In-Class Activities

Tested activities, with setup, timing, and debrief. All materials can be produced from the book or from free sources.

A universal note: every activity that touches personal data has a sample-document alternative. Offer both without singling anyone out — put both on the table and let students choose.

UNIT 1 — MONEY

1.1 — The Annotated Pay Stub ⏱ 25 min

Setup: Print the annotated stub from Chapter 1 with the annotations removed. One per student, plus a blank version.

Do it: 1. Individually (5 min): students label every line they can identify. 2. Pairs (5 min): compare and fill gaps. 3. Whole group (10 min): work through it line by line on a screen. 4. (5 min): students privately compare to their own stub, or to a second sample.

Debrief: "Which line surprised you? Which one do you actually control?"

Why it works: almost nobody has read their own pay stub. The gap between "I earn $50,000" and "$1,442 arrives" is visceral once it's on paper.

1.2 — Bill Triage ⏱ 20 min

Setup: A scenario card: monthly net income $2,400, and nine bills totaling $2,900. Rent, electric, car payment, car insurance, credit card minimum, medical bill, student loan, phone, groceries.

Do it: In groups of three, rank what gets paid and what doesn't, and write one sentence for each on why.

Debrief: Reveal the Chapter 2 tier ordering. The most common group error is paying the credit card before the utility — because credit "feels" more consequential. Discuss why the consequence timelines differ.

1.3 — The Fee Hunt ⏱ 15 min

Setup: A sample bank statement (real format, fake data) containing: two overdraft fees, an NSF fee, a monthly maintenance fee, two out-of-network ATM fees, and a paper statement fee. Total: $147 in one month.

Do it: Find and total them. Then: which were avoidable, and how?

Debrief: Annualize it — $1,764. Then discuss the processing-order diagram from Chapter 3.

1.4 — The Irregular Expense Fund ⏱ 20 min

Setup: The blank template from Chapter 2.

Do it: Students list every non-monthly expense they'll face in the next twelve months, estimate each, total, and divide by twelve.

Debrief: "How many of you have this money set aside right now? What happens when the car repair comes?"

Why it works: this is the single highest-impact concept in the money unit and it lands hardest when students produce their own number.

1.5 — The Annotated Credit Report ⏱ 30 min

Setup: A sample credit report containing five planted errors: an account that isn't theirs, an address they never lived at, a late payment on an account otherwise current, a collection past the seven-year window, and a hard inquiry they didn't authorize.

Do it: Groups find the errors and, for each, write which dispute they'd file.

Debrief: Note that FTC research found roughly one in five consumers has an error. Then have students pull their own at annualcreditreport.com — in class if you have devices, which dramatically raises completion.

1.6 — The Score Simulator ⏱ 15 min

Setup: An auto loan calculator, projected.

Do it: Same car, same term, four different credit scores. Students compute monthly payment and total interest for each.

Debrief: The gap between 780 and 580 on one car loan is roughly $9,000. *"What else could you do with $9,000?"*

1.7 — The Minimum Payment Trap ⏱ 15 min

Setup: A credit card payoff calculator.

Do it: $5,000 at 24%. Compute payoff time and total interest at: minimum only, $150/month, $300/month.

Debrief: 20+ years and $7,900 in interest vs. 20 months and $1,050. Then show them the federally required disclosure box on a real statement — most students have never noticed it.

1.8 — Avalanche vs. Snowball ⏱ 20 min

Setup: The five-debt table from Chapter 5 and a payoff calculator.

Do it: Half the room runs avalanche, half runs snowball. Compare total interest and time.

Debrief: ~$700 difference over four years. "Which one would you actually finish?" The point is that the psychologically sustainable method beats the mathematically optimal one you abandon.

1.9 — Role-Play: The Collector Call ⏱ 20 min

Setup: Two role cards. The collector is instructed to be pleasant, create urgency, and push for a small "good faith" payment today.

Do it: Pairs, three minutes, then switch. The debtor's goal: request written validation, decline to acknowledge the debt, and end the call.

Debrief: "How hard was it not to just agree?" Then explain that a small payment can restart the statute of limitations — this is usually the moment the room goes quiet.

1.10 — The Marginal Rate Demonstration ⏱ 10 min

★ The single highest-value ten minutes in the course.

Setup: Whiteboard.

Do it: 1. Ask: "If you get a raise that pushes you into the next tax bracket, can you take home less money?" Take a hand count. Some students will say yes; many will be uncertain. 2. Work the bracket calculation on $60,000, then on $65,000, live. 3. Show the extra $5,000 producing $3,900 in take-home.

Debrief: Then introduce benefit cliffs as the legitimate version of the fear — and be careful to distinguish them clearly.

Why it works: this misconception causes people to decline overtime and raises. Correcting it has immediate cash value.

1.11 — Mock Tax Return ⏱ 40 min

Setup: A sample W-2, a 1098-E (student loan interest), and a blank Form 1040 with instructions.

Do it: Students complete the return by hand — income, adjustment, standard deduction, tax, credits, withholding, refund.

Debrief: Doing it once by hand demystifies it permanently. Then show how long the same return takes in free software.

1.12 — The Fee Autopsy ⏱ 10 min

Setup: A compound interest calculator.

Do it: $100,000, 7% return, 30 years, at 0.03% / 0.50% / 1.00% / 2.00% expense ratios.

Debrief: A 1% fee costs $180,000. "Go look up the expense ratio of whatever your 401(k) is in."

1.13 — Insurance Gap Analysis ⏱ 25 min

Setup: A profile: 26 years old, renting, $48,000 income, a car, $8,000 in savings, no dependents, a dog. Plus a list of policies they currently hold (phone insurance, an extended warranty on a TV, state-minimum auto liability, no renters insurance).

Do it: Groups identify what they're over-insured and under-insured for, and rebalance.

Debrief: The rule: insure what you can't afford to lose; self-insure what you can. Note that the dog creates liability exposure most people don't think about.

UNIT 2 — HOUSING

2.1 — Spot the Rental Scam ⏱ 20 min

Setup: Five listings — three legitimate, two fake. Fakes include: below-market rent with an out-of-town owner who'll mail keys, and a request for a Zelle deposit before viewing.

Do it: Groups identify the fakes and list the specific red flags.

Debrief: The one absolute rule — money before an in-person viewing is always a scam. Then demonstrate the county assessor lookup live.

2.2 — The Annotated Lease ⏱ 40 min

Setup: A realistic residential lease containing several likely-unenforceable clauses: waiver of the warranty of habitability, entry without notice, a $200 late fee, automatic 12-month renewal with a 60-day notice requirement, and tenant responsibility for all repairs.

Do it: 1. Groups read and flag anything concerning. 2. Compare against the twelve clauses from Chapter 10. 3. Check flagged clauses against the state landlord-tenant handbook.

Debrief: "How many of you would have signed this?" Then: which clauses would you negotiate before signing?

2.3 — Verify the Owner ⏱ 10 min

Setup: Devices, and your county assessor's website.

Do it: Students look up any address — their own, the campus, a listing — and find the recorded owner.

Debrief: Two minutes, free, public, and it defeats an entire category of fraud.

2.4 — The Deposit Defense ⏱ 25 min

Setup: Two photo sets of the same unit — move-in and move-out — plus an itemized deduction statement with six charges, three legitimate and three not (normal wear, pre-existing damage documented at move-in, and full replacement cost for a seven-year-old carpet).

Do it: Groups compare and identify which charges to dispute and why.

Debrief: Then draft the opening line of a demand letter together.

2.5 — Shutoff Scavenger Hunt ⏱ homework, 10 min debrief

Do it: Students photograph their own water shutoff, gas shutoff, and breaker panel, and submit the photos (not the addresses).

Debrief: "How many of you had to search for these? How long did it take?" Most students have never located them.

2.6 — Repair Demonstrations ⏱ 30 min

Setup: If you can, a toilet tank (a working demo model or the real thing), a mock breaker panel, and a sink P-trap. If not, video.

Do it: Demonstrate and let students try: replacing a flapper, resetting a breaker correctly (fully off first), and removing a P-trap.

Debrief: The flapper is $6 and five minutes. A plumber's minimum call is $150.

UNIT 3 — HEALTHCARE

3.1 — Plan Comparison ⏱ 35 min

Setup: Three real Summary of Benefits and Coverage documents (available free from healthcare.gov) and three health profiles: (a) healthy 24-year-old with $6,000 in savings, (b) 34-year-old with type 1 diabetes, (c) 29-year-old planning a pregnancy, no savings.

Do it: Groups match plan to profile and justify.

Debrief: The correct answer differs by profile, which is the whole point. Emphasize that the lowest premium is not the lowest cost, and that cash flow — not just total cost — determines the right choice.

3.2 — ER, Urgent Care, or Wait? ⏱ 20 min

Setup: Ten scenario cards. Include several genuine emergencies (chest pain, stroke signs, severe allergic reaction), several urgent care cases (a cut needing stitches, a probable UTI, a sprain), and several that can wait.

Do it: Groups sort them, then assign an estimated cost to each choice.

Debrief: Emphasize the asymmetry explicitly: the cost of an unnecessary ER visit is money; the cost of a missed heart attack is not. Then cover freestanding ERs.

3.3 — The $6,445 Bill ⏱ 45 min

★ The signature activity of the healthcare unit.

Setup: The EOB from Chapter 17, an itemized bill containing three planted errors (a duplicate charge, a medication never given, and an out-of-network radiology charge at an in-network facility), and the hospital's financial assistance policy.

Do it: Groups work the full eight steps: 1. Compare bill to EOB 2. Find the errors 3. Identify the No Surprises Act violation 4. Check financial assistance eligibility against the income threshold 5. Look up Medicare rates for the two largest codes 6. Draft a negotiation opening

Debrief: Compute the final number. Groups typically get from $6,445 to somewhere between $400 and $1,200.

3.4 — Role-Play: The Billing Negotiation ⏱ 20 min

Setup: Role cards. The billing rep is instructed to say no to the first offer and to have authority up to a 40% discount if pressed politely and given a reason.

Do it: Pairs, then switch.

Debrief: "What worked? What happened when you asked for a supervisor?" Most students discover that persistence works and that they abandoned too early.

UNIT 4 — CAREER

4.1 — Duty to Accomplishment ⏱ 25 min

Setup: Ten weak résumé bullets, duties-only.

Do it: 1. Individually: rewrite three using action verb + what you did + measurable result. Students may invent plausible numbers. 2. Pairs: swap and critique. 3. Then: students rewrite three of their own bullets.

Debrief: Read a few aloud (volunteers only). The difference is immediately audible.

4.2 — Spot the Job Scam ⏱ 15 min

Setup: Five job postings and messages. Include: a check-overpayment equipment scam, a reshipping role, an MLM recruitment message, and two legitimate postings.

Debrief: The universal rule — a legitimate employer never asks you for money, and never asks for your SSN or bank details before a written offer.

4.3 — Mock Interviews ⏱ 45 min

Setup: A job description, an interviewer question set, and a peer feedback form (specific: did they use STAR? did they include a number? did they ask questions?).

Do it: Triads — interviewer, candidate, observer. Fifteen minutes each, rotate.

Debrief: "What was hardest?" Usually "tell me about yourself" and "what's your weakness."

Enhancement: record on phones. Watching yourself back is the most effective interview preparation there is and students will resist it.

4.4 — Salary Negotiation Role-Play ⏱ 45 min

★ The highest-value activity in the entire course. Do not cut it.

Setup: An offer letter at $55,000. Market data showing $58,000–66,000. A hiring manager role card instructing: initial resistance, an offer of $57,000 on the first push, authority up to $61,000 plus a signing bonus if pressed twice.

Do it: 1. Round one, unprepared. Students negotiate immediately. Most accept the first counter or fail to name a number at all. 2. Debrief the failure honestly. What happened? What did you feel? 3. Teach the script. Including the four-second silence. 4. Round two, prepared, with a different partner. 5. Compare outcomes across the room.

Debrief: Compute the ten-year and career value of the difference between round one and round two results. For many students this is the moment the course becomes concrete.

Facilitation note: the hardest part to teach is the silence. Have the whole room practice it together: everyone says "I was hoping for sixty-one thousand" out loud, in unison, and then the room is silent for four seconds. It's awkward and it works.

4.5 — Read the Contract ⏱ 25 min

Setup: A sample offer letter and employment agreement containing: a broad non-compete, an IP assignment clause with no carve-out, a mandatory arbitration clause with a class action waiver, and a $5,000 training repayment clause with a two-year trigger.

Do it: Groups identify every clause with a future consequence and estimate what each could cost.

Debrief: Which are negotiable? What would you ask to change? Then have students check their own state's non-compete law.

4.6 — The Cash-Out Cost ⏱ 10 min

Do it: $20,000 401(k) at age 30. Compute: taxes, penalty, net received. Then compute what it would have been at 65 at 7%.

Debrief: $12,600 received vs. $213,000 forgone. Let it sit.

UNIT 5 — RIGHTS, SAFETY, AND LIFE

5.1 — The Dealership Simulation ⏱ 45 min

★ Consistently the most memorable activity in the course.

Setup: A vehicle with a known invoice price and market value. An instructor (or a well-briefed volunteer) plays the salesperson, with instructions to: - Open with "What monthly payment are you looking for?" - Blend the trade-in, financing, and price - Use the "let me check with my manager" delay - In the finance office, offer an extended warranty, GAP, paint protection, and VIN etching, all framed as small monthly additions

Do it: Two or three students negotiate in front of the room. Others take notes on techniques used.

Debrief: - What questions did the salesperson ask, and why? - What happened when someone named a monthly payment? - Total the add-ons: how much would that have cost over 72 months? - Then: run it again with a student who has a credit union pre-approval and refuses to discuss monthly payment.

Facilitation note: play the salesperson as competent and likeable, not as a villain. The lesson is that this works on nice people, not that car dealers are bad.

5.2 — Warning Light Triage ⏱ 10 min

Setup: Cards showing dashboard warning lights.

Do it: Sort into: stop immediately / get checked soon / informational.

Debrief: Focus on the two that matter most — oil pressure (stop now) and a flashing check engine light (stop now).

5.3 — Know Your Rights Scenarios ⏱ 30 min

Setup: Ten scenario cards spanning employment, consumer, housing, and debt.

Do it: For each: is a right implicated? Which agency? What's the deadline? What's the first step?

Debrief: Emphasize the deadlines — 180/300 days for EEOC, 60 days for a credit card dispute, 30 days for debt validation, 30 days for an OSHA retaliation complaint. Missing a deadline ends a claim regardless of merit.

5.4 — Your Actual Ballot ⏱ 20 min

Setup: Devices and ballotpedia.org or vote411.org.

Do it: Students enter their address and view their real ballot. Count: total races and measures. Then count how many they could describe.

Debrief: The gap is usually large and it's the point. Then research one down-ballot race together.

Follow-on: register anyone eligible and unregistered, in class, right now.

5.5 — Password Manager Setup ⏱ 25 min

★ Highest completion-rate activity in the book. Do it in class, not as homework.

Setup: Devices. Bitwarden (free).

Do it: 1. Install 2. Create a master passphrase — four or five random words, generated together 3. Change one password — their email — to a generated one 4. Turn on 2FA on their email 5. Save the backup codes

Debrief: "How many of you were reusing that password somewhere else?"

5.6 — Spot the Phishing Email ⏱ 15 min

Setup: Ten emails and texts, six malicious. Include a bank fraud alert, a package delivery text, a spoofed sender domain, a business email compromise changing payment instructions, and a "wrong number" pig-butchering opener.

Debrief: The universal defense: never click a link in an unexpected message — go to the site directly or call the number on your card.

5.7 — The Difficult Conversation ⏱ 30 min

Setup: Scenario cards — a roommate not doing dishes, a coworker taking credit, a family member with a boundary problem.

Do it: 1. Individually and privately: students write the four-part structure for a real conversation they're avoiding. Not collected, not shared. 2. Publicly: pairs practice using a scenario card, not their real situation. 3. Rotate roles.

Debrief: "What was hardest — the observation, the feeling, the need, or the request?" Usually the request, because it requires knowing what you actually want.

5.8 — Practice Saying No ⏱ 10 min

Setup: None.

Do it: In pairs. One person makes escalating requests; the other declines each with a single sentence and no reason. Sixty seconds, then switch. Then do it again with the whole room saying "I can't take that on right now" in unison, three times.

Debrief: "How did that feel? What did you want to add?" The urge to explain is the thing being trained out.

Quick reference: activities by time available

If you can only run three activities all term: the Marginal Rate Demonstration, the Salary Negotiation Role-Play, and the Password Manager Setup. Highest value, lowest cost, most durable.

See also: Instructor's Guide · Syllabus · Rubrics