How does consumerism affect global poverty? Upper graders find out about cost benefit, wants and needs, and making good consumer choices as they explore this global topic. They role-play an impulse spending experience and work through...

Students examine the changes in the U.S. in the period of industrialization before the Civil War. They analyze census data, list/describe inventions and innovations, explore various websites, conduct a Factory Simulation activity, and...

High schoolers investigate the First U.S. Industrial Revolution. They identify positive and negative effects of early industrialization, read first-hand accounts, role-play and interview individuals, and participate in a debate.

Students examine the arguments for and against suffrage for women in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They explore various websites, read and discuss primary source documents, develop a document from two points of view, and analyze...

Running an election campaign takes money. Class groups must effectively budget money in order to design and purchase sufficient advertising aimed at procuring classmates' votes. After completing an online tutorial, they also write and...

This cross-curricular activity could be used to teach economics, business, practical math, and more. Learners pretend they are craftspeople and choose a craft to market. Using a graphic organizer and provided models, class members...

Bring this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet to your unit on S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. Middle schoolers respond to nine essay questions based on the novel. They may also access an online quiz on the selection...

Upper graders listen to a podcast on the EconTalk website featuring economist Keith Hennessey. The podcast focuses on the Budget Control Act of 2011, the national debt, and government spending. They read specifics about the BCA, then...

Here is a hands-on activity where your class members will discover different ways to measure the government's financial situation and work to add data and redraw graphs in order to calculate the ratio of gross federal debt held by...

Most adults dread April 15 — tax day! Tax preparation can be intimidating even for adults. Build confidence by leading individuals through the process and then give them a scenario to practice. The exercise uses tax vocabulary to give...

Turn aluminum cans into pickles! An engaging experiment has learners chemically change aluminum into a substance with many purposes including the manufacture of pickles. After performing the chemical conversion, the experimenters verify...

Sensor technology is amazingly accurate and useful. Combining the sensor technology and mathematical knowledge, scholars design experiments to answer a question they have developed. Questions may focus on light sensing, temperature...

How much does it cost to live the life your dream life? Scholars explore the pitfalls of personal finance through planning, discussion, and research. The first instructional activity in a five-part series tasks individuals with...

Mortgage, insurance, car payments...how much money will your learners need to support their desired lifestyle? Part three in a six-part college and career readiness lesson plan series tasks young job seekers with creating a monthly...

Talk about a reality check! High schoolers complete a lifestyle survey indicating their preference for housing, entertainment, etc., and then calculate the salary required to support those choices. Finally, they research the types of...

Pupils discuss what a budget is and its purpose. They create a draft of a simple budget that they could possible use. They discuss their trade-offs when they choose to follow a budget.

Students identify ways in which they can save and spend their money. They discover why people save money and calculate simple interest. They discuss the costs and benefits of saving.

Students identify products that can and cannot biodegrade. They create their own biodegradable capsule and discuss what happens to trash in a landfill. They analyze the results and discuss as a class.

Bring financial literacy into your classroom. Learners use peer support to reflect on their spending and how it reflects their income and their values.

Students plan a family fitness outing. In this physical education lesson, students will research possible physical activities which might be completed by a family during a daily-long outing in the Appalachian area. Students will...

Students complete a activities to improve their career awareness. In this career awareness activity, students complete a 41 page packet of activities to learn how education can increase earning power, learn about employer attitudes and...

Give your upper classmen something to think about. They'll read a New York Times article on the politics of student loans. The six comprehension questions will have them thinking about the impact legislation has on how much they'll pay...

This is a standard multiple-choice assessment on the life and ideas of George Washington Carver. It includes 20 questions on topics covering information about his birth and education, major career moves, teaching principles, ethics, etc.

Students explore the proposed Affordability in Higher Education Act. They synthesize their knowledge by acting as lobbyists representing different special interest groups with opposing perspectives on the proposed bill.