Nick+Anello

**Thinking Like an Economist/****Introduction to Economic Concepts** **Title:** Introduction to Economics

**Subject and Grade Level:** 12th Grade Economics

**Goal**: What is Economics and how do economists think?

**Objectives**: Students will begin to understand how to think like an economist. Students will also be able to explain basic economic concepts.

__ **Standards Alignment**: __ **NETS-S** **1. Creativity and Innovation** Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression **2. Communication and Collaboration** Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.

**Economics Illinois Standards** -Standard: 15.C.5b <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">STATE GOAL 15: Understand economic systems, with an emphasis on the United States. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by producers. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Explain how changes in non-price determinants of supply (e.g., number of producers) affect producers' decisions. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-Standard: 15.D.5a <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">STATE GOAL 15: Understand economic systems, with an emphasis on the United States. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Understand trade as an exchange of goods or services. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Explain how transaction costs affect decisions to produce or consume.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">**Initial Engaging Activity** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">(One 50 minute period) Students will collaborate via VoiceThread on some Economics questions that describe the basic ideas and concepts of Economics and thinking like an Economist. Students would be asked to make at least one comment on the website and then listen to the other answers that are given by other students. They will then have an accompanying worksheet to write the responses (both pre and post-collaboration) to the questions posed in the VoiceThread. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">media type="custom" key="16383894"

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">**Concept Development** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">(One 50 minute period)Teacher will present the Prezi to students as a way to engage them in a dialogue and introduce them to basic economics concepts posed in the Initial Engaging Activity. Discuss as prompted by the open-ended questions with students. The YouTube videos and pictures are meant to accompany the information. Students should take notes on the basic concepts and summarize the discussions.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">media type="custom" key="15461040"

=<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">**Reinforcing Activity** =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 27px;">(One 80 minute block)Students will create their own economical dilemma that involves one of the key concepts. They will research that concept and come up with an economic question (like the ones seen on the VoiceThread opener). The groups of small students will have 1 block day (~80 minutes) of lab time to complete one of the following projects: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">** 1) GoAnimate.com ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 27px;">Create a skit that revolves around the question your group created. Use the website to make about a 30 second overview of asking the question, answering the question, and explaining the concept you used. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">** 2) Glogster.com ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 27px;">Create an interactive poster (use web tools such as YouTube or images from the web to enhance your product) that revolves around asking and answering your group's question and explaining the concept you used.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 27px;">5 points- Quality of final product
__**Comments(3)**__
 * Good use of real life examples and applications of economics. Wide range of Bloom's Taxonomy for critical thinking. The prezi presentation was excellent because it was realateable for teenagers. The only criticism would be to use the reading of the questions along with the voice thread.**