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Credit vs Debit

Sixth graders learn the crucial difference between debit (spending your OWN money) and credit (borrowing money you must pay back). Used carefully, credit is a tool; used carelessly, it leads to owing extra in interest.

Grade 6Credit vs Debit50 minutes1 class periodEconomics · C3Explicit teaching4 StandardsC3 / NSPFE
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain debit.
  • ✓Explain credit.
  • ✓Understand interest owed.
  • ✓Use money responsibly.
Essential Question

Two cards look alike but work very differently. What’s the difference between a debit card and a credit card?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Credit vs Debit Check

Project each item and have students answer about credit and debit cards.

💳 Understand credit vs debitTry it
Answer each question about credit and debit cards.
The Lesson · Inquiry Flow (Hook · Explore · Practice · Apply · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Two Cards, Two Meanings

5 min

Two cards look alike but work differently — what’s the difference?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show two look-alike cards.
  • Ask how they differ.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Credit vs Debit

12 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Credit vs Debit Check.
  • Note debit = your money.
  • Note credit = borrowed.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain debit.
  • Explain credit.
  • Explain interest owed.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain.
  • Explain.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

11 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Decide which card for a purchase.
  • Explain the trade-off.
  • Share your reasoning.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Decide.
  • Explain.
  • Share.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say what debit does.
  • Say what credit does.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the C3 Framework (Economics) & the National Standards for Personal Financial Education.

NSPFE
Credit & Debt

Distinguish credit from debit.

C3
D2.Eco.1.6-8

Explain borrowing & lending.

C3
D4.6.6-8

Draw conclusions about responsibility.

NSPFE
Financial Decision Making

Use credit responsibly.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Credit/debit cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ uses ___ money.”
  • Use examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “your money vs borrowed.”
  • Use one clear example.
  • Discuss one idea.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Explain interest on a balance.
  • Compare card uses.
  • Discuss good credit habits.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 💳Sample cards
  • 💻Credit vs Debit Check
  • 📋A comparison chart
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

debit cardspends your own moneycredit cardborrows money to pay backborrowuse money you must returnpay backreturn borrowed moneyinterestextra owed on creditbillthe amount you owebalancewhat you still oweresponsiblecareful with money
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Where does a DEBIT card take money from?
Directly from your own bank account.
QUESTION 2
What does a CREDIT card let you do?
Borrow money you must pay back later.
QUESTION 3
What happens if you don’t pay a credit card bill on time?
You may owe extra money called interest (or a fee).

Reflect: credit vs debit.

Have students explain the difference between spending with debit and borrowing with credit. A printable credit-vs-debit sheet is in the Social Studies library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Credit vs DebitFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Credit vs DebitQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Credit vs DebitPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: balance, bill, borrow, credit card, debit card, interest, pay back, responsible
  1. return borrowed money
  2. careful with money
  3. use money you must return
  4. what you still owe
  5. borrows money to pay back
  6. spends your own money
  7. extra owed on credit
  8. the amount you owe

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Where does a DEBIT card take money from?
  2. What does a CREDIT card let you do?
  3. What happens if you don’t pay a credit card bill on time?
Answer key — Part A: 1) pay back · 2) responsible · 3) borrow · 4) balance · 5) credit card · 6) debit card · 7) interest · 8) bill
Part B: 1) Directly from your own bank account. 2) Borrow money you must pay back later. 3) You may owe extra money called interest (or a fee).