The Ascent of Money

This four-part series examines the creation of the economic system by taking viewers on a global trek through the history of money. The website includes four media-rich, financial literacy lesson plans for high school students focusing on: the role of banks in history and the present day; the concept of insurance and the role it has played in shaping the world's political and economic landscape; companies, ownership shares and stock markets; and the practice and industry of micro-finance.

FRONTLINE

FRONTLINE, PBS's award-winning public affairs series, recently created a series of teacher's guides focused on economics and business. The "Inside the Meltdown" guide invites teachers and students to investigate how credit scores influence consumer loans and mortgages. The "Ten Trillion and Counting" guide teaches key economic terms and procedures related to government budgeting and borrowing. The guide for "The Madoff Affair" provides an introduction to investing and engages students in analyzing financial information for the characteristics of good investments. The Business/Economics section of the FRONTLINE Teacher Center offers additional guides associated with films from the archive.

It's My Life (Mad Money, Making Money, Spending Smarts)

It's My Life invites students aged 9-12 to read informative articles, share stories, play games, engage in offline activities, take quizzes and polls, and watch video clips of other kids talking about their feelings and experiences and get advice on important topics. The Money section includes a variety of content focused on making, managing, and spending money.

NewsHour Extra

Using the standards and resources of PBS NewsHour, NewsHour Extra provides students and teachers with quality educational resources based on current issues and events. NewsHour Extra recently created a Financial Crisis Glossary and Classroom Activity as well as several lesson plans focused on the current economic crisis:

• Unemployment in Elkhart
• What Does the Fed Do?
• Undercounting Unemployment

Your Life, Your Money

Your Life, Your Money features compelling, real-life stories of young people facing and overcoming intense economic challenges. This one-hour special, which aired in September 2009, will empower youth with sound, simple financial advice. The website offers resources, activities and lesson plans -- for grades 11 & 12 as well as adult learners -- focused on financial literacy. Topics include banking, credit, investments, budgeting, insurance, self-employment, and more.

Sense & Dollars

Sense & Dollars was designed to give kids in middle and high school the opportunity to practice effective ways of earning, spending, saving, and investing money in a safe interactive environment. They can explore budgets and credit cards and interest rates as well as lots of other concepts surrounding economics and personal finance. They can also engage in some real-life money problems facing young people now and in the future – planning for a dream prom, handling a family checkbook for a month, and seeing how credit cards can affect the actual price one pays for items.