Late Summer 2017
August 23, 2017
This summer we released an updated version of Magnetar Academy that addresses many of the “pain points” that teachers identified. The new version of the Magnetar Academy curriculum includes extensive revisions. Highlights include:
- Cumulative Projects: End-of-unit projects provide opportunities for students to apply key concepts and for teachers to assess student learning.Project lessons include differentiation suggestions, student instructions, and task-specific rubrics.
- More Relevant Budgeting Lessons: New and revised activities make budgeting more relevant to students by providing opportunities for students to connect budgeting to their own lives in a meaningful way.
- Consumer Focus: Revised activities provide more opportunities for students to play the role of the consumer.
- Slide Decks: Updated slide decks accompanying each lesson are customizable to meet individual classroom needs.
- Up-to-Date Curriculum: The materials are now timely and current, with updated references and data.
- More Media: More videos and additional links are included to make it easier to extend lessons.
- Student Workbook: Student handouts have been reorganized into workbooks so students can have a collection of their work. Request student copies through our website.
- Better PDFs: All digital materials have been reorganized to make downloading for the classroom easier.
- Standards Alignment: New Introduction Documents include detailed alignment to the Illinois Social Science Standards (2016), the Illinois Consumer Education Standards (2015), and the Common Core Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects (2010). Also included are updated alignments to two sets of national financial literacy standards: Jump$tart’s National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education (2015), and the Council for Economic Education’s National Standards for Financial Literacy (2013).
- Lesson Redesign: Lesson structure has been redesigned for ease of use and clarity. In every lesson, miniature images of student handouts are included at point of use, questions to students are clearly identified, and answers to discussion questions and student handouts are provided.