Financial Literacy

I teach Math and Social Studies to 6th graders.  This is a topic that is very relevant to me and my students.  We start the school year by preparing for BizTown.  One of our topics is financial Literacy.  I also like to connect financial literacy to math class as well.  I think it is important for the students to see the connection between the 2 subjects and to why it is important for the students to learn about it. This is a topic that can definitely be used outside of the classroom so the students aren't asking, "When am I ever going to use this?"  We discuss with our students the importance of writing checks, using debit cards, and cash.  Students become a part of a business, as well as a community.  We discuss the importance of bringing money into a business as well as the money leaving the business as well.  We have students learn the different jobs in a business and what they have to do to keep it profitable.  We practice in the classroom and go to BizTown to actually put their practice into use.  Financial Literacy is a big part of this unit.