Educator Resources
Plan a field trip to our Chicago or Detroit location, book a virtual presentation for your classroom with one of our Fed Ambassadors, or find resources to enhance your curriculum or support your professional development.
Book a Field Trip to the Money Museum in Chicago
Planning a field trip to the Chicago Fed’s Money Museum at 230 South LaSalle Street?
The Money Museum is most appropriate for middle and high school students. Museum staff members are not able to accommodate reservations for student groups younger than sixth grade. Student groups are required to have at least one adult chaperone for every ten students aged 17 or younger. Reservations are required for student groups with 15 or more attendees. If you do not have a reservation, your group may be turned away if the museum is at capacity.
Student group reservations can be made for Tuesday through Friday at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, and 2 pm.
Money Museum tour programming is designed to help your students master the following Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics published by the Council of Economic Education:
- Standard 11: Money and inflation
- Standard 12: Interest rates
- Standard 20: Fiscal and monetary policy
A student group program at the Money Museum also connects with the following Illinois civics and economics standards:
- Civics: SS.6-8.CV.1.MdC.
- Economics/Financial Literacy: SS.6-8.EC.1., SS.6-8.EC.9., SS.9-12.EC.FL.3., SS.9-12.EC.FL.9
Book a Field Trip to the Detroit Visitor Center
Groups of high school juniors, seniors and college students are all welcome by appointment at the Detroit Visitor Center at 1600 East Warren Avenue.
Find Out MoreThe Fed in Your Classroom
This online program covers the core functions of the Federal Reserve as well as information about Fed careers. A knowledgeable Fed Ambassador will walk students through an interactive slideshow and answer questions in real time.
Available for middle school (35–40 minutes) and high school (45 minutes) students.
RegisterCurriculum and Training Materials
Econ Lowdown
Econ Lowdown, a website produced by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, is a free platform with online resources for K-12 and college classrooms. Find the following information and more, at www.econlowdown.org:
- Classroom activities
- Teacher professional development
- Student training
- Syllabus builder
The Chicago Fed has curated syllabi designed to complement your Money Museum field trip or Fed in Your Classroom presentation. These syllabi for middle school and high school are available on Econ Lowdown. To access these:
- Sign up for an Econ Lowdown instructor account.
- While logged in, navigate to the Resource Gallery.
- In the search bar, type “Money Museum.”
- Click the appropriate syllabus for your students from the following options:
- Chicago Fed’s Money Museum Middle School Syllabus
- Chicago Fed’s Money Museum Middle School Syllabus: (Spanish)
- Chicago Fed’s Money Museum Syllabus: Fed in Your High School Classroom
- Add it to your virtual classroom by clicking the plus sign in the upper right corner.
Federal Reserve Education
Federal Reserve Education provides free educational resources from across the Federal Reserve System. Visit www.federalreserveeducation.org to:
- Learn more about the Reserve Bank in your area
- Order publications
- Find online educational resources for audiences K–adult
- Connect with events and programs for educators and students
About the Chicago Fed
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago is, first and foremost, an organization devoted to serving the public good. We are committed to fostering economic opportunity by advancing a healthy, inclusive economy and promoting a trusted financial system. The below video explains the work, mission and goals of the Chicago Fed in more detail.
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