Curated OER
Scarcity and Choice
After reading the book A Bargain for Frances, young economists discuss how money is exchanged for goods or services. They demonstrate effective financial decision-making by listing ways to save money for a product they would like to buy.
Visa
Savvy Spending: Sharpening Money Decisions
Do you really need that new laptop/phone/dress/jacket/etc.? Financial decisions require us to distinguish between our wants and our needs. Through discussion and the evaluation of scenarios on provided worksheets, this resource will...
University of Texas
Scarcity
How can having too little of something impact your life? Scholars investigate the concept of scarcity in their own lives and in the overall picture of the economy. Brainstorming activities as well as student-parent work bring to light...
Carolina K-12
Factors of Production and Economic Decision-Making
Class members begin this engaging economics activity by listing all the resources used in producing a car and using that example to draw parallels to the four primary factors of production: capital goods, labor, natural resources, and...
Carolina K-12
Comparing Economic Systems
How do people make decisions in a world where wants are unlimited but resources are not? How do individuals and governments utilize scarce resources (human, natural, and capital) in different economic systems? Introduce your learners to...
Federal Reserve Bank
Monster Musical Chairs and Scarcity
Why can't we have everything we want? Youngsters are introduced to the concept of scarcity through a game of musical chairs and by discussing what it takes to satisfy our wants.
Illustrative Mathematics
Field Day Scarcity
Introduce young mathematicians to concepts of financial literacy with this open-ended word problem. With seven dollars to spend during field day and given a list of available items and their prices, children must determine how they want...
Curated OER
Economics Unit I - The Basics
Twelfth graders access how scarcity requires individuals and institutions to make choices about how to use available resources. They explore the characteristics of different economic systems and institutions. Student are able to describe...
Federal Reserve Bank
Lesson 1: Katrina Strikes
Most families have an emergency kit in their home with flashlights, water, and extra food. But what happens to your money when disaster strikes? An economics lesson focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrates the...
Curated OER
Food Insecurity
Explore food insecurity and resource scarcity with your class. They discuss the sharing of scarce resources, how to be good caretakers of these resources, and how choices impact the entire world.
Visa
A Plan for the Future: Making a Budget
From fixed and variable expenses to gross income and net pay, break down the key terms of budgeting with your young adults and help them develop their own plans for spending and saving.
Curated OER
Money and Credit: Making Good Decisions
Students participate in activities that teach them how to manage money. In this managing money lesson plan, students set long and short term goals for economic success by having discussions, identifying benefits of saving, and...
Curated OER
Mucket Mania: The Mussel Industry in Arkansas
Middle and high schoolers read and discuss articles about the mussel industry in Arkansas. They pay close attention to the history of pearling and button making industries on the Black and White Rivers of Arkansas. This impressive,...
Curated OER
What Will I Do?
Eighth graders investigate future career choices by looking at classified ads in the newspaper. They consider their lifestyle choices when looking at career options. They prepare a written essay which details how they will prepare for...
Curated OER
Introduction to Economics
Students demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of unlimited wants and limited resources. They participate in an activity using money to purchase goods and services. Students evaluate benefits and costs resulting from personal...
Curated OER
Edwin Perkins: A Nebraska Success Story
Fourth graders explore the life of the inventor of Kool-Aid to unearth concepts of a market economy. Vocabulary presented helps support the learning process.
Visa
Dream Big: Money and Goals
Whether their objective is independent living, going to college, or buying a car, pupils will participate in discussions and complete worksheets to gain an understanding of how short- and long-term goals play a large role in helping...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama Tenant Farmers and Sharecroppers, 1865 to Present
The tenant farming and sharecropping systems that developed in the South after the Civil War, the reasons for their development, and the eventual decline of these systems are the focus of this two-day plan.
Curated OER
Prioritizing National Economic Goals
Eighth graders define the generally accepted list of national economic goals. They discuss the compatability/incompatibility of goals. They participate in a consensus-building exercise to rank economic goals in order of importance.
Curated OER
This Land Is Your Land
Students explore the many faces of America through the video, "This Land Is Your Land." They discuss places they may have visited and record their responses. Students create symbols that respresent the riches of America.
Curated OER
We Need More Than Money
Students identify examples of private resources. In this philanthropy lesson, students read the book A Chair for My Mother and identify the private resources the characters used in the text. Students name private resources that can help...
Curated OER
What's the Earth Worth?
Students are able to identify natural resources from a shared reading by highlighting, scoring at least a 3 on a 4 point rubic. They describe in journal entries, after reading the book Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping or Curious Geogre Goes...
Curated OER
Economics Using SimCity 2000
Fifth graders build a city and balance a budget for the population.
Curated OER
China: One Nation: Two Futures
Tenth graders explore the evolution of Chinese communism to its present export-driven economy. Working in groups, they examine various articles about reforms in Chinese society. They write essays about the impact of political reform on...