Unit V: The Economic Common Good The Federal Reserve System "Teaching Materials": videos & comic books (ex. "Once Upon a Dime" - kingdom that goes from the barter system to a modern economy). http://app.ny.frb.org/cfpicnic/frame1.cfm Lesson on the Economic Value of Education: Is the Tassel Worth the Hassle? Learn about economic choice, opportunity costs and incentives. http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/ ecedweek/lesson15.htm Economics Online for Teachers: Lesson Plan Extension activities on scarcity and rationing can be used to address gov't policies. http://www.fte.org/online/teachers/sample /1lesson1/eoftration.htm Bead Game Simulation Explore and evaluate traditional, command, and market economies. http://www.fte.org/teachers/lessons /prize/bead_game.htm Andersonville Prison: An Economic Microcosm Explore how Civil War prisoners in the Andersonville prison coped with scarce resources. http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/ecedweek /lesson2.htm The Federal Reserve "Peanuts and Crackerjacks" teaches supply,demand & other concepts. Lots of other resources, too! http://www.federalreserveeducation.org Fed 101 Interactive site on monetary policy and inflation. http://www.kc.frb.org/fed101/policy/money.cfm Fed 101 Scavenger Hunt Choose a topic, read an article, & answer questions about the Fed. Reserve System. Instant feedback. http://www.kc.frb.org/fed101/scavengerhunt/ The Federal Reserve Board Federal Reserve System's home page. http://www.federalreserve.gov/general.htm FRED: Federal Reserve Economic Data Data on income and employment, interest rates, the CPI and GDP, and more. http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred/ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Definition of Consumer Price Index & calculator (what items purchased years ago are worth today). http://www.elections.state.md.us/citizens /registration/application.html Net Investigation: Monetary Policy By a former MCPS teacher; Review monetary policy, analyze current economic indicators, & generate proposals to the Federal Open Market Committee. http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/isa/ ninvest/econ/econnet.htm NOVA Online Virtual stock market game. Note: "Shockwave" needs to be installed for this game! http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/stockmarket/virtual.html The IRS: The Circular Flow of the Economy Activity by the IRS: circular flow of the economy; diagram and four questions for students to answer. http://www.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/ servlet/IWT4L2acs1 Understanding the Business Cycle Article, explains the 4 phases of the business cycle. http://www.newlearner.com/courses/hts/bbi-bit/bibho37.htm Understanding the Federal Budget from U.S. News.com Lesson plan: federal budget and how the government must prioritize its spending needs. http://www.usnewsclassroom.com/resources /activities/act010423.html The FAA Extensive information about this regulatory agency. http://www1.faa.gov/ The FTC Federal Trade Commission. Be sure to check out the page "For Consumers." http://www.ftc.gov The FDA Contains a tour, an overview, & list of products the Food & Drug Administration regulates. http://www.fda.gov The EPA Environmental Protection Agency: curriculum resources and activities on environmental issues. http://www.epa.gov/teachers/ The FCC Federal Communications Commission: links and guide on FCC's functions, organization, and powers. http://www.fcc.gov/ Look Who's Footing the Bill! A WebQuest on democracy and the national debt. http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/democracy /debtquest.html EconDash Automobile dashboard-inspired charts: main indicators of the US economy, including GDP & CPI. http://www.econdash.net/ Education Resources at the U.S. International Trade Commission Raw statistics on international trade http://www.usitc.gov/EDU.HTM About the IMF Basic facts about the IMF. Click on "What is the IMF?" for a more detailed explanation. http://www.imf.org/external/about.htm The IMF in Action: Information and Interactive Stories for Students Uses imaginary scenarios to explain the basic purposes of the IMF. http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/center /action/eng/index.htm The World Bank Specific actions of World Bank around the globe; links to statistics, organized by country and region. http://www.worldbank.org/ Ten Things you never knew about the World Bank What the World Bank is doing today. http://www.worldbank.org/tenthings /2ndedition/intro2.htm The North American Free Trade Agreement Basic info. on NAFTA.; Click on "Benefits of NAFTA" and "NAFTA Fact Sheet." http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/policy/nafta/nafta.html Public Citizen: NAFTA Non-profit public interest organization: a range of info about NAFTA.; click on "Trade Adjustment Assistance Database": job losses due to NAFTA. http://www.citizen.org/trade/nafta/index.cfm Global Exchange: World Bank and IMF Info presented is critical of the policies of the World Bank and the IMF. http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns /wbimf/facts.html Destination: Kyrgyzstan Lesson about Kyrgyzstan's transition from a centrally planned economy to a market-driven economy. http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/guides /kyrgyzstan/econ.html Return to NSL Government Resources *Compiled by Stacy Dimmick. **Special thanks to Marty Creel, Nancy McCulloch, Daryl Schultz, Dave West, and Jennifer Davis for their contributions.

Return to SS Resources & Links NSL Government I: Principles and Structure of Systems II: Participation in the Political Process III: Functions and Powers VI: Attaining Justice and Protecting Rights V: The Economic Common Good VI: Foreign Policy Today VII: The Public Policy Debate General Resources Primary Source and Other Documents Data Sources Elementary: Kindergarten Grade One Grade Two Grade Three Grade Four Grade Five USDE Teaching American History Grant * Grades 4 and 5 Corps of Historical Discovery Middle School: Grade Six Grade Seven Grade Eight High School: U.S. History NSL Government Modern World History