Lesson
Protecting Your Credit
Summary
Your credit score isn't damaged by what you spend—it's damaged by how you handle what you owe. This lesson explores how utilization, payment history, and identity theft shape credit health, and what students can do today to protect tomorrow's score.
Bellringer: Score Drop Mystery
- Show the scenario and ask: what hurt this score?
- Collect 2-3 quick guesses before revealing utilization.
Instruction
- Walk through utilization and payment history as the biggest credit threats.
- Use real percentages from FICO weighting.
Discussion: Credit Repair Shop
- Present Amara, then two more personas.
- Have groups diagnose and prescribe a fix before revealing the strategy.
Activity: Advanced Budgeting
- Finish the Advanced Budgeting game, vocab practice, and posttest.
Wrap-Up & Assessment
- What is the single best way to protect your credit?
- What is the fastest fix to a low credit score?
| Est. Time | Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 5 min | Bellringer: Score Drop Mystery |
|
| 10 min | Instruction |
|
| 10 min | Discussion: Credit Repair Shop |
|
| 15 min | Activity: Advanced Budgeting |
|
| 5 min | Wrap-Up & Assessment |
|
Lesson Prep
Advanced Budgeting
Students continue playing the Advanced Budgeting game.
Advanced Budgeting Vocab
Review the vocab terms from Advanced Budgeting.
Advanced Budgeting Posttest
Discover what students have learned.
Class Presentation
Includes a 21-slide deck with teacher notes. Present from Banzai, download a PDF, or copy it to Google Slides.
Presentations, Ready to Go
- Built-in PresentationPresent full screen, straight from Banzai
- Copy to Google SlidesMake an editable copy for your class
- Download or PrintSave as a PDF or print
- Teacher NotesSlide-by-slide guidance, printable as one handout
Unit 6: Credit & Debt
Credit Card Basics
A credit card isn't free money. It's a high-interest loan with a grace period attached. This lesson unpacks how credit cards actually work, why APR matters, and kicks off the Advanced Budgeting simulation.
Protecting Your Credit
Your credit score isn't damaged by what you spend—it's damaged by how you handle what you owe. This lesson explores how utilization, payment history, and identity theft shape credit health, and what students can do today to protect tomorrow's score.
Debt Traps & Repayment
Borrowing 'just a little' at 400% APR can wreck a budget faster than any credit card. This lesson exposes predatory debt traps and equips students with two proven debt repayment strategies—snowball and avalanche.
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