| By Rebecca Christensen, Sponsor Relations for Banzai
Banzai is a free platform for online financial literacy used by more than 80,000 teachers throughout the United States, thanks to the sponsorship of over 800 banks and credit unions. Students learn through trial and error with Banzai simulation games and workbooks, preparing them for adult life. Teachers use Banzai for its comprehensive curriculum, ease of use, and engaging teaching style. Watch this video to get a quick idea of what we’re all about.
Our Mission: To promote early financial education to better prepare young students with positive money management skills. We do this by continually improving our Banzai software to provide the latest, innovative materials for our teachers to use in their classrooms. We hope Banzai will encourage students to seek knowledge for their future, sponsors to support their community with a long-term investment, and employees to be proud of the difference we make towards the future of our country. |
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- Simulation Courses: The bedrock of Banzai is the free simulation courses: Junior (ages 8 to 12), Teen (ages 13 to 18), and Plus (ages 16 and up). All three courses play sort of like the Oregon Trail game. Players can go back and review their decisions, replay to get a different outcome, and experience the consequences of financial decisions, all while saving toward a goal. Junior players run a lemonade stand and have to navigate inventory, income, budgeting, and the money decisions that go along with being a kid trying to have fun. Teen players learn what it’s like to have full-time wages while trying to save for college registration. Plus players learn to protect their credit score while saving toward a down payment for a home. All three courses teach kids to expect trade-offs with each decision, plan for the future, and budget wisely. Banzai is also available in Spanish. More info!
- Workbooks: Teachers who want to keep the conversation going can order from among three booklets for free that supplement the simulation courses, shipped right to their classroom. The Junior Workbook has a fun card game, money math, crossword puzzle, and prompt for interviewing an adult about personal finance. The Teen and Plus Workbooks challenge students’ comprehension skills, problem solving, application, writing, and vocab skills too!
- Easy Grading: The teacher interface automatically grades all pre- and post-tests and tracks students’ decisions and progress throughout the game. Teachers get to add as many classes as they want, and all student info is protected, as our software complies with the highest privacy standards, COPPA and FERPA. The dashboard also includes extra worksheets and activities.
- Wellness Center: Teachers also have complete access to our Banzai Interactive Library, a central repository of detailed articles on personal finance, robust financial calculators, and a virtual financial adviser called the Banzai Coach. Many middle and high-school teachers will find that this resource is a great supplement (even a centerpiece) for financial curriculum. The topics are far-ranging and geared toward adults, which reinforces the real-world nature of their educational value.
Find us in the Jump$tart Clearinghouse!
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- Import Student Data from Google Classroom: Teachers can now easily import existing Google Classroom classes into Banzai.
- Digital Citizenship Course: Are your students using the internet safely? It only takes one misstep to cause serious damage to a person’s identity, finances, or device. This course teaches skills your students will use every single day. Students navigate online safety in this role-play style game. They’ll sign up for a fictional social media app, decide what to post, and encounter challenges inspired by real-world situations. We have included extra modules, including cyber bullying and digital wellness.
- Cost of College Course: Cost of College helps students (ages 15-18) prepare for the reality of transitioning to college life. This whimsical take on a traditional expense list walks students through a virtual tour of lands that represent all of the major expenses associated with higher education—and while the land is fantastical, the calculation of college costs is anything but. These costs include tuition, fees, rent, supplies, and more. This course is built with a sophisticated and powerful data set from the National Center for Education Statistics, meaning it can help students estimate everything from expected fees to the average cost of their school’s meal plan. This course is perfect for High School seniors!
- More Courses Incoming! We are excited to announce that we have even more free courses in production. Stay tuned!
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Sign up to start using it for free in your classroom today!
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Contact:
support@teachbanzai.com
(888) 822-6924
Accessibility Statement |
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