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Paying for College

Eighth graders explore the ways people pay for college — scholarships and grants (money you don’t repay), student loans (money you borrow), work-study jobs, and 529 savings plans. Knowing the options early helps you plan ahead.

Grade 8Paying for College50 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…

  • ✓Explore ways to pay for college.
  • ✓Tell free money from loans.
  • ✓Understand planning ahead.
  • ✓Think about your future.
Essential Question

College can be expensive — so how do people pay for it? There are more options than you might think.

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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

The College-Funding Explorer

Project this and tap each. Have students learn the ways people pay for college.

🎓 Explore ways to pay for college — tap eachTry it

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 — How to Pay for College

5 min

College can be expensive — how do people pay for it?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask how to afford college.
  • Ask what options exist.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Wonder.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Paying for College

12 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the College-Funding Explorer.
  • Present each option.
  • Note repaid vs not.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a “free money” option.
  • Name a loan.
  • Explain the difference.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Name it.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

11 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Plan a mix of funding.
  • Prioritize free money first.
  • Share your plan.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Plan.
  • Prioritize.
  • Share.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a funding option.
  • Say if it’s repaid.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • 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
Financial Decision Making

Explore college funding.

C3
D2.Eco.2.6-8

Explain investing in education.

C3
D4.7.6-8

Take informed action (a plan).

NSPFE
Saving

Plan for future costs.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Funding option cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is ___.”
  • Use examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with scholarship and loan.
  • Use pictures.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Research a real scholarship.
  • Compare loan types.
  • Learn about the FAFSA.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🎓Funding cards
  • 💻The College-Funding Explorer
  • 📋A funding plan
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

college costtuition & feesscholarshipearned money, not repaidgrantneed-based money, not repaidstudent loanborrowed money, repaidwork-studya campus jobFAFSAthe aid applicationtuitionthe cost of classessavingsmoney set aside
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
What is a scholarship?
Money for college you earn and don’t pay back.
QUESTION 2
How is a student loan different from a scholarship?
A loan must be paid back with interest; a scholarship is not repaid.
QUESTION 3
What is work-study?
A part-time campus job that helps pay for school.

Reflect: paying for college.

Have students name two ways to pay for college and which don’t need to be repaid. A printable college-funding 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.

🃏 Paying for CollegeFlip
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.

📝 Paying for CollegeQuiz
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.

🖨️ Paying for CollegePrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: college cost, FAFSA, grant, savings, scholarship, student loan, tuition, work-study
  1. the aid application
  2. money set aside
  3. earned money, not repaid
  4. borrowed money, repaid
  5. need-based money, not repaid
  6. tuition & fees
  7. the cost of classes
  8. a campus job

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is a scholarship?
  2. How is a student loan different from a scholarship?
  3. What is work-study?
Answer key — Part A: 1) FAFSA · 2) savings · 3) scholarship · 4) student loan · 5) grant · 6) college cost · 7) tuition · 8) work-study
Part B: 1) Money for college you earn and don’t pay back. 2) A loan must be paid back with interest; a scholarship is not repaid. 3) A part-time campus job that helps pay for school.