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
Location of Resources in Early Civilizations
Sixth graders define scarcity and opportunity costs.
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...
Council for Economic Education
Production Possibilities Curve
Demonstrate the important economic principles of the production possibilities curve, including how to calculate opportunity cost and graph curves by using a table or calculation. Learners use a variety of methods, including videos,...
Curated OER
Opportunity Cost
Students explore the concept of opportunity cost. Classmates discuss, orally and in writing, a time when they had to make a choice when all choices seemed worthwhile. They explore the impact of making decisions when resources are...
Curated OER
Trade Offs and Opportunity Cost
Students explore the role of government in the economy market. In this economics lesson, students analyze the decision making and how it takes into consideration additional cost, benefits and public awareness of what they are trying to...
Visa
Savvy Spending: Sharpening Money Decisions
Do you really need that new laptop/phone/dress/jacket/etc.? Financial decisions require us to distinguish between our wants and our needs. Through discussion and the evaluation of scenarios on provided worksheets, this resource will...
Curated OER
Choice, Opportunity, Cost and Decisions
Students 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
Specialization and Voluntary Exchange
Studnets participate in a trading simulation game in which they experience the effects of trade and how trade can increase wealth.
Carolina K-12
Factors of Production and Economic Decision-Making
Class members begin this engaging economics activity by listing all the resources used in producing a car and using that example to draw parallels to the four primary factors of production: capital goods, labor, natural resources, and...
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
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
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
Charge Cards!
Students identify and define the various types of credit cards and credit card offers. In this credit cards lesson plan, students identify the pros and cons of managing a credit card account. Students locate information on the Federal...
Curated OER
The Game of Business
Students practice the economic concepts of scarcity and opportunity cost. They imagine creating their own businesses and brainstorm what they need to know in order to determine when the business is profitable.
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
Rebuild Your Community
Students explore the Gulf Coast disaster and what it took to rebuild the community surrounding it. In this economic development lesson, students watch a video from the Nightly Business Report and explore what all it takes to make up a...
Curated OER
Financial Planning for Catastrophe
High schoolers examine the case of The Gulf Coast and relate it financial importance. In this financial planning lesson, students watch a video and then begin to analyze how to plan for the unexpected by reviewing the financial...
Curated OER
Money Smart children
Students elementary financial vocabulary words: spend, save, invest and donate. In this finance lesson, students respond to the story "Sam and the Lucky Moon." Students describe the concepts of wants and needs, resources, scarcity,...
Curated OER
Spend, Save, Invest or Donate (9-12)
High schoolers explore the concept of personal finance. In this philanthropy lesson, students examine decisions they make about money as they discover the definitions of philanthropy, resources, scarcity, choice, benefits, costs,...
Curated OER
Invest In Yourself
Young scholars learn about budgeting, saving, dept, financial management, opportunity cost, and self-regulation. In this financial management lesson plan, students apply their knowledge of finance components and create their own web...
Curated OER
Scarcity and Choice
Students participate in a role play as producers of two goods, allowing students to experience scarcity. They make choices about using their scarce resource to produce both or one of two goods. Then they construct...
Federal Reserve Bank
Lesson 1: Katrina Strikes
Most families have an emergency kit in their home with flashlights, water, and extra food. But what happens to your money when disaster strikes? An economics lesson focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrates the...
Curated OER
The Price of European Commodities in 1803
High schoolers peruse actual price lists of European commodities dealers Strobel and Martini of Bordeaux, France. Each student creates a sales receipt of items that they have purchased from the French Brokerage firm. Students explore...