Grade 7 · 36 weeks
Grade 7 financial literacy curriculum
Credit scores, building credit, debit vs. credit, loans, and avoiding debt traps. One lesson a week for the school year, about 45 minutes each, with a worksheet, a quiz, a family letter and a checkpoint test every six weeks.
Every week includes
- Lesson plan with timings, differentiation and a hands-on activity
- Student worksheet and answer key
- Weekly quiz (75% unlocks the next week)
- Family letter in English, Spanish or Portuguese
Aligned to standards
Every lesson is tagged with the six areas of the National Standards for Personal Financial Education (Jump$tart Coalition and Council for Economic Education) and the grade's Common Core math standards. State codes are available for Illinois, Texas, Florida, North Dakota, Colorado, Georgia, Arizona, Utah, Nebraska.
Scope and sequence
Unit 1 · Weeks 1–6Credit, Scores, Lenders, and Reports
| Week | Lesson | Standards areas |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What Is Credit? Credit means borrowing money now and paying it back later. | SpendingManaging Credit |
| 2 | Understanding Credit Scores A credit score is a number from 300 to 850 that shows how trustworthy a borrower is. | SavingManaging Credit |
| 3 | Who Are Lenders? Lenders are people or businesses that give out money expecting to be paid back. | Earning IncomeSpendingSaving |
| 4 | What Is a Credit Report? A credit report is a record of how you have borrowed and paid back money. | Managing Credit |
| 5 | What Raises a Credit Score? Good habits like paying on time raise your credit score over time. | Managing Credit |
| 6 | Review: Credit Basics Students review credit, scores, lenders, reports, and good habits from weeks 1 to 5. | Managing Credit |
Checkpoint 1 closes the unit: Credit, Scores, Lenders, and Reports.
Unit 2 · Weeks 7–12Score Factors, Credit History, and Types of Credit
| Week | Lesson | Standards areas |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | What Lowers a Credit Score? Late payments and too much debt can lower your credit score. | Managing CreditManaging Risk |
| 8 | Buying a Car: Loans, Leases and Total Cost A car costs much more than its price tag once you add interest, insurance, gas and repairs. | SpendingManaging CreditManaging Risk |
| 9 | On-Time Payments Paying bills by their due date is the most important credit habit. | Managing CreditSaving |
| 10 | Phone Plans and Contracts: Reading the Fine Print The advertised price is only part of what a phone plan really costs. | Earning IncomeSpendingManaging CreditInvesting |
| 11 | Types of Credit There are different kinds of credit, like credit cards and loans. | Managing CreditEarning Income |
| 12 | Review: Foundations Students review all foundation ideas about credit from weeks 1 to 11. | Managing Credit |
Checkpoint 2 closes the unit: Score Factors, Credit History, and Types of Credit.
Unit 3 · Weeks 13–18Debit vs Credit Cards, APR, and Loans
| Week | Lesson | Standards areas |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Debit vs Credit Cards Debit cards use your own money while credit cards borrow money. | SpendingSavingManaging CreditManaging Risk |
| 14 | How Credit Cards Work A credit card lets you borrow up to a limit and get a bill each month. | Managing Credit |
| 15 | What Is APR? APR is the yearly rate that shows how much borrowing costs. | SpendingManaging Credit |
| 16 | The Golden Rule: Pay in Full Paying your full credit card balance each month avoids interest. | Managing Credit |
| 17 | Understanding Loans A loan gives you a set amount of money to pay back over time. | SpendingManaging CreditSaving |
| 18 | Review: Cards and Loans Students review debit, credit, APR, the golden rule, and loans. | SpendingSavingManaging Credit |
Checkpoint 3 closes the unit: Debit vs Credit Cards, APR, and Loans.
Unit 4 · Weeks 19–24Principal, Simple Interest, and Total Cost
| Week | Lesson | Standards areas |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Principal Explained The principal is the original amount of money you borrow. | Managing Credit |
| 20 | Simple Interest on a Loan Simple interest is a fee based on the principal you borrow. | InvestingManaging Credit |
| 21 | Calculating Simple Interest You can calculate interest by multiplying principal, rate, and time. | Spending |
| 22 | Total Cost of Borrowing The total cost is the principal plus all the interest you pay. | SpendingManaging CreditEarning Income |
| 23 | Comparing Interest Rates Comparing rates helps you find the cheapest way to borrow. | SpendingManaging Credit |
| 24 | Review: Skills Students review principal, interest, and the cost of borrowing. | SpendingManaging Credit |
Checkpoint 4 closes the unit: Principal, Simple Interest, and Total Cost.
Unit 5 · Weeks 25–30Debt Traps, Minimum Payments, and Loan Shopping
| Week | Lesson | Standards areas |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Avoiding Debt Traps A debt trap is when you owe more than you can pay back. | Earning IncomeSpendingManaging Credit |
| 26 | Minimum Payments A minimum payment is the smallest amount you must pay each month. | Spending |
| 27 | The Cost of Minimum Payments Paying only the minimum makes debt last longer and cost more. | SpendingManaging CreditInvesting |
| 28 | Comparison Shopping for Loans Comparison shopping means checking several loans before choosing one. | SpendingManaging Credit |
| 29 | Reading Loan Terms Loan terms tell you the rate, the time, and the payments. | Managing CreditEarning Income |
| 30 | Review: Smart Borrowing Students review debt traps, minimum payments, and loan shopping. | SpendingManaging Credit |
Checkpoint 5 closes the unit: Debt Traps, Minimum Payments, and Loan Shopping.
Unit 6 · Weeks 31–36Credit Project, Identity Theft, and Year Review
| Week | Lesson | Standards areas |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Credit Project: Planning Students plan a project showing what they learned about credit. | Managing Credit |
| 32 | Credit Project: Research Students gather facts and examples for their credit project. | Managing Credit |
| 33 | Credit Project: Building Students create their project using their plan and research. | Managing Credit |
| 34 | Credit Project: Presentations Students share their credit projects with the class. | SpendingManaging Credit |
| 35 | Identity Theft and Your Credit Identity theft can damage your credit report, but free tools help protect it. | Managing CreditManaging Risk |
| 36 | Year-End Review Students review the whole year of credit and debt learning. | SavingManaging Credit |
Checkpoint 6 closes the unit: Credit Project, Identity Theft, and Year Review.
Bonus unit · after week 36Money and Investing
| Lesson | Topic | Standards areas |
|---|---|---|
| B1 | Fiat Money and Inflation Fiat money keeps its value only when its supply is managed, and inflation steadily shrinks what a dollar buys. | SpendingSaving |
| B2 | Real Returns and Starting Early What matters is growth after inflation, and starting early with a long time horizon gives money far more time to grow. | Earning IncomeInvesting |
| B3 | Stablecoins and Digital Dollars Stablecoins try to stay worth one dollar, central bank digital currencies are issued by governments, and both differ from volatile crypto. | InvestingManaging Risk |
| B4 | Bank Fees and Choosing an Account Fees can quietly drain an account, so smart savers compare fees, APY, and insurance before they choose. | SpendingSaving |
| B5 | Nominal vs. Real: Raises, Interest, and Inflation A raise or an interest rate tells only part of the story; subtracting inflation shows the real change in buying power. | Earning IncomeSaving |
Money connections: 9 short activities in this grade link the week's topic to Saving, Investing, Earning Income, Managing Risk (shown above in the Standards areas column).
Other grades
Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 8