Curated OER
Why Nations Trade
Young scholars discuss international trade. In this trade lesson, students read about comparative advantage and the benefits of international trade. Young scholars perform a skills test to determine their individual specialization areas...
Curated OER
Opportunity Cost
Students review the concept of opportunity cost. Using a clip from a money, they identify the people who made a choice and the value of the choice given up. They read various scenarios about opportunity costs and trade-offs and make...
Curated OER
Scarcity and Opportunity Cost - To Choose Is To Refuse
Young scholars are introduced to scarcity and opportunity costs. They discuss how different societies allocate their resources differently based on their needs. Illustrating trade offs, they create a production possibility frontier. They...
Curated OER
The Rising Cost of Health Care: Is there an explanation?
Twelfth graders explore rising health care costs and the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility. They participate in an activity that demonstrates the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility. Students read the may 27, 2005 Economic Letter and...
Curated OER
Give and Take
Young scholars analyze a scheduling dilemma. In this opportunity cost and trade-offs lesson, students must schedule the school gym for basketball games, but there are not enough hours for all the games. Groups determine how time will be...
Curated OER
Why Nations Trade
Students discuss international trade focusing on opportunity cost and the principle of comparative advantage. They engage in a simulation activity based on different countries and their economic benefits.
Curated OER
Scarcity, Choice and Decisions
Students study the basic economic trilogy (scarcity, choice, and costs). For this money management lesson, students use a scenario of a High School Prom to calculate how scarcity, choice and cost apply by completing provided worksheets...
Curated OER
What's In It For Me?
Learners analyze the costs and benefits that are involved with owning a business. They create their own decision making grid and identify their trade-offs. They also identify the opportunity costs involved in owning their own business.
Curated OER
Life in a Soviet Household
Students simulate the transaction costs experienced by the average householder in the former Soviet Union. They consider time spent searching and waiting in line, scarcity of goods and the lure of the black market.
Curated OER
Choice, Opportunity, Cost and Decisions
Pupils discuss the definition of scarcity and tradeoffs, and the differences between choice and cost. They create budgets and must provide tradeoffs for some of their choices.
Curated OER
Credit: Buy Now & Pay Later
Students examine credit and how it works. In this financial literacy lesson plan, students review the pros and cons of credit in order to purchase goods and services by answering provided questions and working within a group to come up...
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...
Curated OER
Basic Trading
Students review the basic ideas of exchange. In groups, they discover the incentives for trade and participate in a simulation. They are given a packet of stamps which are worth varying monetary amounts. They discover the concepts of...
Cengage Learning
Economics and Personal Finance
You don't have to be an economist to understand this packet packed with information and exercises about economics and personal finance. Designed for high schoolers, the activities explain why setting short and long terms goals is...
Curated OER
M&M Interesting
Students examine the concepts of trade-offs and opportunity cost to decide between savings accounts with simple interest and those with compound interest. They calculate interest earned on account balances while working in groups and...
Curated OER
The Soviet Choice For Growth
High schoolers examine five major events in Soviet History to introduce the concept of opportunity cost. They identify considered alternatives at the time of decision and examine benefits and cost. They apply these ideas to a typical...
Curated OER
"Tarantula Shoes," by Tom Birdseye
Learners read a book and explore spending, saving, opportunity cost, and trade-offs. They keep a diary of expenses to track their spending and examine their opportunity costs.
Curated OER
Introduction to Economics
Students discover the basic economic problem: scarcity; examine how "there is no such thing as a free lunch" (opportunity costs); and define economics. They act out a play demonstrating basic economic principles.
Curated OER
Making Choices With Scarce Resources
Students examine the role of scarcity and how to allocate resources. They describe examples of opportunity costs and tradeoffs. They choose a service project based on a cost and benefits analysis. They finally evaluate the impact of the...
Curated OER
Consumer Credit
High schoolers investigate he concept of consumer credit by explaining the benefits of using credit. The costs of their use is discussed in the lesson and the criteria that is used in order to establish credit. They work in cooperative...
Council for Economic Education
Sand Art Brownies
Which is better, Coke or Pepsi? Pupils analyze the concept of substitute goods as they investigate the choice to purchase alternate products for better prices. Fun and practical, the engaging shopping exercise helps savvy scholars get...
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
The National Economy - Measures and Models
Students review economic goals and evaluate progress in achieving those goals. They focus on equity, efficiency, economic freedom and growth. They provide and example of a production decision for the economy as a whole.
Curated OER
Meet Molly An American Girl
Students examine concepts of personal finance. In this personal finance lesson, students use Valerie Tripp's, Meet Molly, An American Girl, to learn about saving and spending after World War II. They compare financial decisions after...