Curated OER
Off to Work We Go
First graders distinguish between jobs that provide goods and those that provide services. They role-play jobs and analyze whether their job provides services or produces goods. They draw pictures and write a description of a job in each...
Curated OER
Agriculture Pays
Second graders role play one of the jobs related to agriculture and explain their role in getting one of the five "f's" of agriculture to the consumer. In this agriculture lesson plan, 2nd graders are assigned a role and a commodity. ...
Curated OER
Who Works for Nonprofit Organizations? (6-8)
Students explore career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. For this career exploration lesson, students listen to guest speakers who work for nonprofit organizations explain their jobs. Students also examine the role of nonprofit...
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.
Council for Economic Education
Specialization and the Decathlon
Michael Phelps, the economist? Scholars research the economic advantages of specializing in one kind of service, and how it relates to athletes doing the same in their respective sports. They evaluate absolute advantage, production, and...
Curated OER
The Goat in the Rug
Learners define productive, capital, human and natural resources and intermediate goods, then classify these things by how they are used in a production process. In this resources/goods lesson plan, students listen to the story The Goat...
Curated OER
Market Day Adventure
Second graders participate in the Market Day project. They produce goods, market goods, and earn money to buy goods.
University of Nebraska
Why Do I Want All This Stuff?
How do advertisers influence consumers? The big idea here is that once consumers understand the factors that influence their desire for a product or service, they are better able to consider substitute and/or complementary products.
Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Education
Popcorn Economics
Scarcity of resources is a fundamental economics concepts that kids need to understand. You'll use a large bag of popcorn to demonstrate this concept. Have the class come up row-by-row to fill their snack bags with popcorn. By the last...
Curated OER
Arkansas: A Natural State
Here is a wonderful lesson on natural resources found in Arkansas which is designed for kindergartners. The lesson could be easily adapted for any state. Some clever in-class activities, games, and a song are included in this...
Curated OER
Why do Countries Trade?
Students explore trading among countries. They participate in a trading simulation designed to illustrate a complex marketplace in which goods and services are traded.Pupils use this experience to investigate the conditions that...
Curated OER
Production: Specialization and Division of Labor
Third graders select a product to produce. In teams, pupils participate in hands-on activities to explore the concept of specialization. They discover the differences between a division of labor and independent production. Classmates...
Global Oneness Project
Deconstructing Consumerism
To increase awareness and launch a discussion of consumerism, class members view What Would It Look Like, a 25 minute film of images that capture the global effects of the consumption of goods. Viewers make a list of the images that they...
Curated OER
To Market to Market
Fourth graders research a product and participate in an integrated simulation of a free market economy where students will create, buy and sell a good or service. In completing this activity, 4th graders understand the concepts and...
Curated OER
Popcorn Economics
Students examine the concept of scarcity. In this economics lesson, students define scarcity and take part in an activity that illustrates the concept as it relates to goods and services.
Curated OER
Landforms
Students begin their examination of landforms. Using a map, they locate and identify the major landforms on Earth. They discuss how landforms affect the lifestyle of the community and determine which goods and services the community...
Curated OER
Comparison of Economic Systems
Here is a worksheet in which learners identify and compare economic systems (market, command, mixed, etc.) with 18 fill-in-the-blank questions and a graphic organizer.
Curated OER
Saturday Sancocho
Second graders identify the economic principles and processes that are helpful to producers and consumers when making good decisions. Students will read, comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate literary text as well as explain how...
Curated OER
The Kindness Company
Students organize themselves into a simulated company complete with applications, interviews and training. They identify a community need they can fulfill related to cooking or sewing and work to make and deliver the designated product.
Curated OER
Philanthropy News
Students collect examples of local philanthropy and write a news article for a local newspaper. In this philanthropy lesson plan, students read Helping Out by George Ancona to gain understanding of what philanthropic acts are. Students...
Curated OER
Supply and Demand
Fourth graders explore the concept of economic goods and bads, and scarce items as it relates to the factors that affect our economy. In this supply and demand instructional activity, 4th graders are introduced to vocabulary that...
Gobal Oneness Project
Passionate Pursuits
Not all technology is digital. Teach learners about the low-tech maker movement with a photo essay about six artisans from California and two articles about the local creator movement. After tackling the photo essay in small groups,...
Curated OER
AP Environmental Science-Food Fight
The content in this lesson is of a controversial nature. Please review to make sure it is suitable for your class. A video, The Meatrix is shown to the class, and then they discuss the emotionally-charged language that it uses. They are...
Curated OER
Tens! Hundreds! Thousands!!! of Tons
Fifth graders take a close look at the types of ships that travel through the Hudson River Valley on the Hudson River. They utilize worksheets embedded in the plan in order to answer questions about exactly what is being shipped, and how...