What do SUVs, TikTok, record stores and online shopping have in common?

They are all subjects of recent Marketplace podcast segments.  Get students learning and talking about current events that are relevant to them in these 2-4 minute segments. 

Each segment has a few discussion prompts to get the conversation going. 

SUVs are major sources of greenhouse gasses, but the world’s drivers keep buying them (3/1/2023; 2:23)

• Why are SUVs so popular? 
• When considering a car purchase, would you consider environmental factors in your decision-making process

Ticktock, TikTok: Government agencies are on the clock to purge the app from all devices (2/28/23; 2:59)

• What information does TikTok collect on users? 
• Why are governments so concerned about TikTok? 

Mississippi record store enlists student influencers to help business (2/24/23; 3:23)

• What would encourage you to shop at record stores? 
• How do stores adjust their business when they have too much inventory (in this case, too many records)? 
• How is this record store using students to improve his business? 

For online shoppers, is too much variety a blessing or a curse? (2/21/23; 4:41)

• Do you think the variety of shopping options is a blessing or a curse? Explain. 
• What has led to this proliferation of choice recently? 
• Are there product categories where you like having so much choice? 

Taking a cue from the last segment, I will stop there and not give you too much choice. 

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Want to learn from thought leaders, authors, creative educators? Tune into the NGPF podcast with over 350 guests to date! 

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Rumor has it that Yanely is working with the Marketplace team on a podcast for high schoolers...coming soon! 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

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.

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