Preparing for a Classroom Presentation

Choose Your Themes

Your first step is to decide what you’re going to talk about. Below are the five major themes from the CARE booklet. You don’t have to cover all of the topics, and you are free to cover them in whatever order you like. Keep in mind that different populations of students may have different needs.

The first section of the booklet (pp. 1-7) (pdf) covers “Financial Mindset” and “Budgeting Know How.”

Financial Mindset

Teens think about their relationship with money. They review the major steps in making a purchasing decision.

Budgeting Know How

Teens learn how to manage money earned, track money spent and make plans for future expenses.

The second section of the booklet (pp. 8-18) (pdf) covers “Credit Sense” and “Credit Used by Teens.”

Credit Sense

Teens realize that using credit wisely will be part of their life. They explore the cost of borrowing and what happens to their financial history if credit is abused.

Credit Used by Teens

Teens consider all the forms of credit that they may use such as a car loan, payday lons and rent-to-own. Identity theft can be an exprensive and serious consequence of careless use of personal information.

The final section of the booklet (pp. 19-26) (pdf) covers “Heading to College.”

Heading to College?

Teens will need to carefully research their options for college and set up a plan for managing expenses.

Review Presentation Tips

Below are some tips for your presentation.

Prioritize Your Time

There are five sections of content in the CARE booklet (listed above under “Choose Your Themes”). They may be presented in the order you choose. Prioritize your time (you don’t have to follow the booklet). You may, instead, want to start with the two sections focused on credit – Credit Sense and Credit Used by Teens.

Engage Them in Conversation

As you deliver your CARE presentation in the classroom, it is important to remember to engage students in conversation about credit. Talking WITH them and not just TO them will have far more impact.

Consider Your Audience

Different populations of students have different needs. If the students you are speaking to are a low income, at-risk population, you may want to start at the beginning with Mindset and Budgeting. We find that low income students are less likely to have credit cards and have less interest in listening to how to use them.

Encourage Further Exploration

Point students toward additional resources to help them learn to be responsible with credit. Encourage them to read over the sections you don’t cover. It’s all good information.

Tell a Story

Anecdotes persuade more than data. If you want to make more of an impression on students, try to include one or more stories to illustrate your points. Hearing about the percentage of Americans with credit card debt won’t have nearly the impact as hearing the story of a real person whose life has been affected by credit card debt.

Select Media for Your Presentation (optional)

Some presenters like to show short videos during their talk. You’re not required to use a video, but feel free to do so if you wish. You are free to find videos on your own, or you can choose from these videos we have collected.