Lesson Plans

Grade 10

Components Covered: Production of Goods & Services | Budgeting, Planning, & Goal Setting | Investing Money | Borrowing & Using Credit | Protecting Money & Assets

Teaching Units: Community Enterprise & Entrepreneurship | Goal Setting & Planning | Making Investments | Managing Debt & Credit | Protecting You, Your Family, & Your Possessions

Targets for knowledge, skills, and behaviours below are possible targets. It is not expected that all will be covered by a single Teaching Unit. Teachers can select their learning targets using the Teaching Units provided, adaptations of these Teaching Units, or Units/Lesson Plans they develop on their own.

TEACHING UNIT:

Community Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Financial literacy components covered: Production of Goods & Services

Language Arts

Career Development

Every community depends on small businesses providing goods and services. Students should have an opportunity to develop enterprising skills – whether they ever start a business or not – and consider whether being an entrepreneur is of interest to them.

LEARNING TARGETS:

KNOW:

  • Characteristics and skills common to many entrepreneurs

  • Enterprising skills and abilities can be applied to all endeavours

  • Roles of cooperatives, unions, NGOs, and volunteers in producing and providing goods and services

  • How to explore and identify opportunities

  • How to compare and evaluate opportunities for an enterprise

  • Key steps in setting up an enterprise – for-profit or not-for-profit

  • Key components of a plan to set up an enterprise

BE ABLE TO:

  • Assess their personal entrepreneurial interest and potential

  • Identify and assess opportunities for enterprising initiative in their community

  • Create and assess some ideas generated for an opportunity

  • Develop a plan for an enterprising initiative to address an opportunity in their school or community

ACTION/BEHAVIOUR:

  • Make informed decisions about their participation in the economy

  • Follow news and events that might lead to opportunities and affect their actions and decisions

  • Develop an effective plan to setup a business if they make the decision to become an entrepreneur

  • Consider opportunities for social enterprise to start initiatives that could help others or sustain the environment

TEACHING UNIT:

Goal Setting & Planning

Goal setting is important in life – and starting early to think about goals, and starting to set goals, can improve a young person’s chance of achieving their goals.

Financial literacy components covered: Budgeting, Planning, & Goal Setting

Language Arts

Career Development

LEARNING TARGETS:

KNOW:

  • How to set goals over different time periods – short, medium, long term

  • How goals can change over the life cycle

  • Goals become more challenging when two or more people set shared goals

  • Components of a good financial plan

  • Importance of keeping receipts and records

  • How to use a budget and plan to try to achieve goals

BE ABLE TO:

  • Set some life goals

  • Work with others to set shared goals

  • Develop and use a budget to guide money decisions

  • Develop a financial plan to achieve goals

ACTION/BEHAVIOUR:

  • Track expenses – know where money is going

  • Able to work with a budget

  • Able to plan for the future

  • Prepare for the unexpected

  • Set some initial life goals and review goals over time

  • Keep good records and receipts

TEACHING UNIT:

Making Investments

Most Canadians have investments of some type. Investing can lead to gains and improvement – or losses or worse situations. Learning about investing, types of investments, and the basics of how to invest wisely will help many young people.

Financial literacy components covered: Investing Money

Information and Communication Technology

Career Development

LEARNING TARGETS:

KNOW:

  • Different kinds of investments (stocks, bond, GIC, etc.)

  • Factors that can affect the return on different investments

  • Risks associated with various investments

  • The trade-off between risk and reward when investing

  • Importance of knowing your investment goals, preferences, and risk tolerance

  • Concept  of an investment portfolio

  • The advantages of diversifying investments

  • Various frauds and scams that exist

  • Where to find good information and advice

BE ABLE TO:

  • Make basic investments, and build a portfolio to fit their goals, preferences, and comfort with risk

  • Find advice and assistance if needed

  • Set investment goals when they are ready to do so

  • Diversify choices when making investments

ACTION/BEHAVIOUR:

  • Make investments they understand

  • Ask questions, seek advice, and help when needed

  • Use reliable, licensed, registered advisers as needed

  • Take on risk suited to fit goals, life stage, and comfort level

  • Diversify when investing

  • Avoids frauds and scams

  • Review contracts and legal documents carefully before making investment decisions

TEACHING UNIT:

Managing Debt & Credit

It is important for students to learn how to make good borrowing decisions – and to be aware of, and protect, their credit rating. This will help them in the future when they face big borrowing decisions – such as a mortgage.

Financial literacy components covered: Borrowing & Using Credit

Language Arts

Math

LEARNING TARGETS:

KNOW:

  • Factors affecting how much you can borrow

  • Factors affecting the cost of borrowing

  • Advantages and disadvantages of credit cards

  • Credit rating – what it is

  • Factors that will affect one’s credit rating

  • How a mortgage works and factors affecting the cost

  • Signs a person may be heading for debt trouble

  • What payday loans are, and the costs they entail

BE ABLE TO:

  • Set reasonable, affordable limits on debt

  • Make informed decisions regarding use of debt

  • Check and maintain a good credit rating

  • Estimate the mortgage a person can afford

  • Take appropriate action if debt trouble should arise

  • Apply for a loan and/or credit card

  • Keep the costs of credit as low as possible

ACTION/BEHAVIOUR:

  • Pick a credit card most suited to their needs

  • Avoid paying higher costs to borrow than is reasonable/warranted

  • Review contracts and legal documents carefully

  • Assume debts that are affordable

  • Maintain a good credit rating

  • Avoid debt problems

  • Accept responsibility for how much is borrowed since others may be willing to lend more than can reasonably be afforded

TEACHING UNIT:

Protecting You, your Family, & Your Possessions

Over the course of life, people have, or acquire, things of value. It is important to learn how to protect things in life that are valuable – including loved ones, oneself, and the ability to earn an income.

Financial literacy components covered: Protecting Money & Assets

Language Arts

Math

LEARNING TARGETS:

KNOW:

  • The risks of losing the ability to earn an income – e.g. because of injury, disability, illness, death

  • The risks property and other assets face – loss, theft, damage, destruction

  • How insurance can be used to reduce and manage risk

  • Types of insurance

  • Who sells insurance

  • The different types of life insurance

  • Sample costs for insurance – for a car, house, etc.

  • Factors that can affect the cost of insurance

  • The concept of identity theft

BE ABLE TO:

  • Estimate one’s own “lifetime earning potential”

  • Seek out and buy insurance when needed

  • Link levels of risk with different costs for insurance

  • Estimate the cost of auto insurance

  • Compare costs of insurance for different young drivers

ACTION/BEHAVIOUR:

  • Acquire sufficient insurance as they acquire assets over time

  • Acquire adequate insurance, as and when needed, to protect family members if death, disability, or disease should affect ability to earn income

  • Assign an appropriate amount of a budget to acquire adequate insurance protection when it is needed

  • Protect their identity and control what happens to personal information and material

  • Review contracts and legal documents carefully