Teaching guide
Credit & Debt
Credit can help you rent an apartment, finance a car, or handle a surprise expense — or it can follow you for years. This course explains credit scores, credit cards, APR, and loans so you can borrow on your terms.
7 lessons9 class periods of 45 minBeginner
What students will be able to do
- Explain what a credit score measures and what raises or lowers it
- Read a credit card statement and understand the grace period
- Calculate how APR and minimum payments change what you really pay
- Compare common loan types and their tradeoffs
- Recognize debt traps like payday loans and stacked buy-now-pay-later plans
9 days, one lesson per class
Every lesson comes with a 45-minute plan, projector-ready slides, and a printable worksheet with an answer key.
Day 1
What Credit Is
Define credit and explain why lenders charge interest
Activity: The Landlord's Decision
Day 2
Credit Scores
Identify the five factors in a FICO Score and which matter most
Activity: Score Detective
Day 3
How Credit Cards Work
Explain a credit card billing cycle, statement, and grace period
Activity: Read the Statement
Day 4
Day 5
Types of Loans
Distinguish installment from revolving credit, and secured from unsecured loans
Activity: Pick the Loan
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Review day
Play Money Jeopardy with this course's questions, then review what teams missed.
Day 9
Unit test
A printable test in short and full versions, with an answer key.