5 Day Curriculum for Middleschoolers
NextGen Finance developed a five-day business and entrepreneurship summer course for middle school students through Help on the Go, a program with "The Salvation Army" serving underserved youth in Hollywood, including students from Latino and Ukrainian refugee backgrounds. The camp introduced students to foundational business concepts through interactive lessons, activities, and hands-on projects.
Each day focused on a different aspect of business, including career exploration, personal finance, investing, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, branding, and marketing.
As a culminating project, students identified a problem they personally experienced, brainstormed a potential solution, developed a prototype, and created a strategy to market their idea.
Our Lesson
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Day 1
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Understand different career paths and income types
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Learn how people get paid (hourly, salary, commission)
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Introduce basic tax concepts
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Day 2
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Understand common expenses (housing, food, utilities)
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Differentiate between needs vs. wants
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Learn basic financial tools (checks, credit cards)
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Day 3
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Understand interest and compound growth
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Learn basic stock market concepts
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Volatility, bull vs. bear, dividends, etc.
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Introduce major indices (S&P 500)
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Day 4
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Understand what problems people are facing
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Learn why these problems are dealt with
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Develop a solution
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Day 5
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Apply knowledge from the previous day
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Develop a brand identity
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Understand how to market a business
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Worksheets
