Shopping Homework? Yes, Really.
Clarence learns that the best deals don’t just fall in your lap. Through hands-on “shopping homework,” he discovers how to compare prices, read ads, and find the real value behind every price tag. Your kids will too.
Clarence learns that the best deals don’t just fall in your lap. Through hands-on “shopping homework,” he discovers how to compare prices, read ads, and find the real value behind every price tag. Your kids will too.
Clarence finds a marked-down RoBimmie and takes it back to compare with the newer models. Two small differences — a slightly smaller screen and an antenna. One much smarter choice. This is the moment kids learn that newer doesn’t always mean better.
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Join educators and parents who are teaching kids real-world money skills.
Financial literacy is usually treated as a “high school” topic, but research shows that money habits are formed by age seven. Most educational books on this subject are either too dry for a first-grader or too simplistic for a fifth-grader.
Clarence Gets a Bargain bridges that gap. It is a 36-page narrative tool designed for K–5 classrooms, libraries, and financial education programs. We don’t just tell a story; we provide a roadmap for the following core concepts:
Stop teaching money with abstract worksheets. Teach it with a mission.
DOWNLOAD THE EDUCATOR’S PREVIEWThe concepts in Clarence Gets a Bargain support recognized 1–5 financial literacy and academic frameworks. Educators may find natural connections to the standards below.
*Jump$tart and CEE topic names reference the 2021 National Standards for Personal Financial Education, co-published by the Jump$tart Coalition and Council for Economic Education. CCSS codes reference the Common Core State Standards. FDIC labels reference the FDIC Money Smart and Hands on Banking programs.
Framework connections are suggested by the author based on book content and have not been formally verified or endorsed by the listed organizations. Educators are encouraged to review alignment for their specific curriculum requirements.
† Glossary supports vocabulary across all six topic areas.
Every resource below was built alongside the book — not as an afterthought. The lesson plans map to the same frameworks your district already uses. The assessments produce the data your grant reports require. The family activities extend learning beyond the classroom. Download everything. It’s all free.
The page you send your principal. A guided walkthrough of all six financial concepts in the book, with actual illustrations, a 7-stop story timeline, standards-at-a-glance across Jump$tart, Common Core, and CEE, bulk pricing tiers, and a cliffhanger that makes administrators want to read the ending. Scroll-animated, smartboard-ready, built for the person who signs the purchase order.
Explore PreviewThree 15-minute modules you can teach tomorrow with nothing but the book and a screen. Each module has a built-in countdown timer, a hands-on activity with coupon-style student cards, and a one-click Presentation Mode that turns your smartboard into a full-screen, arrow-key-navigable lesson. Covers needs vs. wants, coupons and discounts, and saving goals. Zero prep means zero prep.
Explore Lessons36 discussion prompts organized into three chapter sections, with a Classroom/Home toggle that swaps facilitation tips for family activities. Filter by depth (Starter, Intermediate, Advanced) or hit the Random button and go. Every prompt expands to reveal a teacher tip or a “Try This at Home” activity. Works at a desk, a dinner table, or in the car on the way to the grocery store.
Explore GuideA five-question interactive quiz that students take on any device. Scenario-based questions with Clarence in every card, instant scoring, animated star ratings, and a printable certificate with the student’s name. Educators get a built-in toolkit with answer key, standards alignment, and a print-ready worksheet version. Use it as a pre/post assessment or a standalone Friday activity.
Explore AssessmentA three-mission family grocery store adventure. Kids enter their Agent Name, sort items into needs vs. wants, hunt for real sale prices, and compare brands side-by-side — all at the actual store. Missions unlock sequentially, and completing all three earns a rank (Bargain Apprentice to Chief Bargain Officer) on a printable mission report. The book comes alive in aisle five.
Explore ActivityAn interactive standards map covering eight financial literacy concepts across four national frameworks: Jump$tart, Common Core Math, Common Core ELA, and CEE. Filter by framework or grade level (1–5), expand any concept to see every aligned standard with its code and description, and generate a custom report for your grant application. Built for purchase orders, Title I submissions, and CRA documentation.
Explore ChartWe seamlessly integrate with institutional procurement workflows. Schools, libraries, financial education programs, credit unions, and corporate partners nationwide.
For school curriculum directors, PTA leadership, and Jump$tart board members. Submit your institutional email to receive a complimentary review copy for adoption evaluation.
Request Exam CopyVolume pricing for school districts, local credit unions, real estate brokerages, Scout troops, and community organizations. Title I volume discounts available.
Request a QuoteCustom co-branded editions for corporate sponsors, financial institutions, and national programs. Available for CRA community development initiatives, financial institution outreach programs, and state-level financial literacy efforts.
Contact UsWe accept Purchase Orders (POs), offer Net 30 terms, and support Title I volume pricing. Contact us to discuss your institution’s procurement process.
Clarence Gets a Bargain is a Lexile-rated (AD 620L) financial literacy resource aligned with FDIC Money Smart for Young People themes and Jump$tart National Standards for K–12 Personal Finance Education. It includes pre-built family engagement activities, making it well-suited to support CRA community development initiatives, Title I supplemental material programs, and corporate financial literacy philanthropy.
When your team asks why you selected this resource, the answer is documented: Jump$tart National Standards (Spending, Saving, Earning Income, Managing Credit). Common Core CCSS.Math.5.NBT.B.7. FDIC Money Smart K–5 themes. Council for Economic Education topics. Pre- and post-assessment activities included.
And the kids actually think it’s hilarious.