Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Government Spending: Why Do We Spend the Way We Do?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson plan reviews how the government spends money. It shows how the government's needs have changed over the years. To learn more about this area of economics use this informative website.
Activity
Cynthia J. O'Hora

Mrs. O's House: Government Spending Charity Begins at Home

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The U.S. government created a program that funds job training and placement of Americans who are blind or severely disabled. Through this activity, students will research the program to establish their own opinions as to whether the...
Unit Plan
Indiana University

The Center on Congress: E Learning Module: Federal Budget Allocation

For Students 9th - 10th
Interactive learning activity teaches how Congress allocates funds in the federal budget for programs such as Homeland Security, Defense, and Education.
Graphic
US Senate

Trends in Congressional Appropriations [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides numerous graphs accompanied by explanations of the government spending since the 1960s. Focuses on the restraint of the 1990s but shows the steady growth in the last forty years. Link to .pdf file. Requires Adobe Reader.
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The Federal Budget

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview on the complexities of the federal budgeting process and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Graphic
Other

Fedspending.org

For Students 9th - 10th
A free, searchable database of federal government spending.
Unit Plan
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Shifts in Aggregate Demand

For Students 9th - 10th
Aggregate demand is made up of four components: consumption spending, investment spending, government spending, and spending on exports minus imports. Increasing or decreasing any of these components create shifts the AD curve.
Article
BBC

Bbc Newsround: Us Agrees Deal to End Partial Shutdown

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Brief article reports on the deal made in Congress to end the partial government shutdown.
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: The Role of Gov. National Debt v. Deficit

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using the website federalbudget.com, students research information about the federal budget. Includes questions and links to other budget websites.
Handout
Other

Fas Texas: Public Education Funding in Texas

For Students 9th - 10th
A nice overview with fast facts about Texas Public Education funding complete with graphs and bulleted explanations.
Website
US Senate

Joint Economic Committee

For Students 9th - 10th
The Joint Economic Committee, composed of memebers from both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, reviews economic conditions and recommends improvements in economic policy. The content of the website includes...
Website
Other

Cbpp: The Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides a series of papers from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.