Planning for Future You
Unit 5 · Lesson 5.12 · Last updated June 2026
A 45-minute summative assessment where students identify a meaningful long-term financial goal and write three emails to their future selves with practical financial advice connected to the principles of economic thinking.
Overview
In this lesson, students complete the Unit 5 summative assessment — identifying a long-term financial goal and writing 3 emails to their future selves offering practical financial instructions, advice, and reminders aligned with that goal. This assessment assumes students have background knowledge in personal finance. Review Unit 5 Overview: Personal Finance to determine if this assessment is appropriate for your students. Note: Students should have access to their outline (from Lesson 5.7) while working on the assessment.
Learning Objective
- Apply the principles of economic thinking to personal finance decision making.
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Materials
- Instruction Slides (display during class period)
- Planning for Future You (previously distributed in Lesson 5.7 — bring enough copies for students who may have lost theirs)
- Template, cut into half sheets (1 half sheet per student)
- Exemplar (1 copy for educator reference)
Lesson Sequence
Slides 2–8
- Display Slide 2. Instruct students to clear their desks of all materials other than their copy of Planning for Future You (distributed in Lesson 5.7), notebook paper, and writing utensils. Note: If students were absent during Lesson 5.7 or have lost their copy, distribute a new copy. (Additional educator tips and suggested answers are in the notes section throughout Instruction Slides.)
- Progress through Slides 3–4. Introduce the learning objective and the agenda for the lesson.
- Advance through Slides 5–6. Remind students of the key components of the assessment and to read the rubric carefully before beginning and before submitting their work.
- Proceed to Slide 7. Distribute 1 copy of Template to each student. Tell students to use the structure provided on Template as they write their emails on notebook paper.
- Display Slide 8. Pause for any questions that are useful for the group and remind students that they can ask questions during their individual work time.
Slides 9–11
- Advance through Slides 9–10. Direct students to follow the instructions on Slide 10 and begin working. Circulate while students work to supervise and clarify instructions as needed.
- Proceed to Slide 11 when there are 5 minutes remaining. Announce that students should be getting ready to submit their work.
- Collect all materials and score Planning for Future You using the rubric and optional Exemplar. Pro tip: Students may reasonably choose different goals and justify any number of actions not included in the Exemplar — use it as one illustration of a proficient response, not a model to match exactly.
Aligned Standards
National Standards for Personal Financial Education (will vary depending on student action steps)
What Educators Are Saying
I like that it involves student choice so the assessment is relevant to each student. Also, the sentence starters were super helpful, especially for students needing additional support.
Many of my students only focus on the short term. We had a discussion of what they would do in 4–5 years and focused on the big goals. I love the concept.
I love the concept of thinking about your future self.