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Personal Economics® Personal Economics® helps students assess their personal skills and interests, explore career options, learn job-hunting skills and discover the value of an education. They also learn about budgets, personal and family financial management and the use of credit. The activities reinforce economic concepts taught in career, life skills and other social studies electives. Personal Economics® Activities Personal Economics focuses on personal skills and interests, career options, and personal and family financial management. Activity One: Marketing Yourself The students recognize their role in the U.S. market system. They are introduced to the program through an activity that reveals the importance of marketing oneself. Key Learning Objectives The students will... define market design business cards to market themselves Activity Two: Identifying Your Skills and Interests The students identify personal skills and interests and relate them to various careers. They realize that their choices today will influence their future roles in the marketplace. Key Learning Objectives The students will... identify personal skills and interests relate personal skills and interests to career options Activity Three: Job Opportunities The students discover the steps involved in finding a job. They read employment ads and practice filling out a job application. They discuss the value of jobs and volunteer experiences to their future career plans. Key Learning Objectives The students will... identify the steps involved in getting a job discover ways people learn about job opportunities complete job applications Activity Four: Job Interviews The students discuss the characteristics employers want in potential employees, especially those characteristics that go beyond the basic knowledge and skills needed to perform the job. They observe and evaluate successful and unsuccessful interviews, and they review a list of interviewing suggestions. Key Learning Objectives The students will... identify basic skills and characteristics employers look for in potential employees recognize dos and don'ts in an employment interview Activity Five: Personal Budgeting The students work in small groups and use hypothetical information to develop a personal budget for a teen-ager. They learn the reasons for creating a budget and the basic features and characteristics of all budgets. Key Learning Objectives The students will... explain why budgets are important give examples of items found in a budget identify examples of opportunity costs associated with balancing a budget Activity Six: Family Finances The students discuss financial planning and budgeting. They create a budget in which they establish priorities and estimate costs based upon expected income and expenses. Key Learning Objectives The students will... create a budget for a family describe the benefits of following a budget identify choices families must make as they budget their income and expenses Activity Seven: Paying the Bills The students are introduced to financial institutions. They discuss the use of checking accounts and practice writing checks. Key Learning Objectives The students will... recognize that checks are written against funds deposited in a checking account describe the purpose of a checking account write checks and maintain a check register Activity Eight: Using Credit Wisely The students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using credit to make everyday purchases. In small groups the students examine a credit card statement. Key Learning Objectives The students will... identify the costs and benefits of using credit calculate the cost of a loan Activity Nine: Stock Market In the first of two activities about the stock market, the students explore the stock market as a way to add value to the money they have made in the marketplace. Key Learning Objectives The students will... identify investment opportunities read a stock market table purchase stocks and record their transactions Activity Ten: Analyzing Your Investments The students sell their stock from the previous activity and determine whether they made or lost money. Key Learning Objectives The students will... determine whether they made or lost money from the sale of stock describe their role in the U.S. market system		Home>> Back to the Middle School Main Page>> Personal Economics® enhances the students' learning of the following concepts and skills: Concepts Budgets Careers Choices Credit Demand Employment Exchange Expenses Income Investment Jobs Markets Money Opportunity costs Prices Saving Stock Supply Skills Analyzing situations Budgeting Charting Critical thinking Decision making Filling out forms Interpreting information Interviewing Math computation Problem solving Teamwork Personal Economics is a series of eight to 10 activities and is recommended for students in the middle grades. Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed activity plans for the volunteer and workbooks for 32 students. All JA programs have technology enhancements and are designed to support the skills and competencies outlined in the SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) report. These programs also augment the school-based, work-based, and connecting activities for communities with school-to-work initiatives.
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