Before delving into the concept of cost curves in your class, discuss the relationship between inputs and outputs and the law of diminishing marginal returns. Here, an instructor uses data and graphs representing friends mowing lawns as an example to illustrate this concept of economics.

Additional Tags

margainl return, product curve, social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• If you plan to use this as a flipped classroom resource, assess class members the following day with a quiz or by having them illustrate their own product curve graph

Classroom Considerations

• Best if supplementing with other reading and/or instructional activities

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Great resource to use as a model for your own instruction
• Incorporates concept of specialization, as well as three stages of increasing, decreasing, and negative marginal returns 

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.11-12.2 RH.11-12.4