Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: What Face Do You Use?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
The students will recognize that in order to facilitate the exchange of goods and services, most nations create currency for use as money. They will examine the characteristics of money by comparing and contrasting examples of U.S. and...
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: The Story of Jack and the Bank Stalk

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Fairy tales have always been used to give lessons about life. The story of Jack and the Bean Stalk is a good instructional activity about the importance of knowing about money and banks. The story of Jack asks the question, "What is money?"
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Pennies Make Cents

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students will review the history of trade before money and will investigate the history of money. Students will locate information about the first coin authorized by the United States and will learn about the penny.
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Changes in Change

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This activity begins with students visiting one web resource that gives them practice in counting money. The second resource goes one step further in that students are given opportunities to make change for make-believe purchases.
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: What Is Money? Why Does It Have Value?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
For this lesson, learners consider the fact that the value of money differs depending on where the money is being spent. In order to understand this idea, students will first develop a deeper understanding of what it means for money to...
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Agent Pincher: P Is for Penny or Where Did Money Come From?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What if we woke up tomorrow and found that there were no more pennies? Or what if we found that money had disappeared altogether -- not only from our pockets but from banks, stores and all the other places where we would expect to find...
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: The Need for Money That Everybody Can Use

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The U.S. Currency currently has two faces. The old bills are being replaced with new designs. The study of the look of the bills will lead into a discussion of their usefulness for a segment of our population: the visually impaired people.
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: The Changing Face of Money

For Teachers K - 1st
For this lesson, students play a game to guess which objects have been used as money throughout history. In the process, they learn several basic economic concepts. For instance, money must be a unit of account, meaning that it must be...
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: No Funny Money, Honey I Want the Real Thing!

For Teachers K - 1st
Do you know what funny money is? It's NOT the real thing! Find out how our government tries to make our money hard to copy in this lesson about real and fake money.
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: The Costs of Credit

For Teachers 9th - 10th
"Will that be cash, check, debit, or credit?" This lesson plan explores the difference between these. What is the difference? Is using credit the same as paying with cash? Or by check? Or by debit card? Some young people believe that...
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Money Is What Money Does

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Throughout history, a wide variety of items have served as money. These include gold, silver, large stone wheels, tobacco, beer, dog teeth, porpoise teeth, cattle, metal coins, paper bills, and checks. All of these types of money should...
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: The Big Mac Index

For Teachers 9th - 10th
How fast can you say "twoallbeefpattiesspecialsaucelettucecheesepicklesonionsonasesameseedbun?" This question was asked of millions of TV viewers in the now famous 1970s McDonald's television commercial promoting the Big Mac.