Broke is a documentary about sports stars who went from having millions of dollars to being broke and the mental anguish that comes along with this. The movie explores why this happens, mostly due to how many of the individuals lacked basic financial literacy skills. Students will develop 5 lessons / take-aways that they learned from the movie that the rest of us can learn from? They will discuss the themes and lessons shared regarding making responsible financial decisions, ways to gather information and explore how financial security (or lack of it) can have a major influence on mental health and well-being. 

This humorous vignette points out the necessity of taking care when we purchase something online. More and more we are making purchases online and avoiding the bricks and mortar stores. While this is proving to be an increasingly popular choice for people, there are cautions that need to be taken. As with any financial practice, there are safeguards and checks to be made, prior to any purchase, in order to ensure that we don’t wind up with something we don’t want – or worse – that we have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous people. So how do we safeguard ourselves as we shop online? There are certain things you can do.

This funny vignette stresses the importance of reading the fine print. Many times the “small print” is hard to read.  Warranties, contracts, policies, agreements and guarantees can be so long that it is human nature to skim over the text and sign without fully reading all the details. It is likely we have all done it. Think about it, if there is something that a seller wants to hide from you knowing, where would you put it? Often the information or exceptions that you really need to be aware of are placed at the end of the agreement. By that time, you are tired of reading and often agree without finishing reading all of the terms.  A buyer needs to be aware of his or her rights and have the confidence to stand up for them.

This listening guide and assignment will help you understand key points about financial fraud and how to protect yourself, based on the video "Financial Basics: Video Fraud." Before You Watch:Ask the students to think about what you already know about financial fraud.Have they ever come across a suspicious email, phone call, or online offer?

Humour can be a great teaching tool. This vignette, although humorous in nature, carries a serious message and, hopefully, teaches us the importance of protecting our personal information. There is no humour in having your personal information stolen and then used by the person who stole it. Imagine – it’s just like having your wallet or purse stolen!!! With the great number of passwords and PINs that most people have these days it is possible to have some of this information stolen if we do not take care to ensure that it is safeguarded. How do we do this? The activities suggested below will give some answers but each of us has to make certain that we do not share or reveal this information to anyone but those we trust. Failure to do so could result in great difficulties and loss of money and personal identity.

This resource contains a full lesson with suggested sequences, timing, activities, context for learning, assignment and rubric. In this lesson, students will learn ways to avoid financial scams and schemes designed to defraud customers. At the end of this lesson, students will: identify ways to avoid financial scams and schemes designed to defraud customersSuggested Timing: 60 minutes depending on whether optional topics are done and how much class time is given for assignment.

Creating and managing strong, secure passwords is an essential part of life in the 21st century. How can we help our students to develop the skills to create and manage their own online accounts? In this resource, there are two sequential classroom activities that you can teach your students about password security (adjust the complexity of the task to suit your class). Activity 1: How secure is this password? Aim: To learn which password combinations are the hardest to guess or crack. Activity 2: Design the strongest passphrase Aim: To learn how to design a strong password that is easy to remember

This vignette humorously points out the need for us to be on alert for unscrupulous people who would take advantage of us at any opportunity. There is an old saying “if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is” which warns us to be suspicious of people or situations that offer a large benefit for very little in return. But scammers are becoming more sophisticated in developing ways to swindle people. We need to be vigilant in any dealings we have and look for ways in which the transaction could actually be a scam. The last thing we want is to be a victim of fraud.

Fraud is ongoing and with new technology, there is new sophisiticated fraud happening all the time: Deep fakes, Crypto job fraud, etransfer multi-factor verification fraud... everyday there is something new. Teachers can introduce this section and discuss ways to protect themselves from fraud. The assignment allows students to review fraud stories that have taken place and investigate their own fraud. Students could present their findings in a variety of ways: posters around the school, presentation, show to the class, social media video, etc. 

Scammers are sneaky and sly. They can target anyone, from youngsters to retirees. They can also target businesses. No one is immune to fraud. Our group of superheroes has found a way to see through the scams. Their secret is simple: knowledge is power! Read on to find out how you can also become a fraud-fighting superhero. Share this booklet with family and friends and start powering up! Students can become real-life superheros by arming themselves with the information they need to fight fraud and keep themselves, their family and their money safe. Each section includes a secon describing the fraud and valuable "Tips to protect yourself".

Investigate factors that affect one’s credit file.

Teacher Guide included.

7-10 hours

English for Financial Literacy is an instructor’s resource for teaching financial literacy concepts and skills in LINC and adult ESL programs at CLB levels 1 to 8. The main objective of English for Financial Literacy is to help instructors incorporate financial literacy content into their program planning and teaching, and support them in learning about key topics and concepts related to financial matters.Full workbooks and audio files accompany this resource. 

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) ensures federally regulated financial entities comply with consumer protection measures, promotes financial education and raises consumers’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities.

"Take your finances to the next level with the practical tips and step-by-step guidance in our new course! You’ll learn everything you need to know to manage your finances like a pro—and build a solid foundation for your financial future."

Learn the 101 of Financial Literacy for free with these 12 units.

*Unit 11 is full of teacher resources.

"Improve your financial knowledge with our free, unbiased resources. Brought to you by the Ontario Securities Commission."

The website offers a variety of resources, including information, tools, quizzes, and games, designed to assist both parents and students in making informed financial choices across different aspects of life.

"Give your students a deeper understanding of money management using a curriculum offered by Choices & Decisions: Taking charge of your financial life™. This program is designed to teach young people how to set long and short-term personal and financial goals; create and work with a personal budget; identify how and when to use credit; save and invest, understand the basics of banking services and develop character and confidence. The materials can easily be adapted for use in a wide variety of instructional settings including high schools, colleges and adult education programs.

Start making a difference with your students today. Select specific lessons or in-class activities or download everything as a PDF file."

Choices & Decisions Introduction

Decisions & Goals: Making Decisions; Making Money; The Art of Budgeting;

Loans & Expenses: Student Loans; Living on your Own; Buying a Home; Cars and Loans

Banking & Credit: Banking Services; Saving and Investing; About Credit; Credit Cards

Consumer Knowledge: Influence of Advertising; Consumer Awareness; In Trouble; About Consumer Privacy

Whether it is a slick scam, misleading marketing claim, a product that could put your health at risk, or poor customer service, this video has some great information you need to hear about.