68 customizable lessons, aligned with National Standards, exams and more.
Read NGPF's school-by-school analysis of financial education in America today
Activities
Advocacy
Behavioral Economics
Best Of
Budgeting
Buying a Car
Career
Checking
Consumer Skills
Credit
Cryptocurrencies
Current Events
Curriculum Announcements
Economics
Entrepreneurship
Edpuzzle
ELL Resources
FinCap Friday
Gambling and Sports Betting
Insurance
Interactive
Investing
Math
Paying for College
Philanthropy
Podcasts
Press Releases
Professional Development
Question of the Day
Savings
So Expensive Series
Taxes
Teacher Talk
Textbooks represent one of the first purchasing decisions that college freshmen will make this fall when they arrive on campus. I could have included the adjective “dreaded” ahead of textbooks and I am sure I would have gotten lots of nods from readers. Many of you probably still recall years later that moment of stepping up to the cashier at the bookstore for the first time with mouth agape wondering if there had been a tremendous mistake when the total bill had been calculated.
Today the book buying process has evolved beyond the new vs. used decision when I was in college to one where there are multiple channels (Amazon, Chegg, Barnes and Noble, Textbooks.com to name just a few) and multiple media (hardcover, digital) and purchase options (buy vs. rent).
So, here’s the idea for this brief activity which went over extremely well at a recent FBLA conference. Pick a popular college textbook. Since Economics tends to be one of the more popular majors, I thought I would use Principles of Economics (7th Edition) by Greg Mankiw. Feel free to choose another textbook based on your interests. The task for students is to research on the web and find the lowest cost option that works for them in purchasing this textbook. I have created a template for students to complete that allows them to compare the various options (buy new, buy used, rent, Etextbook) across various vendors (BookBuyingActivityTemplate). Since there are so many folks selling textbooks, you may want them to limit their search to five vendors (which they should list) and also evaluate whether they believe the vendor is a credible one.
Once students have completed the activity, here are a few good discussion questions:
You Ain't Saved Nothin' Yet (a credit card classic rock parody)
Question: How Much Did 3 Largest Banks Make in Overdraft Fees in First Three Months of 2015?
Use NGPF's Online Banking Simulation to Bring Real-World Skills Into the Classroom
Activity Idea: Virtual Career Day
NEW! NGPF Economics Resource Directory
Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.
Join the more than 12,000 teachers who get the NGPF daily blog delivered to their inbox:
MOST POPULAR POSTS
1
Question of the Day: What are the top 3 fastest growing careers that don't need a 4-year degree?
2
Fall 2024 Updates to Paying for College Resources
3
Useful Personal Finance Movies and Documentaries with Worksheets
4
FinCap Friday: FAFSA Fiasco
5
New Fall PD Badges are Here
Before your subscription to our newsletter is active, you need to confirm your email address by clicking the link in the email we just sent you. It may take a couple minutes to arrive, and we suggest checking your spam folders just in case!
Great! Success message here
New to NGPF?
Save time, increase engagement, and teach life-changing financial skills with NGPF’s free curriculum
1.Register for a free TeacherAccount
2.ExploreSemester Course
3.Findstudent favorites
4.LeverageNGPF Academy
Your new account will provide you with access to NGPF Assessments and Answer Keys. It may take up to 1 business day for your Teacher Account to be activated; we will notify you once the process is complete.
Thanks for joining our community!
The NGPF Team
Complete the form below to access exclusive resources for teachers. Our team will review your account and send you a follow up email within 24 hours.
To speed up your verification process, please submit proof of status to gain access to answer keys & assessments.
Acceptable information includes:
Acceptable file types: .png, .jpg, .pdf.
Once you submit this form, our team will review your account and send you a follow up email within 24 hours. We may need additional information to verify your teacher status before you have full access to NGPF.
Take the quiz to quickly find the best resources for you!