THE OVERHAUL OF:FOCUS / HIGH SCHOOL

ECONOMICS

THIRD EDITION

The CEE gratefully acknowledges the funding of this publication by 3Mgives.

CREATED IN 1996, 2ND EDITION 2001 SECOND PRINTING IN 2003

THE BENCHMARK FOR HIGH SCHOOL LESSON AND ACTIVITY

RESOURCES WRITTEN BY:

MICHAEL WATTS (CHAIR)

SARAPAGE McCORKLE

BONNIE MESZAROS

MARK C. SCHUG

THE LATEST EDITION RELEASED IN JUNE 2014

AUTHORS:

BILL BOSSHARDT (CHAIR)

CURT ANDERSON

BONNIE MESZAROS

PHILLIP VANFOSSEN

MARTHA RUSH

MICHAEL RAYMER

BRETT BURKEY

& TWO LESSONS CONTRIBUTED BY OUR FEDERAL RESERVE PARTNERS

SOME IDEAS FOR THE COVER

MORE COVER IDEAS

SCARCITY? YEAH, RIGHT…I’M AN AMERICAN!!

ECON… HUUH, GOOD GOD Y’ALL, WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?

CHANGES FOUND IN THE LATEST

EDITION

• NOW 28 LESSONS INSTEAD OF 21

• INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES, PRESENTATION SLIDES, SIMULATIONS AND COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITY ROOMS

• COMMON CORE STANDARDS AND COMPELLING QUESTIONS

• TARGETED ASSESSMENTS AND CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE QUESTIONS

THE WORLD HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY IN THE SHORT

PERIOD SINCE THE LAST EDITION AND THE VOLUME NEEDED TO REFLECT THAT.

THE ESSENCE OF THE PAST REMAINS

• NEW LESSONS, REVISED LESSONS, AND KEPT LESSONS

• 12 BRAND NEW LESSONS

• PERSONAL FINANCE THEMES REMOVED

• 9 REVISED LESSONS, MAJOR UPGRADES

• 7 KEPT LESSONS, BRUSH UP ON A TIMELESS CLASSIC

• RE-SEQUENCING OF CHAPTERS

• BROADER COVERAGE OF MACRO CONCEPTS

CHAPTERS AND COMPELLING QUESTIONS

• LESSON 2/ALLOCATION: HOW CAN WE EFFECTIVELY ALLOCATE SCARCE GOODS AND SERVICES IN TIMES OF AN EMERGENCY?

• LESSON 10/GAME THEORY: WHEN A FIRM HAS JUST A FEW COMPETITORS, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE FIRM’S BEHAVIOR?

• LESSON 18/UNEMPLOYMENT: DOES THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DO A GOOD JOB OF DESCRIBING THE STATE OF A COUNTRY’S LABOR MARKET?

• LESSON 23/INTEREST RATES: HOW ARE INTEREST RATES DETERMINED, AND WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DIFFERENT ONES?

ALIGNED WITH COMMON CORE STANDARDS

• INTEGRATION OF BOTH ELA AND MATH STANDARDS

• MANY LESSONS INCLUDE READINGS THAT OFFER DIVERSE POINTS OF VIEW

• CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE QUESTIONS CHALLENGE STUDENTS WITH HIGHER ORDER THINKING

• IN ADDITION, STUDENTS ARE ASSESSED BY A MINIMUM OF THREE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

NEW LESSONS DELIVERED

• PPC AND OPPORTUNITY COST

• ALLOCATION

• COMPETITION/MONOPOLY

• GAME THEORY

• PUBLIC GOODS

• LABOR MARKETS

• INCOME DISTRIBUTION

• INFLATION

• UNEMPLOYMENT

• GDP GROWTH

• INTEREST RATES

• MONETARY POLICY

CLASSICS UPDATED

• MARKET FOR WHEAT (COCOA)

• BROAD SOCIAL GOALS OF AN ECONOMY

• THE MARKET NEVER STANDS STILL

• THE CIRCULAR FLOWS OF ECONOLAND

• PRICE CONTROLS, TOO HIGH TOO LOW

• TRADE: WHY DO PEOPLE TRADE?

• WHERE TO BUILD A FACTORY?

A 21ST CENTURY CLASSROOM RESOURCE

• SUPPLEMENTAL TECHNOLOGY TOOLS HOUSED ON-LINE TO ENGAGE STUDENT IMAGINATION AND COMPREHENSION

• LESSONS FLEXIBLE FOR ALL TEACHING STYLES

• FORMATTED TO SPEAK TO BOTH NOVICE AND VETERAN TEACHER Companion site:

http://hseconomics.councilforeconed.org

SOME LESSONS THAT PRESENT WELL

• SEVEN: HOW MARKETS INTERACT

• THIRTEEN: WHO DECIDES WAGE RATES?

• FOURTEEN: INCOME DISTRIBUTION

• EIGHTEEN: UNEMPLOYMENT SURVEY

• TWENTY TWO: THE CASE OF THE GIGANTIC $100,000 BILL

• TWENTY SIX: COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE

• TWENTY SEVEN: WHERE TO BUILD A FACTORY?

LESSONS CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY INTERACTIVE SUPPLEMENTS

• MARGINALISM

• MARKET FOR COCOA

• PROUCTIVITY

• COMPETITION VS. MONOPOLY

• LABOR MARKETS

• INCOME DISTRIBUTION

• UNEMPLOYMENT SURVEY

• GIGANTIC $100,000 BILL

• INTEREST RATES

• COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE

HIGH LEVEL GOALS FOR THE INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES

• Saving instructional time whenever possible by streamlining tasks.

• Manipulating and visualizing data.

• Collaboration. Students are encouraged to get up and interact with each other while using technology.

COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES

• ALLOWS FOR FACE TO FACE INTERACTION TO OCCUR IN TANDEM WITH PORTABLE TECHNOLOGY (TABLET, SMART PHONE, LAP TOP)

• CREATE ONE OR MULTIPLE ACTIVITY ROOMS WITH PRE-SET URLs

• DATA FROM THE ACTIVITY IS COMPILED AND PRESENTED IN A VERY CONSUMABLE FORMAT FOR THE TEACHER

• CURRENTLY AN OPTION FOR THE “MARKET IN COCOA” AND “PRODUCTIVITY” LESSONS

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT VIDEOS

• VIDEOS OF MASTER TEACHERS MODELING INDIVIDUAL LESSONS

• CURRENTLY TWO HAVE BEEN PRODUCED (LESSONS 13 AND 18) AND A THIRD ON THE WAY (LESSON 8)

• LESSONS 13 AND 18 CAN NOW BE OBSERVED ON THE BOOK’S COMPANION WEBSITE

• COMPANION SITE: http://hseconomics.councilforeconed.org