Free lessons on how real companies make money

Unit 1: How real companies make money. Four lessons of one class period each, plus 2–3 periods for the optional capstone. See the whole unit.

The lessons are written for high school students in grades 9–12. They fit personal finance, economics, business, CTE and consumer math classes.

Homeschool families and intro college instructors can use the same files. You don't need a finance background to teach them.

• A teacher page with the objective, timing, steps and standards.
• A student page with no answers. Students open it from a link, a QR code or a short web address.
• A teacher guide (PDF) that includes a 5-minute prep box and a 2-minute background box.
• A student worksheet (PDF) with a short exit ticket. It prints in black and white.
• An answer key (PDF) that shows where every number comes from.
• Slides (PowerPoint) with speaker notes.
• Ideas for English learners, students with IEPs and advanced students.

1. Start with Lesson 1, "Where did $100 go?"
2. Read the 5-minute prep box in the teacher guide.
3. Print the worksheet, and open the slides on your projector.
4. Share the student page by link or QR code. Students don't need accounts.
5. Use the exit ticket and the answer key to check what students learned.

Shorter periods? Every lesson splits into two shorter blocks.

Real companies, real filings.

Every number comes from a company's SEC filings, mostly its Form 10-K (annual report). One Lesson 3 count comes from a Form 10-Q (quarterly report), and the capstone's Starbucks card comes from its fiscal 2026 earnings release (Form 8-K). Each one shows its period and the filing it came from.

The business, not the stock.

Students learn what a company sells, where its money goes and how it reports results. No lesson asks students to pick, rank or value a stock.

Free and open.

Students never log in, and Cityfort collects no personal information about them. The lessons are under CC BY-NC 4.0, so you can copy and adapt them for your class.

Is it really free? Do students need accounts?

Every lesson and file is free, and students never create accounts or log in. The optional teacher email is never needed to download anything.

What grade levels is it for?

The lessons are written for high school, grades 9–12. Homeschool families and intro college instructors can use the same files.

Is there a stock market lesson that doesn't involve picking stocks?

Cityfort's lessons explain what the business behind a stock does and how it reports results. No lesson asks students to pick, rank or value a stock, and nothing on Cityfort is a recommendation.

Can I use it in Google Classroom, Canvas or Schoology?

Every lesson works in Google Classroom, Canvas and Schoology as plain links and PDF or PowerPoint files. Each lesson page also has a "Copy link" button and a "Share to Google Classroom" link.

Can I edit the lessons and share them with colleagues?

Cityfort's lessons are under CC BY-NC 4.0, so you may copy and adapt them for noncommercial use. Credit Cityfort, link to the license and say if you made changes.

What data do you collect about my students?

Cityfort collects no personal information about students. An anonymous page counter with no cookies counts visits, and it stores no IP address. Full answer

All teacher questions

Checking privacy, accessibility or the license before you approve a resource? The About page covers it in one place.

To add the lessons to a district page or library guide, use the share kit. The standards page lists every standard the lessons support, with codes.

Questions or a mistake to report? Use the contact page. We reply within two US school days.

2026–27 first edition, v1.0. Data checked Nov 7, 2026. Lessons by Cityfort, shared under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Company names are trademarks of their owners; Cityfort is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.