Twelfth graders study micro- and macro-economies. They examine theories about fiscal policy and the relationships between consumption and output, tax policy and government spending changes. They also consider how economic perspectives...

Students explore the earning power of someone with a post-high school education. For this education and income lesson, students evaluate examples of occupations, their salaries, and education level needed for the job. Students calculate...

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.

Students explore the concept of being a recording artist. In this recording artist instructional activity, students determine the costs of producing various music products such as a demo tape, 8-track tape, and a record deal. Students...

In this Third-Party Costs and Benefits activity, students read an article and examine diagrams outlining this economic concept.

Equity. Increased productivity. Price stability. Environmental protection. Decreased poverty. Governments establish socio-economic goals and then must design and fund programs to address these goals. Groups investigate various...

Sweethearts® candies are a beloved Valentine's Day treat—so much so that eight billion hearts are produced every year around the world! Learners use number sense reasoning and critical thinking to solve nine word problems about the...

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.

Work on making good shopping choices with a fun economics project. Kids analyze the differences between brand names and generic products, bigger and smaller units for purchase, and different places they can shop for different items.

Does the explanation make sense? Sample items highlight claim three, communicating reason, in the Smarter Balanced assessments. Teachers use the 16 items to help show pupils the importance of communication and reasoning within...

Determine the right mix of cans of cat food. The resource consists of an assessment task to determine the cost to feed two cats for a specific number of days and requires scholars to interpret remainders within a context....

What energy drinks have the highest concentration of caffeine? Pupils compare five energy drinks with different amounts of caffeine and different volumes. They must solve the ratios to understand the differences. An extension compares...

Find a seat at the table. Learners design a non-rectangular picnic table given constraints on the number of people that should be able to sit at the table. They draw blueprints and build scale models of their tables. After researching...

What is a watt? This tongue-twisting, mind-bending question and others are answered through this lesson plan on the different lighting options available. With the support of a PowerPoint, teach your physical science class about units of...

Explore Snell's Law using thin films. In the fifth installment of a seven-part series, pupils solve a set of problems relating to Snell's Law and use this skill during an experiment requiring the collection of reflective measurements...

Teach your young pups some new tricks with this math facts activity. Using a deck of cards and the included game board, pairs of young mathematicians draw cards and attempt to make products that are larger than their partners'...

Small groups use the knowledge learned about the heart to design and build a prototype of an artificial heart valve. The teams demonstrate the functionality of their valve. They are also responsible for creating a pamphlet that describes...

Can you design the perfect chair? Scholars apply the engineering design process to design and build a prototype of a new type of chair from wires. They test their designs with a wooden artist model or stuffed animal.

What do Boston Harbor, the Electoral College, and Chief Powhatan have in common? They all represent vital moments in American history—and they are all clues in a thorough and challenging crossword puzzle about the United States...

One person's trash is another man's treasure. Challenge your class to build something useful out of the trash they throw away on a regular basis. Groups design and build a practical item from trash they collect, allowing the class to...

Help your pupils become wise consumers and avoid becoming targets for consumer scams and fraud. Here you'll find a PowerPoint presentation, instructional guidelines, worksheets, and suggested activities for developing shopper strategies...

Students study the scientific evidence about carbon dioxide emissions. They learn to calculate the amount of energy used by different appliances. They complete a worksheet which analyzes the amount of energy that their home uses.

Following detailed directions, teams collect the voltage and current outputs of a photovoltaic cell by adjusting the resistance. Using the collected data, they determine the highest power output. Implications for weather and a large...

Bone up on bone density. The second installment of the seven-part series has pupils read articles on two different websites to learn about bone density and its measurement, as well as X-rays and other imaging tools. A quiz assesses their...