During this unique time in our community, we are doing our part to help ensure students continue their JA education at home and help parents make the most out of at-home learning.
Have ideas on other resources you’d like to see added? Send us a line.
Fourth Grade Lesson Plans
DAY 1: MAKING SMART MONEY CHOICES
Lesson 1 – JA Excellence Through Ethics: Having Money When You Need It
People do not have an endless supply of money, so we have to be smart about the decisions we make on how we spend the money we earn. Students will examine the ethical responsibility on using money for need-bases vs. want-based goods and services.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Parent-led lesson with additional games and recommended reading
- Time: 45 minutes
Lesson 2 – Making Cents: Financial Literacy for Young Learners – Learning to Save, and Eating Out vs. Eating at Home Videos
Two short, 45-second videos explore the choices we make every day on how we spend money to meet our needs and wants.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Videos
- Time: 2 minutes
Lesson 3 – Money Smart for Young People, Module 3: Budgeting
Creating a budget helps children plan how they will spend their money.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Parent-led lesson with additional games and recommended reading
- Time: 30 minutes
Lesson 4 – JA $ave: Vacation Time
Let’s Get Away! — Explore where you would go and how you would pay for vacation.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Printable activity
- Time: 15 minutes
DAY 2: PURCHASING POWER
Lesson 1 – Money Smart for Young People, Module 5: Payment Options
Having conversations about payment options helps children understand that credit and debit are not an endless supply of free money, but are linked to our actual savings accounts or short-term loans that must be paid back.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Parent-led lesson with additional games and recommended reading
- Time: 30 minutes
Lesson 2 – JA Compare and Contrast Payment Methods
Young students compare the different ways people can pay for their wants and needs.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Parent-led activity with printable worksheet
- Time: 15 minutes
Lesson 3 – JA Current Economic Climate: JA Analyzing Credit Cards
Explore how credit cards work and the financial impact credit has on our families and businesses.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Parent-led resource with activities and additional reading
- Time: 45 minutes
DAY 3: BUYING AND SELLING
Lesson 1 – JA What is Free Enterprise?
What is free enterprise and how does your family utilize their economic freedoms to make purchasing decisions?
- Category: Entrepreneurship
- Type: Parent-led activity with printable worksheet
- Time: 15 minutes
Lesson 2 – JA The Legendary Lemonade Stand: Cost of Doing Business
Aiden opens a lemonade stand to earn the money he needs and learns about the cost of owning a business.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Printable activity worksheet
- Time: 15 minutes
Lesson 3 – JA Money Tracker and BINGO
*Watch instructional video here
Young students learn how to keep track of the money you have in a bank. Watch the video on using the Money Tracker and then play the BINGO game.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Video with printable activity
- Time: 30 minutes
Lesson 4 – JA Risk and Insurance Game
Learn how everyday choices can create risks and how insurance provides added protection to help us make smart money choices.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Interactive video game
- Time: 30 minutes
DAY 4: BUILDING BUSINESS TOOLS
Lesson 1 – JA The Money Jar Podcasts: Lifelong Learning #160
People have a wide range of interests. What makes someone switch from one career to another or decide to start a business?
- Category: Career Exploration and Work Readiness
- Type: Podcast
- Time: 25 minutes
Lesson 2 – Career Exploration Resources
Explore the job skills required to succeed in different career fields.
- Category: Career Exploration and Work Readiness
- Type: Online resource
- Time: 20 minutes
Lesson 3 – Career Exploration Videos
Watch videos to learn more about many interesting careers.
- Category: Career Exploration and Work Readiness
- Type: Videos
- Time: 15 minutes
Lesson 4 – Learning Economics with Minecraft
Students build a home in Minecraft while learning abut the different resources businesses use every day.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Parent-led online course with resources and access to online game
- Time: 45 minutes
DAY 5: AM I AN ENTREPRENEUR?
Lesson 1 – JA The Money Jar Podcasts: Encouraging an Entrepreneurial Mindset #159
What does it take to be an entrepreneur? Is it something we are born with or can we develop the skills needed to start a business?
- Category: Career Exploration and Work Readiness
- Type: Podcast
- Time: 25 minutes
Lesson 2 – JA My Entrepreneurial Traits
Discover what the traits of entrepreneurs are and how many you already have!
- Category: Entrepreneurship
- Type: Printable activity worksheet
- Time: 15 minutes
Lesson 3 – The Color of Resources
Parent-led exploration and activities that use the story of crayons to teach how businesses use different resources to produce their products and services.
- Category: Entrepreneurship
- Type: Parent-led resources with activities, additional reading and videos
- Time: 45 minutes
Lesson 4 – 5 Ways to Teach Your Kids How to Be Great Entrepreneurs
Share these 5 ways to begin introducing your kids to entrepreneurism at home.
- Category: Entrepreneurship
- Type: Parent resource with suggested activities and additional reading
- Time: 30 minutes