Jump$tart 2021, CEE Financial Literacy, CCSS Math & ELA, FDIC Money Smart. 23-row concept crosswalk with verifiable framework codes and source URLs.
The book's teaching concepts, in order of appearance, with the strongest standard match for each. This is your fastest grant-application reference. ✓ = term has its own entry in the book's official 21-term back-matter glossary.
| # | Concept | Story Pages | Gloss | Primary Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wants vs. Needs | 1–3, 25–26, 30 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending 4-1; CEE Std. 2 |
| 2 | Budgeting | 3, 30 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending 4-3; CEE Std. 2 |
| 3 | Household bills | 3 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending 4-3 |
| 4 | Mortgage | 3 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Credit 4-2 |
| 5 | Income | 24 (implied) | ✓ | Jump$tart: Earning Income 4-6 |
| 6 | Charitable giving | 4 | ✓ | CEE Std. 3; FDIC 3–5 |
| 7 | Sale ads | 4–5 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending 4-5 |
| 8 | Comparison shopping | 5, 9–10, 27, 30 | ✓ | CEE Std. 2; CCSS.Math 2.MD.C.8 |
| 9 | 529 college savings | 6, 24 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Saving 4-2; CEE Std. 3 |
| 10 | College & tuition | 6 | ✓ | CEE Std. 3 |
| 11 | Coupons (paper, mail, email, text) | 7–8, 22 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending 4-5 |
| 12 | Picking the right store | 9–11 | — | CEE Std. 2 |
The book's back matter includes a 21-term verbatim glossary (pages 33–36). Concepts marked ✓ have their own entry. The remaining concepts are taught in the story but defined contextually rather than in a dedicated entry.
| # | Concept | Story Pages | Gloss | Primary Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Clearance section | 13–18 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending 4-5 |
| 14 | Markdowns | 16–18 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending 4-5 |
| 15 | Comparing similar products | 19–21 | — | CCSS.Math 4.NF.B.6 |
| 16 | Smart purchase decision | 21 | — | Jump$tart: Spending 4-4 |
| 17 | Sales tax | 22 | ✓ | CEE Std. 2 |
| 18 | Combining coupon + clearance | 22 | — | Jump$tart: Spending 4-5; CCSS.Math 5.NBT.B.7 |
| 19 | Receipt as proof of purchase | 22 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending |
| 20 | Consumer awareness (“use what you buy”) | 25, 29 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending 4-4 |
| 21 | Lifelong saving habits | 24, 26–30 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Saving 4-1; CEE Std. 3 |
| 22 | Family money games | 27–28 | — | CEE Std. 2 |
| 23 | Future shopping (BF / CM / Prime Day) | 32 | ✓ | Jump$tart: Spending 4-5 |
23 teaching concepts · 5 nationally recognized frameworks · 21 defined back-matter glossary terms · 36 pages · 4 weeks of lesson plans · pre/post assessment with documented gains
The framework has six topic areas — Earning Income, Spending, Saving, Investing, Managing Credit and Managing Risk. Clarence Gets a Bargain hits four of them directly. Codes below are the Grade 4 benchmarks, the band covering K–4.
| Standard | Students will know that… | Book concept |
|---|---|---|
| Spending 4-1 | People differ in their preferences, priorities, and resources available for consuming goods and services. | Wants vs. Needs (pp. 4–8, 25–30) |
| Spending 4-2 | Money can be spent to increase one’s own or another individual’s personal satisfaction or to share the cost of goods and services. | Charity and giving (p. 4) |
| Spending 4-3 | When people make a decision to use money for a particular purpose, they incur an opportunity cost in that they cannot use the money for another purpose. | Household bills; budgeting; sales tax (pp. 3, 22, 30) |
| Spending 4-4 | Purchasing decisions have costs and benefits that can be different for different people. | The purchase decision — screen size vs. antenna; consumer awareness (pp. 20–21, 25, 29) |
| Spending 4-5 | Price, spending choices of others, peer pressure, and advertising about a product or service can influence purchase decisions. | Sale ads; comparison shopping; coupons; clearance and markdowns; sale events (pp. 4–22, 32) |
| Saving 4-1 | When people save money, they are choosing not to spend money today to be able to buy something in the future. | Delayed gratification; lifelong saving habits (pp. 24, 26–30) |
| Saving 4-2 | A savings plan is a plan for setting aside money to pay for a future need, goal, or emergency. | 529 college savings account (pp. 6, 24) |
| Earning Income 4-6 | Income can be received as gifts or as an allowance for which no specified work may be required. | Chores and grades as the path to a reward (pp. 1, 24) |
| Credit 4-2 | When a person pays with credit, they have immediate use of purchased goods or services while agreeing to repay the lender in the future with interest. | Mortgage (p. 3) |
CEE's financial literacy framework has 6 standards. Clarence Gets a Bargain primarily hits Standard 2 (Buying) and Standard 3 (Saving). Standards 1 (Earning Income), 4 (Credit), 5 (Investing), and 6 (Insuring) are not directly addressed in this book.
| Standard | Topic | Book Application |
|---|---|---|
| Standard 2 | Buying Goods and Services | Ad comparison; clearance pick; coupon; sales tax |
| Standard 3 | Saving | 529 college fund; lifelong saving habits; charity giving |
| Standard | Skill | Book Application | Grades |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCSS.MATH.1.OA.A.1 | Add & subtract within 20 (word problems) | Coupon savings | 1 |
| CCSS.MATH.2.OA.A.1 | Word problems involving money | Ad comparison | 2 |
| CCSS.MATH.2.MD.C.8 | Word problems with $ and ¢ | Sales prices, coupon math | 2 |
| CCSS.MATH.3.NBT.A.2 | Add & subtract within 1000 | Multi-store comparison | 3 |
| CCSS.MATH.4.NF.B.6 | Decimal notation for fractions | Markdown (e.g., 10% off) | 4 |
| CCSS.MATH.5.NBT.B.7 | Add/subtract/multiply/divide decimals | Sales tax + final total | 5 |
| Standard | Skill | Book Application | Grades |
|---|---|---|---|
| RI.1.1 / RI.2.1 / RI.3.1 | Ask & answer questions about key details | Comprehension prompts | 1–3 |
| RI.4.1 / RI.5.1 | Refer to details & examples to support inferences | Inferential prompts | 4–5 |
| RI.1.3 – RI.5.3 | Describe relationships between events / ideas | Cause & effect: ad reading → smart purchase | 1–5 |
| RI.1.7 / RI.2.7 / RI.3.7 | Use illustrations & text features | Two-difference robot comparison; clearance sign | 1–3 |
| RF.1.4 / RF.2.4 | Read with fluency to support comprehension | Read-aloud structure | 1–2 |
| SL.1.1 – SL.5.1 | Engage effectively in collaborative discussions | Discussion Guide prompts | 1–5 |
| L.1.4 – L.5.4 | Determine meaning of unknown words | 21 back-matter glossary terms | 1–5 |
| L.3.5 / L.4.5 | Recognize wordplay & figurative language | “Clearance / Clarence” pun; “Wyze” | 3–4 |
Two age-band curricula apply to Clarence Gets a Bargain:
| Curriculum | Topic | Book Concept | Grade Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money Smart Gr. 1–2 | What is money? Where does it come from? | “Money doesn't grow on trees” | 1–2 |
| Money Smart Gr. 1–2 | Wants vs. needs | Reward vs. necessity | 1–2 |
| Money Smart Gr. 1–2 | What is a budget? | Bills walkthrough | 1–2 |
| Money Smart Gr. 3–5 | Smart purchasing decisions | Clearance + coupon | 3–5 |
| Money Smart Gr. 3–5 | Saving for goals | 529 college fund | 3–5 |
| Money Smart Gr. 3–5 | Giving back | Mom mentions charity | 3–5 |
All standards codes in this document were current as of 2026. Frameworks update periodically — verify against the current edition before submitting a grant application.
Available at jumpstartcoalition.org/national-standards
Available at councilforeconed.org/national-standards-for-financial-literacy
Available at corestandards.org
Available at fdic.gov/resources/consumers/money-smart
For a filterable digital matrix that lets you select framework or grade level and generate a custom standards report, use the Curriculum Alignment Matrix tool at clarencegetsabargain.com/resources. It opens an email draft pre-populated with your filter selection — we respond within 1 business day.
Cite the relevant Jump$tart, CEE, and CCSS standards from the crosswalk for each lesson. The 4-week structure produces measurable pre/post gains that satisfy most state Title I literacy block reporting templates.
CRA examiners look for documented financial literacy programming with clear curriculum, age-appropriate content, and tracking data. This chart + the assessment worksheet's class data table covers all three. Bulk pricing available for branch-distribution programs (orders@clarencegetsabargain.com).
Most foundation grants for K–5 financial literacy require: (1) standards alignment, (2) measurable outcomes, (3) family/community engagement. The toolkit covers all three — this chart for alignment, the assessment worksheet for outcomes, the family activity sheet for engagement.
For purchase orders, Title I pricing, bulk educator copies, or CRA documentation packages, contact orders@clarencegetsabargain.com. POs accepted. Net 30 standard.
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