Getting started with Banqer Primary made easy
If you are new to Banqer Primary and are considering time periods and the order in which you should activate each module, this article is a great starting point!
Jump to section:
- How often should I do a full Banqer lesson?
- A full year with Banqer Primary
- One term with Banqer Primary
- Banqer Primary over other time periods
Curriculum planning made easy
Implementing a new tool in the classroom can be both exciting and overwhelming. We often get questions about how Banqer fits into the curriculum, how much time you should devote, or how often you need to teach a full lesson.
In this article, we answer those questions and perhaps some other questions you didn’t know you needed answering!
When planning Banqer lessons, we recommend starting with the Teacher Resource Hub (you'll need to be logged in). It is a self-service portal packed with heaps of already prepared, free material for you.
The three buttons at the top of the hub navigate straight to Banqer's essential planning documents, the Unit Plan, the Curriculum Alignment and the Banqer Module Progressions.
- The Unit Plan provides a holistic overview of each module. It includes links to full lesson plans, homework and worksheets/activities to accompany each module.
- The Curriculum Alignment outlines how student outcomes are connected to the Banqer Primary modules and links through to corresponding resources.
- The Banqer Module Progressions expand and reinforce the order of module activation, which is discussed further on.
How often should I do a full Banqer lesson?
As each class is unique, how often you should teach a Banqer lesson varies based on factors such as how much time you have and if you’re using our lesson plans.
Most teachers get the most out of Banqer by teaching a new lesson roughly every two weeks and supplementing the week's in-between lessons with worksheets, extension activities, class discussions and encouraging optional homework/home discussions to build on student learning.
While it's not necessary to do a full lesson every week, your students will likely still want to log in, so we suggest setting aside time at least once a week, allowing them to check their progress and accounts.
We don’t typically recommend enabling more than one module at a time. Enabling modules makes the module content visible to students and prompts them to complete the module's quiz. If multiple modules are enabled at once, this can overwhelm your students and negatively impact their experience.
If you want to preview a module before deciding if it fits your plans, each module has a Teacher Intro Video, which shows and explains the content of the module you’re currently looking at (see image below).
A full year with Banqer Primary
This option gives you and your students the most time to explore the concepts introduced by Banqer and is our recommendation if time allows.
For your introductory lesson (or one closely following), this is the only time we recommend enabling two modules at once: Basic Income and Expenses.
Enabling those first two modules together allows Banqer to run in the background over those first few weeks. Students can use this time to learn how to log in to their accounts, check that their income is coming in, and any expenses they’re incurring are being recorded correctly.
Once you’re ready to move on, the next module we recommend enabling is Interest on Savings, with the continued progression detailed in the Banqer Module Progressions guide.
For Year 4 and below, the Property and Insurance modules may be a bit advanced, but for Years 5 - 8, we recommend working through all of the modules across the full year.
One term with Banqer Primary
A ten-week term provides a solid introduction to the core concepts introduced in Banqer. What you teach will vary based on how much time you allocate to Banqer lessons, what you’re comfortable teaching, what is most relevant to your class, and what you think will be most engaging.
We’ve provided some examples of how you could structure your program below based on different time allocations:
Example 1 (low time allocation)
- Enable the Basic Income and Expenses modules and teach these together to give your students the money basics
- Enable the Interest on Savings module next so your students can begin moving money into their savings accounts. You can build on the previous two modules and teach your students how income and expenses work alongside savings in the real world
- Enable the KiwiSaver / Superannuation module so you can discuss long-term saving and planning for retirement
- Enable the Transport module near the end of the term and explore what different types of vehicles cost (you have full control over vehicle pricing). Together learn why vehicle insurance is important
Example 2 (moderate time allocation)
- Enable the Basic Income and Expenses modules
- Enable the Interest on Savings module
- Enable the Careers & Employment module and dive into CV creation and job applications. Together with your class decide on some class jobs and have your students apply for these. Each week you can reward jobs well done with Banqer dollars.
- Enable the KiwiSaver / Superannuation module
- Enable the Property module and dive into concepts around the property market including mortgages and rental income. Your students can save up to buy an investment property and grow their net worth
- Enable the Term Deposits module to explore concepts around ‘good interest’ and how your students can earn money on top of the basic income or classroom jobs
- Enable the Transport module
Banqer Primary over other time periods
Do you have more than a term but less than a year? Or maybe you’ve heard about and jumped on Banqer later in the year? Our team would be happy to support you with a PD session!
We can work with you to custom-tailor a progression plan that works for your class and your available time.
To learn more about how Banqer Primary works in classrooms around the country, explore the Banqer educator success stories.
