Curriculum Match Slides
Junior Achievement Analysis
Curriculum Alignment Workshop
Aligning the Focus:
JA Ourselves vs. JA Our Families
Investigating grade-level financial literacy standards, diagnosing instructional alignment, and crafting Level 3+ analytical critiques.
Target Focus: Grade K vs. Grade 1 Curriculum Standards
Case Study Investigation
The Scenario
Case File: Educator Alex
Teaching Assignment
Alex's Planned 1st Grade Lesson
Alex prepared learning materials centered on personal identity, personal coin saving, and individual choices using the JA Ourselves program for a 1st Grade classroom.
Did Alex select the correct curriculum standard for 1st Grade?
Guiding Questions
1
What is the intended developmental audience for JA Ourselves?
2
What core economic lens does JA Our Families introduce?
3
How should Alex modify the lesson to achieve true standards alignment?
Investigation Phase 1 Let’s unpack both Junior Achievement programs
Curriculum Profile 1
Kindergarten Focus
JA Ourselves
The Individual Lens: Personal Self-Awareness & Choices
Self-Concept
Explores individual identity, personal interests, skills, and understanding that each person is unique.
Earn & Save
Introduces physical money basics: earning personal coins, choosing to save vs. spend, and personal wants.
Personal Choices
Focuses on single-person decisions: "What do I want?" and "How can I protect my savings?"
Key Takeaway: JA Ourselves is built for early learners building self-awareness. It does not address cooperative family economics, shared household roles, or workforce interdependence.
Grade Level: Kindergarten (K) Economic Unit: Individual Child
Curriculum Profile 2
1st Grade Focus
JA Our Families
The Social Lens: Family Roles, Jobs & Mutual Support
Family Unit
Examines how diverse families live, work, and collaborate to fulfill shared needs and goals.
Workplace Roles
Explores jobs family members perform inside and outside the home to earn income and support the household.
Economic Support
Emphasizes interdependence: prioritizing family needs over wants and making shared financial decisions.
Key Takeaway: JA Our Families is specifically engineered for 1st Graders to broaden their perspective from "me" to "we," analyzing economic teamwork in family and neighborhood settings.
Grade Level: 1st Grade (Grade 1) Economic Unit: Family & Neighborhood
Curriculum Comparison
Head-to-Head Standards Breakdown
Dimension
JA Ourselves
JA Our Families
Grade Level
Kindergarten
1st Grade
Primary Focus
Self-awareness, personal wants, individual coin saving
Family structure, workplace roles, mutual financial support
Economic Unit
Individual ("Me")
Household & Neighborhood ("We")
Core Activities
Story reading, identifying coins, personal choices
Family job matching, needs vs. wants sorting, team budgeting
Curriculum Shift: Individual Autonomy (K) → Collaborative Economics (1st)
Critical Diagnosis
Evaluation: Incorrect Alignment
Why Alex's Lesson Selection Is Incorrect
Alex selected Kindergarten curriculum for a 1st Grade classroom, causing an instructional and developmental mismatch.
Under-Rigorous Content
Kindergarten focuses only on solo awareness. Using it in 1st Grade deprives students of learning how jobs generate household income.
Missed Standard Objectives
1st Graders must understand interdependent roles, collective family needs, and how work supports a thriving community.
Verdict: Non-Aligned Focus Next Step: Constructing the Level 3+ Writing Critique
Writing Scaffold & Model
Level 3+ Analysis
Scaffolded Sentence Frame
"Alex's lesson preparation is incorrect because [reason]. While JA Ourselves focuses on [K-focus], 1st Grade students using JA Our Families need learning centered around [1st-focus]. To correct this alignment, Alex should adjust the materials to include [instructional shift]."
Model Level 3+ Writing Response
"Alex’s lesson preparation is incorrect because Alex selected Kindergarten content instead of 1st Grade curriculum. While JA Ourselves focuses on individual self-awareness, saving, and personal choices, 1st Grade students using JA Our Families need learning centered around how families function, workplace roles, and mutual economic support. To correct this alignment, Alex should adjust the materials to incorporate family job scenarios and collaborative financial literacy activities."
Criteria: Evidence-Based • Comparative • Actionable Rubric Mastery: Advanced (Level 3+)
Alex's Action Plan
Re-Aligning for 1st Grade
Three Concrete Adjustments for Alex's Materials
1
Integrate Family Job Scenarios
Replace solo coin games with scenarios depicting various jobs family members hold to earn money for household needs.
Shift: "My coin" → "Family jobs"
2
Collaborative Literacy Tasks
Incorporate partner activities where students categorize shared family needs versus wants and simulate joint decisions.
Shift: Solo play → Partner decisions
3
Neighborhood Connection
Connect family economics to the community, showing how businesses and families exchange goods, services, and support.
Shift: Isolated → Interconnected
Fully Aligned to JA Our Families Standards Classroom Ready
Standards Frame Answer Sheet
Teacher Evaluation Guide & Answer Key
Curriculum Alignment Analysis
JA Ourselves vs. JA Our Families
Target: 1st Grade Social Studies & Economics
Inquiry Prompt:
"Did Alex accurately select the correct curriculum focus for 1st Grade? How should Alex adjust the presentation to align with JA Our Families standards?"
Core Verdict: No. Alex selected Kindergarten standards (JA Ourselves) instead of 1st Grade standards (JA Our Families).
Sentence Frame Assist: Component Breakdown
Criteria for Student Mastery
Frame Segment
Target Standard / Expected Answer
Acceptable Student Variations & Notes
1. "Alex's lesson is incorrect because..."
Alex chose Kindergarten curriculum instead of 1st Grade curriculum.
Must identify the grade level mismatch (Grade K vs. Grade 1) and cite JA Ourselves as the incorrect program.
2. "While JA Ourselves focuses on..."
Individual self-awareness, personal choices, and saving solo coins.
Must highlight the individual / personal lens ("me", own wants, basic coin recognition, personal piggy bank).
3. "...students using JA Our Families need..."
How families function, workplace jobs, and mutual economic support.
Must capture the collaborative / social lens (family jobs, household needs vs. wants, working together to earn income).
4. "To correct this, Alex should adjust to include..."
Family job scenarios and collaborative financial literacy activities.
Must suggest concrete instructional materials: partner budgeting, family role-play, needs/wants cards, or community jobs.
Exemplar: Model Level 3+ Writing Response
100% Standards Aligned
“Alex’s lesson preparation is incorrect because Alex selected Kindergarten content instead of 1st Grade curriculum. While JA Ourselves focuses on individual self-awareness, saving, and personal choices, 1st Grade students using JA Our Families need learning centered around how families function, workplace roles, and mutual economic support. To correct this alignment, Alex should adjust the materials to incorporate family job scenarios and collaborative financial literacy activities.”
Key Success Indicator: Synthesizes comparative diagnosis with actionable pedagogical fixes. Score: 4 / 4 (Advanced)
Standards Alignment Lab • Teacher Master Document Page 1 of 2
Evaluation Matrix
Scoring Rubric & Conferring Guide
Standards Alignment Lab
Analytical Argumentation Rubric
