VERIZON “THINKFINITY LESSON PLANS

1 VERIZON thinkfinity LESSON PLANS TARGET POPULATION: GRADES 9-12 What Does a Dollar Really Buy? This LESSON , from EconEdLink, explores the Consumer Price Index, or CPI. In this LESSON , students determine influences on, effects from changes in, and how to calculate the CPI. This LESSON also incorporates an interactive student activity and links to a variety of Web resources. For grades 9-12. WHERE DID ALL THE MONEY GO? The Great Depression Mystery In this EconEdLink LESSON , students read a brief passage that poses the following question: "How did the Great Depression happen?" As detectives, they gather clues using the Internet to investigate the mystery through a series of clue sheets. This LESSON incorporates an interactive student activity and links to a variety of Web resources. For grades 9 12. Dry as a Bone In this EconEdLink LESSON , students examine the current state of drought in the United States and the economic impact on local communities.

2 They examine a hypothetical farming community and calculate the economic impact of the drought for the community. The students then construct an interdependence chart for their own area showing different businesses or organizations that would be affected by a drought. This LESSON includes Web resources and an interactive activity. For grades 9 12. "Be All You can Be"..For Minimum Wage? In this EconEdLink LESSON , students examine military salaries and the effect that the elimination of compulsory service has had on United States forces. Students learn about the ads used by the US Armed Forces to recruit now that compulsory military service (otherwise known as "the draft") no longer exists in the United States. Compulsory service, long required during time of war, was reinstituted in the United States in 1940, as the United States was on the brink of World War II.

3 In the late 1970s, Congress passed legislation officially halting the draft. For grades 9 12. Is the Price of Gasoline Really Too High? This EconEdLink LESSON is designed to help students explore the issues associated with gasoline prices. The questions addressed involve the forces driving the price of gasoline and whether or not the market is competitive. If the market is competitive, then high prices are appropriate given the levels of supply and demand at the time. If, on the other hand, the market for gasoline is not competitive and firms are artificially manipulating prices, then the high price may require government action. For grades 9 12. Should I Use Cash or Credit? In this LESSON , from EconEdLink, students learn about credit and consider the decision-making process involved with choosing whether to use or not to use credit for a major purchase.

4 They consider a variety of kinds of purchases, such as whether or not to take a particular job or what college to attend. For grades 9 12. - 2 - VERIZON thinkfinity LESSON plan Resources It's a Not So Wonderful Life In this LESSON from EconEdLink students learn about banks and banking. They study the fractional reserve system, and the role the Fed plays in the money creation process. For grades 9 12. Classroom Cash Incentive plan In this EconEdLink LESSON , students learn about incentives and how they influence behavior. As the teacher sets up a token economy, students understand how an incentive program affects the personal choices students make in class. Students also learn about positive and negative incentives, often called rewards and penalties. Students analyze how economic incentives can affect behavior. For grades 9 12.

5 Should You Learn to Fly? In this EconEdLink LESSON , students define opportunity cost, list various career choices and salaries, and calculate the future value of money. This LESSON incorporates an interactive student assessm ent and links to a variety of Web resources. For grades 9 12. How Long is Your Life? This EconEdLink LESSON asks students to think long-term, beyond where they will be going to college or what job they think they will have. By using a timeline, students map out the major events in their lives: starting working full time, buying a first home, getting married, retiring, and even finally dying. For grades 9 12. How Long is Your Life? This EconEdLink LESSON asks students to think long-term, beyond where they will be going to college or what job they think they will have. By using a timeline, students map out the major events in their lives: starting working full time, buying a first home, getting married, retiring, and even finally dying.

6 For grades 9 12. My Credit Rating: Why Should I Care? In this LESSON , from EconEdLink, students explore the benefits and potential pitfalls of credit. Credit is a wonderful tool for the consumer. It can enhance your quality of life. It enables you to buy and enjoy a purchase before you have the money to pay for it. On the other hand, it can create serious problems for people who use it incorrectly. For grades 9 12. Satisfaction Please! (Part 1) In this LESSON , one of a multi-part unit from EconEdLink, students learn how to effectively seek redress for a consumer problem. In the first LESSON , they get tips for seeking redress from a seller of a good or service via personal visits, telephone calls and letters. They write a letter in an effort to resolve a consumer problem they or someone they know has experienced. For grades 9 12.

7 Marketplace: Price Increase or Price-Gouging? Students learn about price-gouging. Using a hypothetical post-disaster example, they will learn more about supply and demand, as well as the complexities associated with price increases in a supply-constrained market. For grades 9 12. - 3 - VERIZON thinkfinity LESSON plan Resources Money Is What Money Does In this LESSON , from EconEdLink, students define and explain the functions of money. They then describe the characteristics that are needed to enable money to carry out these functions effectively. For grades 9 12. Let's Talk Turkey: The Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner This EconEdLink LESSON has students think about the economics of Thanksgiving. Most American families celebrate Thanksgiving by cooking turkey. According to , 90 percent of households eat turkey on Thanksgiving and 50 percent eat turkey on Christmas day.

8 Students are asked to consider questions such as the following: How does your family celebrate Thanksgiving? Are you joined by friends and/or family for a special feast? What do you eat? For grades 9 12. Who Knows What Inefficiencies Lurk in the Hearts of Rent Controlled Housing Markets? The Shadow Market Knows! In this LESSON , from EconEdLink, students explore rent-controlled housing markets. They imagine that they've just graduated from college and have been offered a position with a firm in New York City, whereupon they must find proper housing. For grades 9 12. The ABCs of Poetry In this readwritethink LESSON , students play with words and letters in an imaginative way. As a group and individually, students make the familiar strange by creating image pools of metaphor derived from a single letter in the alphabet. For grades 9 12.

9 Name that Chapter! Discussing Summary and Interpretation Using Chapter Titles In this readwritethink LESSON , students name chapters in novels that they are reading, creating a cumulative list for the novel as they proceed. Sample titles are discussed and debated before the class settles on a choice. In the process, students actively explore reading comprehension, summary, accuracy, and connotation. For grades 9 12. Designing Effective Poster Presentations In this readwritethink LESSON , students explore the genre of posters, review informational writing and visual design, and then design poster presentations to share in class or at a school-wide fair. For grades 9 12. The Correspondence Project: A LESSON of Letters This LESSON from readwritethink covers the differences between business and friendly letter formats, using examples and a Venn diagram.

10 Students then write letters for varying audiences and real-world purposes. A range of writing prompts is included. For grades 9 12. What Are My Rights? Exploring and Writing About the Constitution Engage students in a study of the First Amendment by exploring issues that directly affect their lives. Using youth curfews as an example, students research a case study, debate the issue, hypothesize if their city or town could pass a youth curfew, and create a blog highlighting their conclusions. For grades 9 12. - 4 - VERIZON thinkfinity LESSON plan Resources TARGET POPULATION: GRADES 6-12 Time Value of Money In this LESSON , from EconEdLink, students explore the time value of money. Students are asked to consider the following scenario. Suppose your brother or sister owed you $500. Would you rather have this money repaid to you right away, in one payment, or spread out over a year in four installment payments?