Money Basics Uncovered

Overview

This 60-minute lesson introduces Year 7 students to fundamental concepts about money, its purposes, various forms, and the importance of budgeting. The lesson aligns with the National Curriculum for England, specifically addressing Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education statutory guidelines for financial literacy. It incorporates multisensory and hands-on activities catering to diverse learning needs, including students with ADHD and autism.

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Curriculum Links

• PSHE Education (National Curriculum England, KS3)
  • Economic wellbeing and being a responsible consumer: understanding money management and budgeting
  • Developing skills to make informed financial decisions
• Mathematics (Money handling through practical activities)
• English (Vocabulary development related to finance)

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Define money and identify its key purposes (medium of exchange, store of value, unit of account).
2. Recognise different forms of money used today (coins, notes, electronic payments, digital currencies in basic terms).
3. Explain the importance of budgeting and how it helps manage personal finances responsibly.
4. Create a simple budget plan for a given scenario, applying planning and organisational skills.

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Resources

• Real or replica coins and notes (various denominations)
• Printed cards with different payment methods (cash, debit card, mobile pay, digital wallet)
• Budget worksheet templates (visual, easy-to-read layouts)
• Whiteboard/flipchart with colourful markers
• Calculators
• Visual timer for activity pacing
• Fidget tools and sensory aids (for students who need movement/to self-regulate)

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction & Engagement (10 minutes)

• Welcome and brief recap of previous lesson (if applicable).
• Icebreaker: "Money around the world" quick chat — each student names a country and guesses what form of money they use.
• Explain today’s objectives clearly, displaying them visually.
• Use a tactile money kit (coins and notes) to spark curiosity: pass around and invite comments about what money feels like, looks like.

Differentiation:

• Use straightforward, clear language.
• Modelling pronunciation of key terms: currency, budget, payment.

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2. Exploring Money and Its Uses (15 minutes)

• Direct Teaching: Define money’s three main uses: exchange, store of value, unit of account. Use simple examples on the whiteboard with pictures.
• Hands-on Activity: Students sort real/replica coins and notes into groups by denominations and discuss uses.
• Show cards illustrating different payment methods: students match cards with the correct money form and say how they have or would use them.
• Discuss modern forms briefly — include mobile pay and digital wallets to acknowledge technological changes. Use images or short video clip (1-2 mins) of electronic payments in real life.

Supports for ADHD/autism:

• Chunk content in small segments with brief physical movement breaks.
• Use visual supports and hands-on sorting task.

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3. The Importance of Budgeting (15 minutes)

• Explain budgeting: planning how to spend money wisely to avoid running out. Use a simple analogy — like planning how to spend pocket money for a week.
• Show an example budget on the board using categories: food, entertainment, savings, transport.
• Group activity: Each student designs a budget sheet for a fictional scenario (e.g., £20 pocket money to spend in a week). They allocate amounts per category using colour-coded stickers or markers.

Differentiation:

• Worksheets with clear visuals and limited reading
• Allow using calculators or drawing symbols instead of numbers where helpful

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4. Practise and Apply (15 minutes)

• Role-play shopping: teacher acts as shopkeeper with items labelled with prices, students “buy” items using play money according to their budget.
• Students must keep track and adjust spending if they run low — reinforcing the budgeting concept.
• Facilitate collaboration and discussion about choices made during the role-play.

Sensory/Movement Support:

• Incorporate standing/walking movement during role play.
• Use tactile money for exchanging and counting.

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5. Review and Reflect (5 minutes)

• Recap the day’s learning: key terms, purposes of money, budgeting importance.
• Quick quiz questions with thumbs up/down responses or mini whiteboards for answers.
• Ask each student to say one thing they learned and one question they still have.

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Assessment

• Formative: Monitor active participation in sorting, budgeting worksheet, and role-play activities.
• Observe students’ ability to explain money’s uses and describe their budget choices verbally.
• Use quick quiz answers and reflections to assess understanding and address misconceptions promptly.

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Additional Notes

• Encourage continual use of accessible language and visual aids.
• Be flexible with pacing — allow sensory breaks for students with autism, ADHD or sensory processing needs.
• Link lesson content to students' own experience where possible (e.g., pocket money, local shops).

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This lesson aims to engage students with meaningful, hands-on experiences to develop critical foundational financial literacy skills in an inclusive environment.