Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services Division

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Pre-Show

IGNITE STUDENT CURIOSITY

Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services Division and NTC are thrilled to bring Fund Your Future to your school — a live, theatrical experience for students in grades 6 – 8. Through the power of performance, two talented actors blend education and entertainment to guide students through an exploration of financial literacy. We’ve put together this toolkit to help support you in maximizing this experience for your students. It contains classroom and at-home resources for use before and after the performance. Fund Your Future is aligned with state and national standards and covers the following topics:

Help Students Be Good Audience Members

Many students may not have experienced live theatre before, and learning to be a good audience member takes practice. We have prepared a video to assist your students in this learning. Share it with your class before the performance to get everyone ready for the show.

The actors will also open the show with a reminder about being good audience members to help reinforce these skills.

Activate Prior Knowledge

Get your students thinking about the topics covered in the performance through the Know, Wonder, Learned (KWL) chart linked here. This can be completed as a group or individually. Complete the Know and Wonder sections before the show, and the Learned section afterwards.

Get a ready-to-use KWL chart designed for whole class instruction—perfect for projecting, presenting, or printing for group use.

Grab a student-friendly KWL chart—ideal for independent work, small groups, or personal reflection.

Vocabulary Words and Definitions

Before the show, help your students get familiar with key vocabulary related to financial literacy. You can integrate them into lesson plans or review them together as a class.

Vocabulary

Financial Literacy – The ability to understand and manage personal finances effectively.

Savings match – Extra money added to a savings account, usually by a parent or guardian. The amount added equals the amount you have saved on your own.

Opportunity cost – The value of any alternatives to the choice you made. You give up these alternatives when you make your choice.

Certified Financial Planner (CFP) – A professional who has special training and certification to help people manage their money wisely.

Earning power – The ability to make money from your job or career over time, based on factors like your skills, education and experience.

Entrepreneur – Someone who comes up with a business idea, starts a company and works hard to make it successful.

Income – Money received from working, an allowance or investments.

Interest – A fee charged by a lender for borrowing money; the money you earn for keeping your money in a savings account.

Credit – Borrowing money with the intent to pay it back later.

Debit Card – A card that links directly to a bank account.

Budget – A plan for how to spend the money you earn.

This lesson integrates basic acting tools (body, voice, and imagination) for students to act out vocabulary words. By using movement to embody the meaning of each word, students are more likely to retain its meaning and concept. It is a fun way to differentiate instruction to help students learn and remember the meaning of words.

This format is particularly powerful because students have to use vocabulary words from two different angles — as the confused “asker” who doesn’t fully understand, and as the knowledgeable “expert” who does. That dual perspective requires a deeper grasp of word meaning than a one-directional task. It works well with any topic.

It's Showtime!

Now that your students’ curiosity has been ignited, enjoy and participate in the show!

POST-show

EXTEND STUDENT LEARNING

The show may be over, but the learning doesn’t have to stop. Use the resources below to help deepen your students’ understanding of financial literacy.

And don’t forget to complete a program evaluation at HeyTeachers.org! It helps NTC continue creating great programs, and you will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win $250 for your classroom.

Summarize Key Concepts

Spark classroom conversation about financial literacy, give students a chance to reflect on the performance and encourage critical thinking.

Using the Know, Wonder, Learned (KWL) chart, complete the final section: Learned. As a group or individually, students can summarize their key takeaways from the performance.

Lesson Plans

Money Smart 2.0 is an exciting interactive exploration of the concepts of money. This standards-aligned, cross-curricular curriculum is designed to promote financial understanding in middle school students. You can use Money Smart 2.0 to add engaging and enriching activities to Math, English Language Arts and Social Studies lessons while also helping your students build the foundation to become financially responsible adults.

Twelve Lessons with hands-on, cross-curricular activities that engage sixth through eighth-grade students in discussing and exploring key financial concepts.
Teacher Presentation Slides, which provide helpful visuals, as well as challenge exercises and reflective prompts to support the activities in each lesson.
A Parent/Caregiver Guide with information about topics and terms being covered in class, conversation starters and online literary sources along with activities to try at home and around town.

Encore

Engage Independent Learning

Keep the learning going with digital games, printable activities and take-home materials your students can explore on their own. Sending resources home helps reinforce the message beyond the classroom and keeps the conversation growing with families.

Games and Activites

Your students get their own toolkit too — packed with fun games and activities that reinforce what they learned. Share the link below with your class!

Printable Handouts

This downloadable PDF features in-depth articles relating to the subject. The guide is written in a way that appeals to both students and parents, allowing students to bring the guide home to share.

Bring the Learning Home

Send these take-home resources with your students to spark conversations with their families and reinforce the message beyond the classroom.

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Additional Resources

[Addtional links here]