Should There Be a "Reading Rope" for K–8 Financial Literacy?

Scarborough’s Reading Rope. Concrete–Representational–Abstract. Universal Design for Learning.

These are familiar terms to many educators.

They don’t dictate exactly how ELA, math, or other subjects must be taught. Instead, models, frameworks, and instructional approaches like these give educators useful ways to think about how learning develops, how lessons are constructed, and how teaching is approached.

The more time I spend with educators and school leaders, the more familiar I become with the systems, models, and thought processes they have in place that serve as useful guides for educators in the classroom.

And it has made me wonder:

As financial education in schools becomes more prevalent—and the importance of starting financial education early becomes increasingly clear—what could an instructional approach and thought process to K–8 financial literacy look like?

Financial Literacy Should Grow With Students

For more than a year, I’ve been developing a K–8 financial literacy curriculum designed around a simple premise: we should build financial literacy over time, and we shouldn’t wait until high school to begin preparing students to make financial decisions.

But starting earlier also means we have to think differently about what financial literacy looks like at different ages.

I built my K–8 financial literacy curriculum on a progression from Awareness → Articulation → Application, something I’ve coined the 3A Progression.

The progression was intentional, based on my observations from working with children and adults at different stages of financial literacy.

Before we can expect someone to apply financial knowledge, they first have to become aware of the concept.

Then they need to develop enough understanding to articulate what they see and do.

Eventually, they should be able to apply what they know to increasingly real-world situations and decisions.

Awareness — I notice and recognize.

Students begin noticing money in the world around them, recognizing financial concepts, identifying needs and wants, and building foundational financial knowledge.

Articulation — I can explain what I see and do.

Students develop the vocabulary and understanding to talk about money, explain their ideas and choices, and begin considering alternatives and consequences.

Application — I use what I know.

Students use their financial knowledge in real-world situations, evaluate options and trade-offs, make decisions, and explain their reasoning.

In the My Money Success Storyboard™ K–8 curriculum I developed, these stages broadly align with:

K–2: Awareness → 3–5: Articulation → 6–8: Application

But this is where I think the 3A Progression becomes especially interesting: it can also happen within a single topic.

The progression doesn’t have to apply only across grade levels. It can also be used as an instructional sequence within an individual financial literacy topic or lesson.

Take compound interest, for example.

A lesson could first build awareness: What is compound interest? What does it mean for money to earn money—and then for those earnings to begin earning money too?

Then move to articulation: Can the student explain in their own words how compounding works and why time matters?

And finally, application: Can the student use that understanding to compare two savings or investment scenarios, evaluate the impact of different rates or time periods, and make a decision based on what they see?

The complexity of the topic and the depth expected at each stage can change based on the age and readiness of the students.

But the thought process remains:

Do they recognize it? Can they explain it? Can they use it?

To me, that gives the 3A Progression broader potential use:

• At the curriculum level, it provides a way to think about how financial literacy develops as students grow.

  
  

• At the lesson level, it provides a way to structure how students move from encountering a financial concept to understanding and applying it.

Back to the Bigger Question

Should there be a “Reading Rope” for K–8 financial literacy that helps educators structure financial education materials, regardless of which curriculum or resources they use?

I don’t presume to have the answer. The 3A Progression is simply something I’ve intentionally developed and evolved while building the My Money Success Storyboard™ K–8 curriculum, and I don’t claim that it’s some breakthrough discovery. It seems pretty common sense.

My point of reflection, as I speak with more educators and school leaders, is this:

How do we take what we already know about how children learn, incorporate the knowledge already present in financial education, and turn it into a practical, broadly useful model, thought process, or approach that can help K–8 educators in the classroom?