student Portfolio page 14

Direct students to turn to page 14 in their Student Portfolio and to complete the self-
reflection task found there. Give them the choice of writing something for each of the
activities or choosing only one to reflect upon. There is no need to discuss their self-
reflections; rather, you and the classroom teacher should review them either between
lessons or at a later time.

What Did I Learn?
Use the prompts below to write down what you have learned.

Why Do We Buy the Things We Buy? Are You a SMART Consumer?
What did you learn about what What SMART strategy could you use
influences people (and you too) to make before you make a purchase? Why
purchases? might that be a good idea?

Is this Website Safe? Is this Website Safe?
List at least 4 things you can do to keep Why did we learn about online shopping
your financial transactions safe when and identity theft? What did you learn
shopping online. about protecting your privacy when you
are online?

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LESSON 3

Spending, Saving, Sharing

OVERVIEW PREPARATION
Students will have an opportunity to reflect on their Needs, Wants, and Goals. They
will develop an understanding of the importance of budgeting as a method of looking Review the activities in the
after their money and as a tool to help them meet their goals. Student Portfolio on pages
16-22.
OBJECTIVES
Students will: MATERIALS
• Distinguish between needs and wants
• Make and balance a project budget Tent Cards
• Understand the advantages of budgeting
• Change a budget to respond to shifting priorities Student Portfolios

Multimedia Resources – Access the Multimedia Resources from either the JA Multimedia Resources
Canada Digital Resource Portal or the USB Key (see page 2). slides, web links, & videos
Needs, Wants, Goals
Cards
Avatar Challenge #3 Cards
(Optional)

CORE ACTIVITY 1 - NEEDS, WANTS, AND GOALS PLANNING YOUR TIME

SUGGEST 15 MINUTES Core Activities
Needs, Wants, and Goals
Student Portfolio page 16 15 MIN
Making a Project Budget
Shuffle the Needs, Wants, and Goals cards found in the classroom kit. 25 MIN
Credit Scores
Select and call to the front of the classroom three student volunteers. Assign each 10 MIN
student volunteer one stage of life: Teen, Young Adult, Parent. Total Required Time
Explain that there are nine items identified on the Needs, Wants, and Goals cards. 50 MIN
Some of the items represent needs, some represent wants, and some cards represent
goals. As you show each card to the class, the class must decide if the item on the card Extended Activities (Optional)
is a need, want, or goal and who it belongs to: Teen, Young Adult, or Parent. A Four-Week Budget &
At the end of the activity, each of the three student volunteers should be holding three Additional Information on
cards; one want, one need, and one goal. How to Budget 5 MIN
Here is where the cards should end up: What Did I Learn? 5 MIN

Character Need Want Goal 21
Teen Book bag Cell phone Save money for
a post-secondary
Young Adult Car for work First home
Parent Baby monitor Bigger car education
Save money for a

trip to Europe
Save money for
children’s future

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SPENDING, SAVING, SHARING

TIP To conclude this activity, wrap up with this short discussion:

If there is time, use this activity as a Q: How are needs and wants alike and different?
launching point for a brief discussion
of how credit can help achieve some They both have a cost attached to them and they are individual; but, needs are
of these needs, wants, and goals. essential and wants are nice to have.
For example, many people use credit
to buy a car, rather than pay cash Q: Which should we spend our money on first? Needs, wants, or goals?
up front. A person’s credit score will
influence how much they can borrow Needs.
and what interest rate they will pay on
the loan. Q: What percentage do you think should go to needs (food, clothing, shelter,

TIP transportation)?

There is another opportunity here In fact, a simple rule to follow is:
to discuss the relationship between Needs 50%
budgeting and credit/credit scores – if Savings 20%
more money is required for a project, Wants 30%
a loan may be needed and your credit Using the Multimedia Resources, show the Pie Chart slide to illustrate. Based
score will affect how likely it is that you on your own industry knowledge and expertise, you may wish to adjust these
will be approved for a loan, as well as percentages.
the amount of the loan.
Q: Why do needs, wants, and goals change over time?
22
Changes in our circumstances, our goals, our values and our priorities change
based on where we are in life. Also, goals can be short or long term.

Q: What must a person do to be able to afford their needs, wants, and goals?

Create a financial plan called a budget.
Instruct students to complete the activity on page 16 of their Student Portfolio.
Circulate through the class while students are working on the activity. Provide
examples and support where needed.

CORE ACTIVITY 2 - A PROJECT BUDGET

SUGGEST 25 MINUTES

Student Portfolio pages 17-19

This is the third avatar challenge.

Explain to students that their avatar has a project to undertake and that the class will
create the budget for that project.

Instruct students to create a rough copy and notes of the project budget on page 17 of
their Student Portfolio. Once students have compiled all the necessary information,
instruct them to create a final copy of the project budget on page 19. Students can
refer to page 18 for an optional price list of items they can to use when creating the
project budget.
Depending on available time and the dynamics of your class, instruct students to

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SPENDING, SAVING, SHARING

complete the task on their own, with a partner, or divide the class into small groups so VOLUNTEER
that students work together to solve the very same avatar challenge. CONNECTIONS

Using the Multimedia Resources, open the slide of the same avatar that was used in You could explain to students
Lesson 1 and 2, share the challenge details with students. Or use the optional Avatar the importance of budgets in
Challenge Cards found in your classroom materials kit. managing finances in a variety of
contexts:
As students work on preparing their project budget, circulate around the classroom.
Show interest in their work and provide support where needed to ensure students stay Personal finances - Why do we
on task. have budgets?

Assist students with the first few income and expense entries in their budget and then Business finances - Why do
allow students to work on other entries and to be creative. companies and projects need
budgets?
Students should complete the budget and calculate the net income/loss. Once
completed, review the final project budget and have students share the details of the Government finances - Why do
final project budget they have created. governments have budgets?

Illustrate their budget decisions and calculations by using space on the whiteboard. What happens when budgets do
not balance? Why do businesses
Help to expand the budget discussion with these questions: budget on a project by project
basis? Describe the role of
Q: If the outcome is a loss, where will the money come from to cover it? budgets in your workplace.
Q: Was the financial outcome what you expected or wanted, and how could you
As an alternative to using the
change it for a more desirable outcome? avatar, share your own personal
budgeting experience and work
Q: What would happen if one of the sources of income were lost? with the students to brainstorm a
special project of their own and to
Point out that since most budgets deal with the future, there may be unexpected create a corresponding budget.
events that change the outcome. Ask for examples of unexpected events that
could change a personal or project budget. TIP

For example: There is a online tool to help with this
• Costs may be higher than expected. Ask for specific examples relating to the activity in the Resource Portal called the
Charity Event Budget Challenge tool.
project. It can be used in front of the class as
• There may be expenses that were not planned. Ask for specific examples a presentation helper, or by individual
students if they have their own devices.
relating to the project. The software is mobile-friendly. It
• Income may be lower than expected. Ask for specific examples relating to the includes a section at the end where
students can learn how see how much
project. more it might cost to fund their project
using a credit card.

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SPENDING, SAVING, SHARING

A PROJECT BUDGET

Project Name
Date

Income $ $
$ $
$
$
$
$
$
$

Total Income

Expenses $
$
$
$
$
$
$
$

Total Expenses

Subtract Expenses from Income to find
Net Income or Loss

Once students have completed the Explain that it’s important to monitor your budget to determine if the amount of
project budget, show the balanced money you thought you needed remains accurate. If not, you may have to make
personal budget slide. Share your changes to the budget, such as increasing the income, reducing the expected profit,
knowledge and experience. or cutting down expenses for it to balance. Budgets should include an allowance for
unexpected expenses.
TIP
CORE ACTIVITY 3 – CREDIT SCORES
You can mention that the two credit
bureaus in Canada are Equifax and SUGGEST 10 MINUTES
TransUnion. Lenders may use one or
both in their decision making process. Student Portfolio pages 20
Both provide free reports to individuals
and we will learn about those in Lesson If more money is needed for your project and you consider a loan to start, think about
4. the interest rate you will be paying and that your history with credit will affect how
likely it is for you to get a loan. Agencies called ‘credit bureaus’ collect information
and provide a Credit Score for lending institutions to use when making loan
decisions. Let’s watch a short video produced by Equifax, a credit bureau in Canada.
You will then answer a few questions about credit scores.
At this point you can play the What is a Credit Score? video found on the Resource
Portal under Web Links.

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Stop on the “Summary” at the end of the video. Direct students to page 20 in their
Student Portfolio to complete the fill-in sentences. Leave the “Summary” on the
screen while students are answering the questions.
Correct order of answers: higher, credit bureaus, snapshot, factor, no
Once the students have completed the fill-ins, mention that some of the factors that
affect credit scores are: paying bills on time, types of credit accounts, how many credit
accounts you have, and balances. Student loans are a form of loan that many young
people have and paying these off according to the schedule will be an important step
in building healthy credit.

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SPENDING, SAVING, SHARING

EXTENDED ACTIVITY 1 – A FOUR-WEEK BUDGET &
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON HOW TO BUDGET

SUGGEST 10 MINUTES

Student Portfolio pages 20 - 21
As an extension to the avatar challenge, direct students to plan their own personal
budget on the worksheet provided on page 20 of their Student Portfolio. Students
will learn a lot about how to manage their money by creating their own personal
budget. How to Budget tips that will assist students are provided on page 21 of their
Student Portfolio.

EXTENDED ACTIVITY 2 – WHAT DID I LEARN?

SUGGEST 5 MINUTES

Student Portfolio page 22
Direct students to turn to page 22 in their Student Portfolio and to complete the
self-reflection task found there. Give them the choice of writing something for each of
the activities or choose only one to reflect upon. There is no need to discuss their self-
reflections; rather, you and the classroom teacher should review them either between
lessons or at a later time.

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LESSON 4

Make Your Money Work For You

OVERVIEW PREPARATION
Students will discover different ways to invest and save money. As well, students will
learn the concept of interest and its impact on money saved. This lesson includes an Review the activities in the
optional Stock Exchange activity. Student Portfolio on pages
23-30.
OBJECTIVES
Students will: MATERIALS
• Learn about different investment and saving vehicles
• Discover the concept of interest through exploring the impact of saving Tent Cards
• Explain how wealth can be built through investing
• Answer the question “What does it mean to invest money?” Student Portfolios

Multimedia Resources – Access the Multimedia Resources from either the JA Multimedia Resources
Canada Digital Resource Portal or the USB Key (see page 2). slides, web links, & videos
Bingo Game Cards
CORE ACTIVITY 1 - BECOME INVESTMENT WISE
Bingo Question Cards
SUGGEST 15 MINUTES
Certificates of
Student Portfolio pages 23-24 Accomplishment

Q: What does it mean to invest your money? PLANNING YOUR TIME

Investing your money means making it work for you - putting it into an Core Activities
investment vehicle so that it (hopefully) increases in value.
Become Investment Wise
Q: An investment vehicle is a way to invest your money. Which investment vehicles 15 MIN
Credit Reports
have you heard of, even if you don’t know exactly how they work? 10 MIN
Students offer examples. Total Required Time
25 min (plus Wrap Up)
Q: Do all investment vehicles have the same interest rate? Extended Activities (Optional)
How Does the Stock
No Exchange Work? 35 MIN

Q: What is interest anyway? What Did I Learn? 5 MIN

Interest is the cost of using somebody else’s money. When you borrow money,
you pay interest. When you lend money, you earn interest.

Q: Let’s imagine that you decide to invest $1,500 in an investment vehicle. You

decide not to touch that money and to keep adding $50/month. If all of your
money is earning interest, how long do you think it will take for you to save
$10,000?

Q: What additional piece of information is needed to figure this out?

The interest rate.

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MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU

TIP Using the Multimedia Resources, access the Save a Million Calculator. Access to the
internet is required to run the Calculator.
Explain why investment options are Use this Calculator to calculate how long it will take if the interest rate is 5% or if the
called vehicles: e.g. they “carry” your interest rate is 3%. Then explain that different investment vehicles have different interest
money and, hopefully, increase its rates.
value along the way. Instruct students to refer to the Investment and Savings Vehicles on page 23 &
24 of their Student Portfolio. Review with the whole class. Discuss advantages
and disadvantages of each and instruct students to complete the activity on page
23. Circulate through the class while students are working on the activity. Provide
examples and support where needed.

TIP CORE ACTIVITY 2 – CREDIT REPORTS

Explain to students that along with SUGGEST 10 MINUTES
investments it’s important to know
what reports are available that tell Student Portfolio page 25
your credit history. In Lesson 3 you
were introduced to credit scores, now Credit report article
we will look at how individuals and Ask individual students to each read aloud a paragraph from the following article. The
lenders get the information about article is also in the Student Portfolio.
credit history.
Credit reports
A credit report is a summary of your credit history. Potential creditors and lenders use
credit reports as part of their decision-making process to choose whether to extend
you credit — and at what interest rate.
Remember there are two nationwide credit reporting agencies – Equifax and
TransUnion. Your credit report may not be identical with each of the two agencies, as
some lenders may report information to both of them, just one, or sometimes none at
all.

Your credit report contains four types
of information:

1. Identifying information - This section of your credit report includes personal
information, such as your name, address, Social Insurance Number (S.I.N.), and
date of birth, and may also include employment information.

2. Credit accounts, also known as “tradelines” - Your credit report lists the credit
accounts, also known as “tradelines,” that you have established with lenders.

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3. Inquiry information - This section includes information about the companies TIP
who have pulled a copy of your credit report, sometimes known as an “inquiry.”
Soft inquiries may include your own requests for your credit history, inquiries by Explain to students that if they check
companies extending you pre-approved offers for credit cards, or inquiries made their credit report and find incorrect
by your current creditors -“account monitoring”). Soft inquiries are only visible to information, they should contact
you and not to potential lenders or creditors. They do not impact credit scores. the credit bureau and ask that the
Hard inquiries occur when a potential lender reviews your credit history because information be corrected. They may
you have applied for credit such as a new loan or credit card. These may remain have to provide some evidence to
on your credit report for 36 months. support their challenge.

4. Public record and collections information - Public court record information
such as bankruptcies and past-due accounts that have been turned over to a
collections agency can be reported to Equifax or TransUnion.

Following the reading of the article, show the video A Quick Guide to your credit
report and credit score (1:57) which can be found under ‘Web Links’ in the Resource
Portal.
Direct students to complete the check boxes for the Credit Report Checklist on page
26.

ANSWER KEY

Correct answers: All boxes except 3 and 6 should be checked.

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TIP EXTENDED ACTIVITY 1 – HOW DOES THE STOCK EXCHANGE
WORK?
Read the instructions together as a
class. Have students complete one SUGGEST 35 MINUTES
step at a time.
Student Portfolio pages 27 - 29

Using the Multimedia Resources, play the video Stock Markets in Plain English (4
minutes). You can pause the video during play to provide explanation and to answer
questions or do so at the end.
Using the same avatar as in Lesson 1, 2, and 3 (no slide or card required), explain
to students that their avatar will invest in the stock market and that the class will act
as the investment advisor to assist the avatar in deciding what companies to invest in
and how much stock to purchase.
Together with the class, carefully read and discuss the Company Annual Reports of
the six companies featured on page 27 of the Student Portfolio. Working as a team
with the whole class choose up to five companies they will advise their avatar to invest
in.
Advise students that their avatar has just $500 to invest. Record the stock purchases
and values on the whiteboard and/or pages 28 and 29 of the Student Portfolio.

Preparing to Trade

1. Read the annual reports for each company found on page 27 of the Student
Portfolio. The initial share price is found there as well. Record your purchase on
the whiteboard and/or on pages 28 and 29.

2. Choose up to five companies to invest in.
3. You may only buy shares in one company in each round.
4. You can’t sell any shares until the end of the five rounds.

Note: Since there are up to five rounds of trading, don’t spend all your
money in any one round.

DAY ONE TRADING BEGINS
Decide how many shares to purchase and record the transaction. Make your next decision
about what to buy in Day Two.

30 DOLLARS WITH SENSE

© JA Canada 2018

4

MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU

CLOSE OF DAY ONE TRADING VOLUNTEER
The End of Day Trading slides will now announce whether the value of each stock has CONNECTIONS
gone up, down, or stayed the same.
Display the End of Day 1 slide to have the end of day prices displayed on the screen. Point out that the events
described in the Annual Reports
DAY TWO TRADING BEGINS are typical of the kinds of events
that affect the value of real
Use the End of Day One prices shown on the slide as the buying prices for Day Two investments.
stock purchases.
Give some examples of events
You may buy shares in the same company or in a different company. But beware! The from recent financial and national
share price may have changed. Today’s share price for each company is shown on the news that have affected actual
slide. Be sure to record your transaction. investments in ways similar to
those described in the events.
CLOSE OF DAY TWO TRADING

The End of Day Trading slides will now announce whether the value of each stock has
gone up, down, or stayed the same.
Display the End of Day 2 slide to have the end of day prices displayed on the screen.

Continue for all five days until the buying phase of the activity is over.

SELLING YOUR SHARES
It is now time to sell your shares. Using today’s share prices, record how many shares you
have of each company and what they are worth. You will be selling them for what they
are worth at the end of day 5.

Q: How much money in total was invested?
Q: How much money was not invested?
Q: Did our avatar’s investments make money or lose money?
Q: Which of our avatar’s investments had the biggest effect on the overall results?

DOLLARS WITH SENSE 31

4

MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU

END OF DAY STOCK PRICES PER SHARE

Note: Each end of day’s prices
are the selling prices for the
next trading day.

Company End of End of End of End of End of
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

TOTALLY TECH TABLETS INC. $2 $2 $2 $3 $3
AMAZINGLY AROMATIC COFFEE $2 $2 $1 $1 $2
$2 $2 $4 $4 $1
COMPANY $5 $5 $5 $3
FANTASTIC FRESH FOOD FOR FAMILIES $2 $3 $5 $5
$3 $5 $10 $10
INC.

NEW FRONTIER AEROSPACE CO. $5

GETTING GREENER INC. $1.50

MINING FOR MILLIONS CO. $5

32 DOLLARS WITH SENSE

© JA Canada 2018

4

MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU

EXTENDED ACTIVITY 2 – WHAT DID I LEARN?

SUGGEST 5 MINUTES

Student Portfolio page 30
Ask students to share some of the things that they learned in this lesson that they didn’t
know before. Direct students to turn to page 30 in their Student Portfolio and to
complete the self-reflection task found there. Give them the choice of writing something
for each of the activities or choose only one to reflect upon.

What Did I Learn?
Use the prompts below to write down what you have learned.

Why do people invest their money? Why should you apply SMART methods to
investments?

What is the risk of investing your money?

What did you learn about a form of How was the stock exchange game alike
investment that you didn’t know/understand and different from real stock exchange
before? trading?

DOLLARS WITH SENSE 33

LESSON 5

Using Credit

PREPARATION OVERVIEW
The students will learn that responsible use of credit can be achieved through
Review the previous understanding that factors such as purchasing habits, repayment schedules, interest
activities on credit and rates and life events affect debt management. To help students understand all of these
credit scores. factors they will play a game created to reflect all of the factors affecting use of credit.
They will also understand how a credit score is determined and how it affects the
MATERIALS ability to gain and use credit.

Students are required to OBJECTIVES
bring a calculator and Students will:
pen/pencil • Complete several rounds of the Credit with Sense game
• Use information to determine their credit status
Card Deck 60 cards – 1 • Calculate credit balance each round
deck per group of 6. • Assess the reasons for their final credit status
Includes: • Discuss how a variety of factors impact debt management
• 60 cards to be chosen • Understand that credit can be managed effectively

by each player each PREPARATION
turn for payments/ Review the game, including what is on each card, its rules and how to debrief in the
purchases Program Guide and the pages in the Student Portfolio including the Definitions page.

Avatar and Credit Score Review the Credit Statement to understand the calculations needed. Review the
Slide* Sample Statement to decide how you will explain the calculation steps and the results
• General information:
Either shuffle all of the decks or when you pass them out to the groups, ask a student
Everyone has a $3000 in each group to shuffle their deck.
credit limit
• Everyone will have a set VOLUNTEER CONNECTION
interest rate based on
their credit score Review what credit means, how you get a credit score – why you want to keep a high
• Each student should score. You may want to ask students if they have seen ads for credit cards and if they
give their AVATAR a think they will get a credit card when they are older.
name
• Credit Score and Avatar Remind students some people use means that don’t follow rules to get things (identity
information numbered to theft) and credit card owner may face consequences. An example in the game is when
correspond to numbers two people with the same name are confused and the wrong person’s credit score is
of students in group decreased. The wrong person didn’t check their credit score for several months and didn’t
(1-6) realize this happened and the interest rate on their card went up.

PLANNING YOUR TIME Explain the value of keeping credit debt under control

Setup of groups, Avatar
Slide, Game Rules
5 MIN
Playing time
30 MIN
Final calculations and
debrief
10 MIN
Total Required Time: 45 MIN

34 DOLLARS WITH SENSE

© JA Canada 2018

5

USING CREDIT

CORE ACTIVITY - CREDIT WITH SENSE GAME DEFINITIONS

SUGGESTED 30 MINUTES Bankruptcy
a legal term for when a person cannot
GOAL: repay their outstanding debts. The
At the end of a set period of play the winner(s) will have: bankruptcy process begins when a
• a high credit score petition is filled by the person who has
• low or no debt the debts.
• still own working items
Collections
NOTE: there can be more than one winner in a group! The process of trying to get payments
for debts owed by individuals and who
Rules of the game: have not paid the debt in a reasonable
• Each player assumes an avatar role and is given specific credit information amount of time
• A card is picked by each player from the top of the deck every turn and then kept
Consumer
in their own pile A person who purchases goods and
• Player must act on the information on their cards services for personal use
• Credit card debt at start of game - $3000
• If less than $500 is owed, purchases are mandatory if on card chosen Co-signed loan
• Calculations are made at end of each round and when time is called A loan where a person, with a good
• Interest rate is tied to a Credit Score credit history, agrees to help another
person, who does not have a good
Variable elements of the game: credit history, obtain the loan. The
• Credit score – Given at start of game and a card may change it during play cosigner agrees to pay the borrower’s
• Items that can be purchased during play debt if the borrower does not pay it.
• Interest rate
• Possible repair/replacement cost charges Credit
• Number of choices on each card – payment, or purchase, or both or credit score The ability of a customer to get goods
or services before payment, based on
change the trust that payment will be made in
• Purchases and payment amounts the future.
• Ability to pay off debt before end of time is called
Credit Card
VOLUNTEER GAME INFORMATION A small plastic card issued by a bank
or business allowing the holder to
A Credit Score for each Avatar with a brief explanation of why each person has that purchase goods or services on credit.
score can be found on the Avatar Slide on the JA Campus. There is no monetary value to the
card.
5 Equifax credit score categories:
i. 760 + Excellent Credit Report
ii. 725-759 – Very Good A detailed report of a person’s credit
iii. 660-724 – Good history prepared by a credit bureau.
iv. 560-659 – Fair
v. 300-559 – Poor Credit Score
A number assigned to a person that
DOLLARS WITH SENSE tells lenders their ability to repay a
loan.

35

5

USING CREDIT

Starting interest rate:

TIP • Excellent credit score: 2%

These are monthly credit card • Very Good credit score: 2%
interest rates. This makes it easier
for students to calculate their interest • Good credit score: 4%
to be paid each round. They are
low numbers so students can bring • Fair credit score: 4%
down their balance within 10 rounds.
You can explain that annual rates • Poor credit score: 6%
can be in the high teens or twenties
depending on the card and credit Credit Statement
score. There is a sheet in the Student Portfolio with headings and lines for students to write
in calculation amounts for each turn and at the end of the game. Calculation formulas
are included on the sheet.

Credit Report
Please use the sheets in the Student Portfolio based on the Equifax Credit File format.
One sheet is to be filled in at the start of the game with the Avatar information
from the Avatar Slide and the other is to be filled in at the end of the game. This
information will help determine the winner(s).

VOLUNTEER CONNECTION

Explain goal of game and rules. Draw students’ attention to the Credit Statement and
Credit Report in the Student Portfolio.

Divide students in groups of 6 by having students number themselves 1-6. Six students
make one group. If there is a group with fewer than 6, that is OK. Show “Avatar
Information” slide before game begins and after students are seated together in their
group.

Tell students to complete their Credit Report for “start of game”. Identification information at
top and Credit Score and Interest rate.

Keep track of time – call time after 30 minutes

Assist students with calculations, especially in the first round

Tell students to complete the Credit Report for end of game using their last round of
information on their Credit Statement.

36 DOLLARS WITH SENSE

© JA Canada 2018

5

USING CREDIT

END OF GAME DEBRIEF/QUESTIONS DEFINITIONS (CONT.)
• Who has no or very low (under $500) debt?
• Who has a high credit score? Credit Statement
• Who still owns working items? A monthly report that credit card
• Raise your hand if you had all three factors? That is the winner in the group. companies issue to credit card
Debrief final results of game, focusing on what helped the winner(s) and what others holders showing their recent charges,
needed to be aware of while playing (some elements were out of players control and minimum payment due and other key
Volunteer can point out that sometimes things happen in life that we don’t have information like interest rate.
control over, but when there is choice it needs to be thoughtful.)
Celebrate experience of playing as an Avatar and each student should think about Debt
how they can remember about the value and challenges of using credit. The goal is Money that is owed
not zero debt, but management of debt using planning and awareness of things like
credit score and interest rates. Students can think about how to decide when to incur Debt management
debt for things they need or want and can pay for in a reasonable amount of time. Methods used to reduce or pay back
Long term debt such as mortgage can be introduced. debts, or services to help people do
Ask students to complete questions at the end of the game information. this.

DOLLARS WITH SENSE Deductible
A specified amount of money that
an insured person must pay before
insurance coverage pays a claim.

Default
Failure to fulfill an obligation, especially
to repay a loan or appear in a court
of law

Due date
The date on which something must be
done, especially the payment of a bill.

Identity Theft
The fraudulent acquiring and use of a
person’s private identifying information,
usually for financial gain.

Minimum payment
The lowest amount of money that you
are required to pay on your credit card
statement each month.

Payment
An amount paid or payable

SIN (Social Insurance Number)
Nine digit number issued in Canada
to work or have access to government
programs and benefits.

37

Wrap Up

TIP BINGO

When playing BINGO, use bingo SUGGEST 20 MINUTES
chips or small pieces of scrap paper.
Or students may use a pen, pencil, or BINGO is designed to conclude Dollars with Sense with a quick and fun review of the
marker to mark out the answers on terms and concepts that have been learned by students.
the Game Cards. It’s played just like the traditional BINGO game that we all know!
Shuffle the pile and give each student one BINGO Game Card. These Game Cards
contain the answers to the Question Cards that the “caller” will draw at random.
Example: Under the letter “B”… then read the
Question Card. Students answer the question and
try to find the correct answer under the letter “B” on
their Game Card.
Depending on the amount of time available, instruct
students that they must fill one or two lines to
complete and win the game. Advise students that they
can fill in vertical, horizontal, and diagonal rows on
their Game Card.

WRAP UP

SUGGEST 5 MINUTES

Q: What are some of the things that you liked best about Dollars with Sense?
Q: What are some of the things that you learned by participating?

Invite students to visit jacanada.ca for additional information about JA Canada.
Thank the students and teacher for their participation and distribute the Certificates
of Accomplishment.
Tell the students you enjoyed spending the time with them and congratulate them on
a job well done!

38 DOLLARS WITH SENSE

© JA Canada 2018

Classroom Materials

Lesson # Item Quantity Check

1-5 Program Guide One per volunteer

1-5 USB Key with Multimedia Resources One copy (1)
Lesson 1-4 PowerPoint Slides

1-5 Student Portfolios One per student (30)

1 Tent Cards One per student (30)

1-5 JA Dollars (Optional) One set (1) of 300 1001 00
1001 00

1001 00
1001 00

1-3 Avatar Challenge 1-3 Cards One set per lesson (3)

2 Online Scenario Cards (Optional) One set (1) of 6 cards With which type of Wi-Fi connection
2 Website Whatzit Cards One set (1) of 17 question and should you avoid making purchases?
3 Needs, Wants, Goals Cards 17 answer cards
5 Credit with Sense Cards One set (1) of 9 cards with
Wrap Up Bingo Game Cards
Wrap Up Bingo Questions Six sets (6) of 60 cards
Wrap Up Certificates of Accomplishment
One card per person (30)

One set (1) of 42 cards

One per student (30)

DOLLARS WITH SENSE 39

Notes

40 DOLLARS WITH SENSE

© JA Canada 2018

Additional Programs
* in both official languages

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