Managing Credit

In this activity, students will be able to: 

• Examine a number of cartoons about the value of a high credit score and choose one to explore in more depth
• Explain the cartoon's key message and analyze how it depicts that message

In this activity students will be able to: 

• Reinforce their understanding of the five components of a credit score and how credit scores are calculated
• Move around the room to kinesthetically model how financial decisions can impact their score

In this activity, students will be able to: 

• Use an online interactive game that simulates the process of paying off mountains of debt
• Think about the strategies they used to "pay off" or "minimize debt"
• Reflect on how a heavy debt burden can impact one's emotional state 

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Use an online FICO credit score estimator to compare the credit scores of three hypothetical college students and offer them advice on improving their credit.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students use an online, interactive map tool to answer questions about credit usage around the United States, nationally and at the state and county levels.

• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Analyze 3 interactive graphs provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to answer questions about household debt in the US, historically and currently
• Answer the question, “Are debt and delinquency a problem in America?” based on their findings

• Use an online loan calculator to determine the total interest paid and the monthly payment for an auto loan and a mortgage for individuals with varying credit scores
• Understand the impact and importance of credit score when it comes to borrowing for major purchases
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Decide how to pay for an unanticipated expense, using various options available to them
• Create a bulleted list of pros and cons
• Note any additional questions they should ask before making that decision
• Available in English & Spanish

• Use an online calculator to “pay off” a hypothetical portfolio of debts using both Highest Interest Rate method and Debt Snowball method
• Compare the cost and time for both methods and investigate the impact of making larger monthly payments overall.
• Available in English & Spanish

• Use the internet to explore the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Trade Commission websites to learn about each agency’s mission, the education and other services they offer, and when to use each.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Use the internet to research answers to specific questions regarding the Fair Credit Reporting Act, thereby expanding their knowledge of FCRA.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Use the internet to find tips for how they can improve their credit score.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this Common Core aligned project, students will think about what actions they can take 1, 5, 10, and 20 years from now to have a solid credit history. Students will present their final ideas in timeline format.

• Available in English & Spanish

In this Common Core aligned project, students develop a resource for graduating high school seniors that they can easily reference to manage their credit wisely throughout their college careers. Students work in groups and present their final products to the rest of the class.

In this Common Core aligned project, students will work in groups to create one of the following types of games on credit scores: board game, card game, or trivia game.

In this Common Core aligned project, students will review the debt statements of a recent college grad, use their knowledge and various online tools to assess her options for managing the debt responsibly, and make recommendations to help her meet her long-term goals.

In this Number Chug, students will:

• Learn the consequences of not paying your credit card bill
• Analyze interest over time using compounding

Common Core Alignment:

CC.9-12.F.LE.1b Recognize situations in which one quantity changes at a constant rate per unit interval relative to another.
CC.9-12.F.LE.1c Recognize situations in which a quantity grows or decays by a constant percent rate per unit interval relative to another.
CC.9-12.A.SSE.1: Interpret expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context.

With this Fine Print students will be able to:

• Read a credit report
• Understand how the information tracked on credit reports impacts lending and employment decisions

In this Case Study, students will learn how to analyze credit profiles and then develop strategies to improve credit scores. They will then create a basic debt paydown plan to assist a student client.

• Available in English & Spanish