Hey there! Today, we’re going to explore an amazing website called Next-Gen Personal Finance. It’s a super cool place where you can learn all about managing money, and it’s perfect for students like you. Let’s dive in and see what makes it so special!
Next-Gen Personal Finance is a website designed to teach students about financial literacy. This means you’ll learn how to handle money wisely, which is a super important skill for the future. The site is packed with fun and educational resources for students from middle school to high school.
In the math section, you’ll find a course called financial algebra. This course includes lots of different units and activities that help you understand how math and money work together. All the materials are available in Google Docs, making it easy to use and customize. Even if you don’t use Google Classroom, you can still download and use them in other ways.
Next-Gen Personal Finance also includes awesome tools like Desmos, which is an interactive math tool. There are many activities with pre-built Desmos interactives that you can try out. Plus, there’s an arcade filled with games that teach you about money in a fun way. These games cover topics like gig economy jobs and being an influencer. Each game comes with reflection worksheets to help you think about what you’ve learned.
The curriculum section is full of valuable content. There are units on everything you need to know about financial literacy. Whether you’re in middle school or high school, there are courses that last nine weeks, a semester, or even a full year. The site also acknowledges that not everyone wants to go to college, so it provides resources for exploring different career paths and building essential skills.
Every week, there’s new content to explore. You can visit the Finn Cap Friday Library for videos and blogs on interesting topics like current events and financial issues. This is a great way to stay updated on what’s happening in the world of money.
Next-Gen Personal Finance also offers content in Spanish and provides professional development opportunities for teachers. By completing these, teachers can earn credits and even get some cool Next-Gen merchandise!
Learning about financial literacy is more important than ever. With the rising costs of college, the gig economy, and online scams, it’s crucial to understand how to manage money wisely. Next-Gen Personal Finance helps you think critically about these topics and prepares you for the future.
So, why not check it out and start learning about money in a fun and engaging way? It’s a fantastic resource that can help you become financially savvy!
Visit the math section of Next-Gen Personal Finance and dive into the financial algebra course. Try out some of the activities and see how math and money are connected. You can even customize the materials to fit your learning style. Share your findings with your classmates!
Head over to the arcade section and choose a game that interests you. Play the game and complete the reflection worksheet to think about what you’ve learned. Discuss your experience with a friend and see what strategies you both used.
Using the comprehensive curriculum, pick a financial literacy topic that interests you. Create a short presentation to teach your classmates about it. Use visuals and examples to make your presentation engaging and informative.
Visit the Finn Cap Friday Library and choose a video or blog post about a current financial issue. Summarize the content and present it to the class as a news report. Explain why this issue is important and how it relates to financial literacy.
Explore the resources on different career paths provided by Next-Gen Personal Finance. Choose a career that interests you and research the skills needed for it. Create a plan outlining how you can develop these skills and share it with your teacher.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello everyone, I’m Bianca, and we have Tanner here. We are Common Sense Editors, and we are here every Tuesday to walk through a different tool that might be helpful in your classroom. Of course, you can always check us out at commonsense.org/education and take a look at the extensive reviews we have to help save you some time.
Today, Tanner is going to walk through a tool with you, and I’m excited to dig in. So, over to you, Tanner.
Yeah, let’s look at Next-Gen Personal Finance. This is a review that we’ve had for a while, and we recently updated it and awarded one of our coveted Common Sense Selections for Learning because they overhauled this site into, in our opinion, one of the best free destinations for financial literacy education for grades 6 to 12.
Let’s take a look! I will say upfront that there are few things we’ve discussed on this show that have this much content involved, so I’m just going to skim through some of these aspects. This is really one you’re going to want to check out if you have any interest in financial literacy.
Here’s the Next-Gen site. In the math section, you have your financial algebra course. There’s a lot here, including various units, student activity packets, and application activities that help you apply the skills. These are all in Google Docs, so you can easily modify and adapt them for your own purposes. If you’re not using Google Classroom, it may be a bit more challenging, but you can still export them and use them in whatever system you might be using.
They also integrate a lot of great tools that we’ve rated highly at Common Sense Education, like Desmos. There are many activities that include pre-built Desmos interactives you can use. All of this content is just in the financial algebra course, which is one of many offerings they have.
They also have an arcade with a growing collection of games, some more game-like than others, but they’re all pretty neat. They address issues that are top of mind for students, such as gig economy jobs and the challenges of being an influencer. I particularly love that all the games come with reflection worksheets, which can be great starting points for discussion or used as exit tickets after gameplay in class.
Just like the math section, the arcade section is great. If you go into the curriculum section, there is an overwhelming amount of valuable content. You have all these units covering everything you’d want to learn about in financial literacy. They also have structured courses for high school and middle school, with options for nine-week, semester, or full-year courses.
One thing we look for in content, especially around financial literacy, is the acknowledgment of the diverse experiences students face. Not all students are aiming for college; careers can vary widely, and there are trade schools alongside traditional paths. Next-Gen Personal Finance recognizes these realities and provides resources that guide students in exploring their options and building essential skills.
They also have great weekly content. If you’re teaching the curricular units or going through a full course, you can visit their Finn Cap Friday Library. They have a full archive of videos and blogs on interesting topics that students will want to debate, such as current events and financial issues.
Additionally, they offer content dedicated to Spanish speakers, and they provide excellent professional development opportunities, including virtual and on-demand PD. Completing this PD can earn you credits and Next-Gen Personal Finance merchandise, which is a nice motivational factor.
There’s so much more to explore, and I encourage you to check it out yourself. It’s clear why this earned our Common Sense Selection for Learning—a truly tremendous curricular resource for an important topic.
I love the modern spin on it, too, and the variety of career opportunities it presents.
Absolutely! Financial literacy has not aged well in many cases, especially with the rising costs of college, the gig economy, and online scams. Next-Gen is really trying to keep up with these realities and encourages students to think critically about them. It’s a great source for relevant resources around these topics.
Sounds great! I can’t wait to take a look at it and recommend it to others. Thank you, Tanner!
You can check us out at commonsense.org/education for more reviews like this one. Thanks!
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This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while removing any informal language or filler phrases.
Financial Literacy – The ability to understand and use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. – Learning financial literacy helps students make smart decisions about saving and spending money.
Money – A medium of exchange used to buy goods and services. – Students learn how to manage money by creating a simple budget for their weekly allowance.
Students – Individuals who are studying and learning in a school or educational program. – The students participated in a workshop to improve their financial literacy skills.
Curriculum – A set of courses and their content offered at a school or educational program. – The school added financial literacy to the curriculum to help students understand money management.
Resources – Materials or tools that are available for use in learning or completing tasks. – The teacher provided online resources to help students learn more about saving and investing.
Tools – Items or software used to carry out a particular function or task. – Students used budgeting tools to track their spending and savings.
Games – Activities or contests that have rules and are played for entertainment or learning. – The class played educational games to learn about the importance of saving money.
Algebra – A branch of mathematics dealing with symbols and the rules for manipulating those symbols. – Understanding algebra can help students solve problems related to financial calculations.
Skills – The ability to do something well, usually gained through training or experience. – Developing good money management skills is important for financial success.
Economy – The system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in a society. – Learning about the economy helps students understand how money moves in the world.
