In this 60-minute lesson, students will be able to:
- Estimate the salary that will be required in order to meet a specific standard of living
- Analyze how a typical American spends their money
- Analyze what it will be like to live on their own
- Adjust a budget based on changing career and life circumstances

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to
Differentiate between income and expenses
Classify expenses into needs or wants
Think critically about how daily choices impact a young person’s budget now and in the future

Approximate Time
Lesson length: 75 mins

Students will be able to
- Explain the importance of a budget
- Identify common challenges college students face when trying to stick to a budget
- Envision their college career and make choices that will impact their college budget
- Identify their needs and wants
- Create a monthly college budget

This 7th grade Jobs and Employers lesson leads students through a comparison of two colleges using student-selected criteria in the Xello platform.

Students will be able to
- Understand what a financial aid package is and when they should expect to receive one from a college
- Read and compare different financial aid offers
- Explain the order in which they should accept different types of aid and when they will receive that aid
- Identify strategies and resources they can use if their financial aid is not sufficient to cover the cost of attendance

I can explain the impact of personal branding on my academic future, personal life and career.
I can begin to create my personal brand via the creation of a vision board.

Networking is defined as “the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts,” and can be a powerful job search strategy. Making connections can not only help you find out about job opportunities, but may also connect you to people who can help you get the job. You can use relationships you already have to network, such as friends and family. However, it is also important to find other opportunities to network, and this can take place through your involvement in extracurricular or community activities, by volunteering in your community, or simply through the people that you know!

Students will be able to
- Explain the role the FAFSA plays in the financial aid process
- Understand the importance of submitting the FAFSA
- Apply for the FAFSA
- Identify misconceptions and challenges students have that prevent them from submitting the FAFSA
- Read a Student Aid Report (SAR) and understand the role of their Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Use the resources in this folder to conduct your own parent/student financial aid information session.

Students will learn about the qualities of a professional piece of correspondence and will be able to correct unprofessional correspondence to be appropriate for the workplace.

Through this lesson, students will learn how to create a thank you letter to send to an employer, post-interview. Example of a thank you letter and rubric included.

A main emphasis the Verso hiring department and department heads stressed was that students need to be aware of their social media presence. The impact of what they post could potentially help them gain employment or lose possible employment.

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to
Investigate how investing can be a powerful tool to meet your retirement goals
Explain why most Americans cannot rely on Social Security and pensions alone for retirement
Explore factors that can impact how much you might need in retirement and your ability to meet your retirement savings goal
Understand the growing popularity of the F.I.R.E. movement

Approximate Time
Lesson length: 115 mins

A main emphasis the Verso hiring department and department heads stressed was that students need to be well prepared for an interview. The interview will determine if they are hired. Having proper interview etiquette will give students an opportunity to excel during the interview process and provide the confidence required to succeed during an interview.

In this 120-minute lesson, students will be able to:
-Incorporate multiple strategies to potentially generate interview opportunities
-Prepare yourself physically and mentally for a job interview
-Practice answering common job interview questions
-Recognize behavioral interview questions and develop a strategy for answering those questions
-Review appropriate ways to follow-up after an interview

This lesson emphasizes the importance of properly answering job interview questions and better prepares the students for mock interviews.

Students will be able to:

-Discuss different ways to prepare for a job interview
-Discuss best practices for a person’s first job interview
-Analyze popular interview questions

Lesson Length: 60 mins

Students will be able to:

-Identify key elements to include in a resume
-Discuss best practices in creating a resume
-Analyze another person’s resume
-Write a first draft resume

In this 45 minute lesson, students will be able to:

Identify steps they can take to help them choose a career after high school
Explain the importance of considering job qualities that will bring them job satisfaction as they progress in their careers
Conduct research on occupations they are interested in to learn more about earning potential, required training, career growth outlook, and more
Understand the importance of soft skills in the workplace

Students will be able to
-Explain the elements of a successful LinkedIn profile and create one of their own
-Craft an elevator pitch that presents their key skills succinctly
-Determine productive strategies to use in an informational interview