High School Learning
Please enjoy these free resources for the learners in your life, no matter where they are learning. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back often for new/updated content.
Have ideas on other resources you’d like to see added? Send us a note.
JA INSPIRE
JA Inspire is JA’s premier virtual career exploration program for middle and high school students! Students can explore career options, network with local Arizona employers, participate in a virtual scavenger hunt, and more in this exciting interactive experience!
High School Lesson Plans
Explore a variety of lesson plans for at-home learning geared toward career readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.
Have ideas on other resources you’d like to see added? Send us a line.
DAY 1: START MAPPING OUT YOUR FUTURE TODAY!
LESSON 1 – MATCH ME TO THE PERFECT CAREER
Find out what careers match your interests! Take 5 minutes to complete the online Interest Assessment quiz and then explore potential careers.
- Category: Career Exploration
- Type: Online Quiz
- Time: 20 minutes
LESSON 2 – JA CAREER DECISIONS
Create a career plan based upon your interests and talents and learn how to set SMART goals to achieve your plan.
- Category: Career Exploration
- Type: Interactive Slideshow and Activity
- Time: 25 minutes
LESSON 3 – HOW TO CRAFT AN ELEVATOR PITCH
How would you pitch yourself to a potential employer? Create and learn how to use an elevator pitch.
- Category: Work Readiness
- Type: Activity
- Time: 15 minutes
LESSON 4 – HOW TO GET AND KEEP A JOB: YOUR WORK VALUES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Learn how your work ethic and making solid choices will help you get and keep a job.
- Category: Work Readiness
- Type: Interactive Slideshow
- Time: 15 minutes
DAY 2: BUDGET FOR A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE
LESSON 1 – PATHWAY TO FINANCIAL SUCCESS: TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE
Explore three self-paced online modules (Imagine Your Financial Future, Money Habits, and Spending Wisely) that will give you the tools to start making sound financial decisions to meet your life goals.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Interactive Activity
- Time: 30-45 minutes (each module 10-15 minutes)
LESSON 2 – JA NEXT LEVEL STUDENT BUDGETING
Practice budgeting by tracking your spending and unexpected expenses during a vacation
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Activity and Excel Budget
- Time: 30 minutes
LESSON 3 – CAN YOU AFFORD A CAR PAYMENT?
Learn how to calculate your future car payment using the rate, loan term and loan amount.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Activity
- Time: 15 minutes
LESSON 4 – HOW TO PLAN FOR UNEXPECTED HIGH SCHOOL COSTS
Discover how investing in an interest-bearing savings account can help you buy big-ticket items.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Activity Worksheet
- Time: 25 minutes
DAY 3: ENTREPRENEURSHIP – BE YOUR OWN BOSS
LESSON 1 – CREATE A BUSINESS PLAN TO BECOME YOUR OWN BOSS
Take this opportunity to research, design, plan, and run your own business!
- Category: Entrepreneurship
- Type: Interactive Online Tutorial
- Time: 45 minutes
LESSON 2 – JA VIDEO LIBRARY
Select 2-3 young entrepreneur videos that interest you. Watch and listen to their stories and advice and hear why it’s cool to run a business.
- Category: Entrepreneurship
- Type: Videos
- Time: 15 minutes (each video is 3-4 minutes)
LESSON 3 – EXPLORE THE STRENGTHS AND TALENTS OF ENTREPRENEURS
*DOWNLOAD ACTIVITY HERE
Examine the skills and traits of successful entrepreneurs and make a plan to develop them in yourself.
- Category: Entrepreneurship
- Type: Interactive Slideshow and Activity
- Time: 25 minutes
DAY 4: CAREER OPTIONS: WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?
LESSON 1 – RESEARCH YOUR IDEAL CAREERS
Are you curious about the salaries, job outlook and education requirements of the careers you are interested in? Explore the answers here!
- Category: Career Exploration
- Type: Reading
- Time: 15 minutes
DAY 5: MAKE SMART FINANCIAL DECISIONS
LESSON 1 – HOW DOES YOUR CAREER CHOICE IMPACT YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE?
This app will let you explore careers, their education requirements, tuition repayment cost, and break down your potential ROI (return on investment) into real and understandable numbers.
- Category: Career Exploration
- Type: App
- Time: 15 minutes
LESSON 2 – HOW DO YOU PLAN FOR UNEXPECTED EXPENSES?
*DOWNLOAD ACTIVITY HERE
Learn how unexpected expenses can impact your budget and how an emergency fund can help.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Interactive Slideshow and Activity
- Time: 15 minutes
LESSON 3 – JA GRADES COUNT!
DOWNLOAD ACTIVITY HERE
Do your grades really matter? Explore the consequence of grades and the other factors that can affect college options and scholarships.
- Category: Prep for Your Future
- Type: Reading and online activity
- Time: 25 minutes
LESSON 4 – ALL ABOUT CREDIT: CREDIT CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOU
*DOWNLOAD WORKSHEET HERE
Money is fun to get and spend. Learn how to start saving and how to boost your earning power.
- Category: Financial Literacy
- Type: Reading and free online course
- Time: 15 minutes
High School ONLINE ACTIVITIES
Have ideas on other resources you’d like to see added? Send us a line.
MONEY MANAGEMENT & FINANCIAL LITERACY
JA Access Your Future (also available on iTunes and Google Play) – An app that helps break down cost of goals and dreams into real and usable numbers
JA Economics Investigation (Reading) – Six different readings and investigations about micro and macro economics
JA Excellence Through Ethics – Budget Benders (Activity) – Parent or teacher-led: Learn the challenges inherent in effective budgeting, and analyze and diagnose fiscal problems
JA Excellence Through Ethics – Debt Management & Mismanagement (Activity) – Parent or teacher-led: Learn the consequences of mismanaging personal debt and review debt management tools
JA Extracurricular Expenses (Interactive Slideshow) – Explore how to budget for extracurricular activities that are part of many students’ high school experiences
JA Influencer (Reading) – Parent or teacher-led: This resource discusses financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship and dives into current events to prompt learning
JA Next Level Student Budgeting (Activity) – Practice budgeting by tracking your spending and unexpected expenses during a vacation
JA Planning for Financial Success (Interactive Slideshow) – Have you thought about your financial future? Learn more about the benefits of financial goal planning.
JA Sales and Property Taxes (Interactive Slideshow) – Taxes are unavoidable and can affect your financial decision making. Learn the impact taxes have on your decisions.
Financial Literacy Resources (Reading and Activities) – Parent or teacher-led: Lessons to teach kids about financial literacy
Hands On Banking (Free Online Courses) – Online courses that teach about how to create a spending plan, build credit, school loans, and how continuing education fit into your financial future
How to Help Your High Schooler Set a Savings Goal (Free Online Courses) – A guide to help you teach your students the basics of spending and saving
Learn How to Build Your Future, Manage Your Money and Deal With Financial Challenges (Reading) – 20+ articles that teach how to make smart financial decisions
Money Smart Lessons for Young People (Videos and Activities) – Parent or teacher-led: Lessons on money, earning, saving, goals and more!
Pathway to Financial Success: Take Control of Your Financial Future (Interactive Activity) – Explore self-paced modules and tools to help equip you to make sound financial decisions and achieve your life goals
Resources to Help Navigate Important Conversations With Teens (Reading) – Parents, use these tools to help your teen to pursue their dreams and become financially stable, independent adults
Smart About Money (Free Online Courses) – Self-directed 45 minute online courses on basic money management topics (Credit and Debt, Insurance, Looking for Employment, Spending and Saving)
Unexpected Expenses (Find the accompanying worksheet here) (Interactive Slideshow) – Learn how unexpected expenses can impact your budget and how an emergency fund can help
CAREER EXPLORATION
JA Access Your Future (App) – Use this tool to break down the cost of achieving your career goals into real, easy-to-understand numbers 
JA Assembling Your Career (Online App) – Learn about STEM careers and ways to prepare for them while still in school
JA Career Decisions (Interactive Slideshow) – Create a plan based on your interests and talents, and learn how to set goals to achieve your plan
JA Inspire (Interactive Experience) – Explore careers, network with Arizona employers, and attend panel discussions in JA’s premier virtual career exploration fair!
JA My Way (Interactive Online Activity) – Keep your career goals on track through learning about your personality, career options, resumes, saving for college and more!
Explore Occupations and Compare Their Growth Rates, Salaries, and Educational Requirements (Interactive Tool) – Research and learn about the careers that interest you
ME3.com: Major and Career Quiz (Interactive Activity) – Find a major, degree program and career that fits with this online interactive major and career quiz
WORK READINESS
JA Excellence Through Ethics – Choose Your Professional Attitude (Activity) – Parent or teacher-led: Explore how a positive attitude in the face of others’ negativity is part of a good work ethic
JA Excellence Through Ethics – Ethics Under Pressure (Activity) – Parent or teacher-led: Explore ethics and different role-playing scenarios to practice ethical decision making
JA Getting to Know Excel (Interactive Tutorial) – Learn how to use Excel
JA Getting to Know PowerPoint (Interactive Tutorial) – Learn how to use PowerPoint
JA Getting to Know Word (Interactive Tutorial) – Learn how to use Word
JA Project Management (Interactive Tutorial) – Learn about project management using different tutorials
JA Work Values – Explore how to get and keep a job
ENTREPRENEUR INSPIRATION
JA Excellence Through Ethics – The Customer Service Game (Reading and Activity) – Parent or teacher-led: Students examine customer service and consider attitudes and behaviors that build customer trust
JA Excellence Through Ethics – You’re the Boss (Reading and Activity) – Students will investigate the leadership role that entrepreneurs must take as they hire employees
JA MyBiz Builder (Online App) – Interactive business plan builder to research, plan and run your own business
JA Video Library (Videos) – Watch young entrepreneurs share their stories, advice, and discuss why it’s cool to run a business
MISCELLANEOUS
JA Grades Count! (Interactive Lesson) – Do your grades really matter? Explore the consequences of grades and other factors that can affect college options and scholarships 
Interpreting a Financial Aid Award Letter (Find the accompanying worksheet here) (Reading and Activity) – Learn how to interpret a financial aid award letter and negotiate for more aid
FAFSA RESOURCES
Applying for Financial Aid with FAFSA (Find the accompanying worksheet here) (Reading and Online Activity) – Learn how to complete the free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to apply for aid