Prevent the Federal Reserve System from becoming a dry topic for your middle and high schoolers by using an informative, engaging resource! The cartoon takes your class on a journey with aliens from the planet of Novus to observe the...

Individuals have $50,000 to spend on a program at their schools—what will they do with the money? After looking at the Constitutional mandate, learners use a census simulation activity to consider the question. After conducting their own...

Just what should the federal government do to help low-income citizens find safe and affordable housing? After viewing several video clips on the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including an interview with the current HUD...

Creating a federal budget is a balance. Members of Congress must fund what is necessary, evaluate new ideas, and consider how much debt the government is willing to carry. Individuals experience the process using a simulation video game...

Exchange rates are dependent on a variety of factors. Scholars tease out these factors using a prompt from College Board. Another query examines the economic health of a country with barometers such as gross domestic product and wages. A...

Over the past two decades, the federal government has shut down at least four times. Pupils may have a tough time understanding the significance of these events without appropriate background. A graphic resource traces the budget...

How can a federal debt accumulate over time? The Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) dashboard allows scholars to actively research each aspect of the federal budget. In pairs, they analyze economic data to determine the best way to...

The federal budget has never been so fun! Using an interactive game, high schoolers choose from a variety of policy options after identifying goals and try to balance these changes in policy with a federal budget. 

Give learners a crash course in balancing the books on the United States federal government level with an economics and government resource. Class members engage in a warm-up discussion and brainstorming session before answering...

Is your class studying President George H.W. Bush? If so, they can find out about how he became president and some of the economic problems he faced while in office by reading this brief informational text. There are three questions to...

What is the fiscal cliff, what does it imply, and why are some people fearful of it? This video uses President Obama's proposed budget proposal of 2013 and that of republicans to provide a context for understanding the fiscal cliff. The...

Learners work through ten transactions that will help them understand credits and debts on a global scale. They then discuss each transaction in terms of the global economy. An extension activity and discussion questions are included.

Upper graders listen to a podcast on the EconTalk website featuring economist Keith Hennessey. The podcast focuses on the Budget Control Act of 2011, the national debt, and government spending. They read specifics about the BCA, then...

Every adult should know that it is their responsibility to help fund public goods and services by paying taxes. Help young people get a handle on the history, evolution, purposes for, and reasons why they should pay taxes too. 

Students examine the susceptibility of legislators to agricultural lobbyists to support subsidy programs. In small groups, they role-play as members of interest groups that might be affected by inflation.

Sobering, informative, and relevant for today, this presentation is sure to fill in some of the gaps between the current financial crisis and the theories of economics. With explanatory graphs and strong discussion points, these slides...

Students create, present, revise, and defend a Federal budget.

Budget deficit, national debt, and GDP are covered in this lecture-driven video. The information is clear and relays the concept of healthy and unhealthy debt in the United States.

Class members watch the video, “Implications of the 2010 Midterm Elections: Battle for the Federal Budget,” examine political cartoons, and analyze the impact the 2010 midterm election results had on Barack Obama’s presidency. Originally...

The Reagan Administration brought new attention to the idea of a balanced federal budget, but Ronald Reagan wasn't the last president to pursue the economic goal. Learners research the last 40 years in politics and economics with a...

Students examine how to balance the federal budget. In this American economics activity, students read the provided article "Congress Debates Cutting the Budget." Students then collaborate in small groups to determine how to balance the...

In this government spending - earmarks worksheet, students research this topic (there are many links listed), examine the issue, write a letter to their congressional representative or a local newspaper, make a video or analyze the...

In this global problems worksheet, students are given a list of ten issues that we face world wide and they rank the list in order of priority after discussing the topics with a group. Students then order the top ten problems that we...

High schoolers examine the categories for federal spending using the internet to locate them. They create a list of expenditures noting them as government purchases or transfer payments. They analyze the patterns of spending during the...