From the beginning, I tried to create a curriculum that was standards-based and content rich so students would be sure to learn the basic economic concepts and skills necessary and integral to our economy. I decided to focus on analyzing the state standards [see Economics PDF file], over national standards, because they had a simple structure and general benchmarks for what what students should know (concepts) and be able to do (skills) by a grade level (such as grade 3, grade 6, grade 9, and grade 12). Here is a short analysis on the application of content-specific state standards in economics for twelth grade (social studies: economics).
Pennsylvania state standards for economics are organized into five parts: 1)Economic Systems 2)Markets and the Functions of Governments 3) Scarcity and Choice 4) Economic Interdependence 5) Work and Earnings. Each part has about four-twelve substandards.
During my student teaching, I was able to finish two chapters of the economic textbook [Basic Economic Principles].
Life is Economics
Lesson 1: Introduction to Economics-Definition
Lesson 2: Goods and Services
Lesson 3: Unlimited Wants and Limited Resources
Lesson 4: Everyone Pays Opportunity Costs
Lesson 5: From Resources to Products
Lesson 6: Making Rational Choices
Lesson 7: How Economists Use Models, Using the Production Possibilities Frontier
Economic Systems: Who made the Rules?
Lesson 8: How Economic Systems Developed
Lesson 9: The Basic Questions: What, How, and For Whom? | PART B | PART C
Lesson 10: The Role of Profits in the Economy
Lesson 11: Economic Decisions in Other Systems | Lesson 11b | Lesson 11c
[go to three week lesson plans]
In the Economic systems section (Standard 1), I was able to teach students to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses or traditional, command, and market economies (1A) and analyze their impact on the US economy (1B) through lesson 11. We did not get to assess the strength of the regional, national, and/or international economy and compare it to other years based upon economic indicators (1C) nor describe the historical examples of expansion, recession, and depression internationally (1D).
In the Markets and Functions of Governments (Standard 2) sections, I planned to teach students to analyze the flow of products, resources, and money in a mixed economy (2A) and evaluate the operation of non-competitive markets in lesson 12 (2B). In lesson 13, 14, 15, I planned to teach students to predict how changes in supply and demand affect equilibrium price and quantity sold (2E) as well as identify and analyze forces that can change price (2F). I wanted to teach students to evaluate the economic roles of governments (2H) and government decisions to provide public goods (2I) even though it was a later chapter in the textbook. One way I still was able to apply this standard was when I incorporated how economic decisions are made by the government in several lessons [see lesson 4:Opportunity Costs]. I also wanted to teach another content standard found later in the textbook which was teaching students to analyze the impact of media on decision-making of consumers/producers/policymakers (2K). Other standards such as analyzing policies designed to raise or lower interest rates and how the Federal Reserve influences it (2C), evaluating the changes in economic institutions over time (2D), evaluating types of tax systems (2G) and the social/political/economic changes in tax policy (2J) as well as analyzing how policies and international events may change exchange rates (2L) seemed less integral for students to grasp at this time and place in the curriculum.
In the Scarcity and Choice (Standard 3) Section, I was able to cover several standards. I taught students to evaluate the economic reasoning behind a choice ( 3B) in lesson 3: Unlimited wants & limited resources, to evaluate the allocation of resources used to produce goods and services (3C) in lesson 5: From resources to products, to analyze the opportunity cost of decisions by individuals, businesses, communities, and nations (3E) in lesson 4:opportunity costs, and to evaluate how incentives influence decisions of consumers/producers/policymakers (3F) in lesson 10:role of profits. We did not get to spend enough time in analyzing actions taken as a result of scarcity issues in the regional, national, and international economies (3A) or evaluate the regional, national, or international economic decisions (3D). In lesson 6: rational choice, students did have an opportunity to examine and analyze an important regional/national/international current issue with the impending war in Iraq which did broaden their ideas of scarcity, trade-offs and opportunity costs. I also was able to touch upon this standard in an informal way when students discussed regional, national, and international issues through the book " If the World were a Village" in Lesson 11c. Students also gained a global perspective on economic decisions with regards to different economic systems in three particular countries in lesson 11b.
Finally, in the Economic Interdependence (Standard 4) section, I tried to apply this standard as I felt that students needed to have a global perspective in addition to the mainstream perspective presented in the textbook. I was able to teach students to analyze how specialization may increase the standard of living (4A) in lesson 8: how economic systems developed. Students tried to evaluate the characteristics and distribution of international economic activities (4G) in the lesson 11b: comparative systems. With lesson 11c where students read "If the World were a Village", students discusses some aspects of the relationship between trade, competition, and productivity (4B), how US consumers and producers participate in the global production and consumption of goods and services (4E), and how trade is influenced by comparative advantage and opportunity costs (4F). In addition to expanding those standards more formally in class, I would also like to teach students to evaluate trade barriers (4C) and how locations of resources/transportation/communication networks/technology affect international economic patterns (4D) to help them understand the trends of modern globalization.
Based on the standards, I would like to make some suggestions for the revision of this curriculum the next time it is taught. I think I would try to structure the curriculum so that it would allow me to reach the standards of "markets and the functions of government" and the "economic interdependence" more easily because I think students would appreciate learning the real world/real life context of the basic economic concepts they are learning in the lessons. I want to emphasize that those standards are important because they broaden the students understanding of economics beyond their individual/person lives towards the US economic system and the global economic system which they will someday need to be more concerned with.
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