iCivics
Government Spending
After discussing personal financing with your class, consider following up with this well-rounded introduction to government spending. The resource includes reading documents and worksheets, and covers topics as the federal deficit and...
Curated OER
Government Spending - Earmarks
In this government spending - earmarks instructional activity, 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...
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...
Federal Reserve Bank
Government Spending and Taxes
What types of government programs are designed to improve economic inequity in the United States? Introduce your learners to government programs, such as low-income housing, Social Security, and Medicaid, how they work to improve...
Curated OER
Your Tax Dollars at Work
In order to understand how tax dollars are spent, young economists use given data and graph it on a circle graph. Circle graphs are highly visual and can help individuals describe data. A class discussion follows the initial activity.
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
Inflation and Money
Students examine the relationship between inflation and money. Defining key terms, they define money in terms of its functions and give examples of money. They discover what happens when inflation occurs unexpectedly. They also examine...
Curated OER
Citizenship Worksheet 5 - Local and State Government
The Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution delegates rights that have not been defined by the federal government to the states. But what are the responsibilities of state governments? What about county and city governments?...
Practical Money Skills
Protecting Your Money
How can you tell if a commercial or salesperson is being misleading? Encourage your learners to protect themselves and their money with a lesson about consumer rights. They review laws that keep consumers safe from faulty claims and...
US Department of Commerce
Featured Activity: Exploring Questions for the 2020 Census
Just what is the census for? Using data and census questions, class members explore how officials gather information. Then, they consider how the government uses the answers to determine how it spends its money with a collaborative...
Curated OER
Differing Federal Responses to the Great Depression: Letter Analysis
Young analysts examine two letters, one written by President Hoover and one written by FDR. Each letter contains that president's response to the role of the Federal Government during times of crisis (The Great Depression). They analyze...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Do the Campaign Math
Follow the money trail! As part of their study of the 2020 Presidential campaign, class members to research how much money candidates have raise and spent, as well as the sources of the funds. They then graph their findings to compare...
Curated OER
Labor, Choice, and Sales Tax
Students consider the idea of earning and spending money. In this money management lesson plan, students discuss the concept of saving and spending money through the reading of a story and by completing several activities that involve...
Curated OER
How Should Congress Allocate Money?
Students discover and examine how the government spends money and then determine what they this are priorities for national spending by illustrating their ideas on a pie chart. They research the national spending allocations on the...
K12 Reader
What is a Tribal Government?
What is life like on a Native American reservation? Learn about the ways a tribal government works with a reading comprehension activity. After reading a short passage, kids use context clues to answer five comprehension questions.
Curated OER
Parliament and Government
Students examine the roles of those in Parliament. In this British government lesson, students participate in a mock election and conduct research regarding the difference between Parliament and government.
Curated OER
Money and Business (Art)
Third graders investigate world currency by creating their own coin art. In this government lesson, 3rd graders examine the characteristics of different coins and create their own design for a new one. Students discuss and...
Curated OER
Gross Domestic Pizza
Students explore major components of gross domestic product (GDP) and how it is determined; students create and compare GDP pie charts for the countries of Pepperonia and Anchovia.
American Bar Association
What Is Separation of Powers?
Who has the power? Scholars investigate the creation of the three branches of government in the United States Constitution. They analyze just why the framers created the branches the way they did.
College Board
2010 AP® Macroeconomics Free-Response Questions
Defense spending often has massive impacts on the economy. Learners consider its effect in a hypothetical case and structured questions from College Board. A second query asks them to consider the effects of international trade on...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Unemployment
It's the classic paradox in this political cartoon analysis; any jobs plan requires extra government spending. However, the unemployed aren't willing to concede to more federal spending for what they want most, jobs. Background...
Curated OER
What to Do with a $20 Bill Besides Spend It
Students explore the concept of anti-counterfeiting measure. In this economics instructional activity, students use science equipment to discover anti-counterfeiting designs. Students then explore other denominations of...
Curated OER
A Look At Spending
Students use an outdated budget to examine what the county spends its money on for its citizens. Using county information, they describe how the Board of Supervisors make budget decisions and how it can shape public policy. They also...
Curated OER
Money in Elections:What is it Doing to America?
Students investigate the role of money in American elections. In this current events lesson, students read and discuss articles that address money and political campaigns. Students may conduct further research on the topics presented in...