Maine Credit Unions' Curriculum

Each K-5 grade level has its own unique Money Book and Educator Guide that can be easily downloaded and printed. The middle school curriculum can be offered to students in grades 6-8. The Educator Guides are what the credit union staff or volunteers reference when leading the lessons. Along with a script, there are tips sprinkled throughout––encouraging volunteers to get up and walk around the room, or when to call on students and engage them in activities. The Money Books are workbooks that students complete as they follow along during a lesson plan. They’re hands-on, engaging, educational, and even fun! In an effort to make the curriculum easy to pick up and leverage in schools, printed versions of the Money Books and Educator Guides are the only materials needed to lead lessons.

The elementary lesson plans cover the basic concept of what money is and the purpose it serves, the difference between goods and services, identifying and counting money, differentiating between wants and needs, banks and credit unions, and more.

The middle school plan offers a hands-on, age-appropriate monthly budget simulation.

The adult lesson plan covers the different types of income and expenses, and offers best practices for affording the necessities in life––all on a limited income.