Table of Contents

Sample Lesson Descriptions

(Note: these lessons are currently undergoing classroom field testing, and the final lesson plans may differ slightly.)

How Do Constitutions Shape Economic Systems?
Students examine the characteristics of a market economy and the economic provisions of the U.S. Constitution, as well as explore why two nations, who have so have much in common including location, access to natural resources, culture and language, have very different economic outcomes? Students examine excerpts from the Constitutions of North Korea and South Korea and examine their differences.

'Free to Do What I Want?'
What is the relationship between economic freedom and political freedom? Students brainstorm examples of political and economic freedom, then examine the relationship between two indices: the Freedom House Freedom in the World survey and the Wall Street Journal/Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom. Students analyze and plot data from 30 randomly selected countries to determine if a relationship between the two types of freedom exists.

Voters and Elections
Students participate in a median voter demonstration and explore "moderate" economic positions between two extreme political views. Students also examine the costs and benefits of voting to figure out why people choose to vote.

What are the Economic Functions of Government?
The teacher presents six economic functions of government in a brief lecture, and students classify newspaper headlines according to the six functions. A brief reading introduces "liberal" and "conservative" views of the scope of government economic activity. Students work in groups to develop liberal and conservative arguments on one of the newspaper headlines.

Government Spending
Students identify patterns and trends in spending by government at the federal, state, and local levels, and analyze the potential problems posed by the growth in federal mandatory spending.

Can Election Futures Markets be More Accurate Than Polls? Students examine the results of public opinion polls conducted near the end of the 2004 presidential election. They compare the results of several national polls to those of the Iowa Electronic Markets (IEM), a system that used futures markets to predict the outcome of the 2004 race. Students read and discuss a handout which allows a comparison between public opinion polls and the Iowa Electronic Markets.

Taxes Change Behavior
Students review the economic functions of government and they recognize that taxes are necessary to pay for government activities. Students are shown an example of how a tax on cigarettes raises the price of cigarettes, which decreases smoking, and evaluate how various taxes change the behavior of those to whom they apply. They learn that taxes provide incentives that may have unexpected results.

Economic Misery and the Presidency
Students examine economic data in order to predict the results of presidential elections.

The Market Goes to Court: Key Economic Cases and the United State Supreme Court
Students participate in a short "reader's theater" that reviews key roles of the Supreme Court, and introduces students to four types of economic cases heard by the Court. Students then complete a data chart summarizing the four types of economic cases. This lesson can serve as an excellent review/extension activity during a unit on the US Supreme Court.

An Economic Analysis of Health Care Policy
Students briefly discuss the strengths and weaknesses of health care in the United States. As "members" of the Surgeon General's Task Force on the Economics of Health Care Policies, the students examine how the laws of supply and demand can be applied to health care. They study four criteria for judging health care policies and then apply those criteria to three general plans: Pay or Play, Tax Credits and National Health Insurance.

How Should Governments Structure the Tax System?
Students decide on a method of taxation and discuss their reasoning for designing the type of tax system they have created. They learn whether their system is progressive, regressive, or proportional.