Federal Reserve Bank
The Story of the Federal Reserve System
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...
Carolina K-12
Learning About the Federal Budget: “Get a Pencil, You’re Tackling the Deficit!”
Your class members have been selected by the president to help solve the budget crisis as part of a special deficit commission. After learning about fiscal policy, economic theories, and the federal budget through a detailed PowerPoint...
US Department of Commerce
Featured Activity: How the Census Impacts My Community
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...
College Board
2011 AP® Macroeconomics Free-Response Questions Form B
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...
Council for Economic Education
FRED and the Federal Budget Interactive Lesson
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...
Council for Economic Education
Federal Budget Lesson Plan and Fiscal Ship Student Game
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.
Council for Economic Education
The Role of Government: The Federal Government and Fiscal Policy
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...
Curated OER
Balance of Payments (BOP)
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.
Curated OER
Understanding the Debt Ceiling Debate and the Budget Control Act of 2011
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...
Curated OER
Chapter 18: Deficits, Surpluses, and the Public Debt
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...
Curated OER
Understanding Tax: Your Role as a Tax Payer
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.
Curated OER
Economics: Actions of Government
Learners 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.
Curated OER
Budget Debate: How Would You Balance the Federal Budget?
Students examine how to balance the federal budget. In this American economics lesson, students read the provided article "Congress Debates Cutting the Budget." Students then collaborate in small groups to determine how to balance the...
Curated OER
Government Spending - Earmarks
For 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...
Curated OER
Ranking Global Problems
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...
Council for Economic Education
Government Spending: Why Do We Spend the Way We Do?
Students 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 past 40...
Curated OER
Should America Balance the Federal Budget?
Young scholars analyze the federal budget of the United States. In this national debt lesson plan, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of the balancing the federal budget. Young scholars respond to...
Curated OER
Paying for Government Services
Students identify major sources of revenue for government spending and identify the type of tax that makes up the largest percentage of the federal budget. They are introduced to the major services provided by local, state and national...