Economics Lesson Plans

Analyze the issues that affect the state of economies. Have your class explore media reports about recent economic recessions, the housing bubble, and loan defaults in order to chart information about recessions and participate in an activity based on the labor market. This activity is a good way to practice evaluating claims in a text. All links and handouts are included. Use this resource to emphasize textual evidence to support an argument.

Students recognize why people trade and barter when supplies are scarce. In this economics lesson, students complete a flag but must negotiate for the supplies they are missing. Students present their flags and a description of how their assignment was completed.

Young scholars explore if the aging population has any effect on the economy and overall well-being of society.  In this economic activity, students research the economic impact of the older citizens.  They develop their own ideas and share their findings by writing a paper.  Their thoughts are further developed through class discussion on the topic.

Students use a Thanksgiving bulletin board to pick-up activities based on the weekly economic topic. In this economics instructional activity, students go to various centers to choose cross curricular activities.

Students discuss supply, demand, scarcity, and opportunity costs and how these may affect business decisions in this Economics lesson for an upper-level High School class. The lesson includes possible cross-curricular extensions.

Students examine the fundamental nature of economics - unlimited wants and scarce resources and the need to make choices, the three questions related to the economic problem and its implications for an economy.

Students examine economic principles using a school store.  In this school store development lesson, students explore consumer behaviors and concepts such as spending vs. saving, supply and demand, opportunity and cost, and inflation.  

Learners identify natural resources in the world and how it translates into economic development.  In this global economy lesson, students utilize the Internet to view an Oregon Time Web which they research to examine the history of resources in the state.  Learners create a group presentation identifying resource industries that have boomed in Oregon.

Students examine economic policy.  In this Economics lesson, students learn about the structure of the Federal Reserve System and the functioning of the Federal Open Market Committee.  The four-lesson unit consists of simulations and internet research designed to have students take on the roles of participants in a FOMC meeting.

Students discuss key business and consumer indicators that are used to measure the health of the economy. They compare the economic recovery (from the 2001 recession) of Utah and the United States. They discuss the benefits and hazards of federal government expenditures during economic downturns.