A 3-month study unit introducing first grade students to economics through an Easter theme is outlined in five sections. Sections 1 and 2 describe rationale, goals, and learning objectives. Section 3 provides learning activities. A wide range of instructional strategies is used to teach the basic economic concepts of want, need, scarcity,…

This year-long economics project helped first graders from a low-income area recognize and see themselves as participants in an economic world. Students studied their community to learn about the different types of work people do, goods and services, problems of scarcity, the necessity for rules and goals, the use of natural resources, the…

A case study describes the installation of economic education at the kindergarten-primary grades in one state. The effectiveness of the process depends on the demand for such instruction, the materials available, the willingness and capabilities of teachers, and the time allocated for such instruction. (Author/RM)

This study explores the effects of cooperative and mastery learning methods, alone and in combination, on first and second grade students' learning and retention of basic economic facts. A 2 X 2 (cooperative X mastery) factorial design compared the achievement of 120 students randomly assigned by grade level stratification to one of four treatment…

In this 9-week unit, students compare and contrast goods and services and discuss economic activities that occur in cities, sorting them into the production of goods or the provision of a service. Students examine how people use money to purchase goods and services. Wants are defined in terms of trade-offs or choices that must be made. Job…

This curriculum guide was developed to help elementary education teachers incorporate economics lessons into the social studies curriculum. First, second, and third grade students study the concepts of: (1) economic institutions; (2) scarcity; (3) choice and decision-making; (4) specialization and exchange; and (5) economic systems. A curriculum…

One of a series of social studies curriculum guides, this publication outlines a first grade course on "school and the family." Material is presented in two parts. Part 1 contains an overview of the program. An introduction and statement of philosophy precede the following sections: an outline of grades 1-6 scope and sequence;…

This interdisciplinary economics project helped first and second graders learn how to conserve energy and save money. The project started because of an announcement by the elementary school principal that, if school utility bills could be lowered, the Board of Education would give the school half the money saved. Students were first introduced to…