I had a great conversation with NGPF Teacher-Innovator Award winner, Todd Gragg, who discussed his award-winning project, “The Great Depression Game.” Despite being a relatively new teacher, Todd has already demonstrated his passionate advocacy for financial education through his involvement with the Oklahoma Council on Economic Education and Oklahoma Jump$tart Coalition.  In this podcast, you will learn more about his “Great Depression Game,” a cross-curricular activity that helps students experience the Great Depression through the lens of family budgets.  Enjoy!

• 0:00~1:04 – Introduction
• 1:04~1:58 – Todd’s job and background
• 1:58~6:04 – Passion for personal finance
• 6:05~7:26 – Building a curriculum as a first-time teacher
• 7:26~12:06 – Gambling is one of the standards in Oklahoma, why?
• 12:06~13:39 – Demographics of students
• 13:39~16:33 – Students’ money concerns
• 16:33~32:35 – Details of “Great Depression Game”
• 32:35~32:50 – A word from our sponsor, Next Gen Personal Finance
• 32:50~36:45 – Feedback from students
• 36:45~38:15 – Oklahoma state financial standards
• 38:15~40:27 – Hurdles to increasing access to financial education
• 40:27~41:36 – Best thing bought for under $10
• 41:36~42:00 – Favorite website resource
• 42:00~42:55 – Favorite book
• 42:55~44:04 – Text to communicate with students on ongoing basis
• 44:04~45:06 – Conclusion

• Favorite Blog: Penny Hoarder
• Favorite Book: Loaded

• “Our school is trying to move personal finance education to later years in high school because the students might be more engaged later on. It might be hard for a student to actively learn if they don’t have a lot of their own money experiences.”

Join the more than 12,000 teachers who get the NGPF daily blog delivered to their inbox:

SIGN UP