September 11, 2001, is a day most American high school students remember. They may not fully grasp the events that took place, the reasons behind the terrorist attacks on the United States, or their implications, but they remember. They were children when this national trauma occurred--and they saw those unforgettable television images of the…

This teaching guide for grades 4-6 focuses on the 1999-2000 United States Mint 50 State Quarters Program, which includes new quarter designs for the following states: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Virginia. The guide includes six lesson plans that fit easily…

This teaching guide for grades K-1 focuses on the 1999-2000 United States Mint 50 State Quarters Program, which includes new quarter designs for the following states: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Virginia. The guide includes six lesson plans that fit easily…

This teaching guide for grades 2-3 focuses on the 1999-2000 United States Mint 50 State Quarters Program, which includes new quarter designs for the following states: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Virginia. The guide includes six lesson plans that fit easily…

This student text and teacher's guide examine the government's role in the U.S. economy and how the choices made by the government affect each citizen. The following topics are addressed: (1) why government gets involved in the economy and the social and economic goals the government tries to achieve; (2) how government monetary, fiscal, and trade…

In 1981, the United States reached a dubious economic milestone--the federal debt surpassed one trillion dollars for the first time. It took more than 200 years to build up that much debt. The federal debt doubled to two trillion by 1986, hit the three trillion level in 1990, and stands at an estimated five-and-a-half trillion for 1998. Just as…

This lesson plan features a classroom simulation that helps students understand the characteristics of a market economic system. The lesson plan states a purpose; cites student objectives; suggests a time duration; lists materials needed; and details a step-by-step teaching procedure. The "Paper Airplane Challenge" handout is attached. (BT)

This theme issue of the "Bill of Rights in Action" looks at labor issues. The first article examines the unionization efforts of the Wobblies in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. The second article explores the protests of the Luddites during Britain's Industrial Revolution. The final article looks at whether…

The United States is a multi-trillion dollar economy that annually allocates a staggering amount of resources to produce a variety of goods and services for domestic and world consumption, and provides employment and income for millions of individuals. This lesson plan for social studies and economics teachers traces a series of interconnected…

In 1876 Americans held a Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) to celebrate the nation's birth 100 years earlier. Machinery Hall drew the most admiration and wonder. Alexander Graham Bell exhibited the first telephone, and Thomas Alva Edison presented the automatic telegraph, one of more than 1,000 inventions he would patent in his…

The United States Mint 50 State Quarters Program launched a 10-year initiative in 1999, commemorating each of the nation's states in the order they were admitted into the Union. Approximately every 10 weeks (5 times a year) through 2008, a new limited-edition quarter that displays an individual state's design is released into general circulation.…

The United States Mint 50 State Quarters Program launched a 10-year initiative in 1999, commemorating each of the nation's states in the order they were admitted into the Union. Approximately every 10 weeks (5 times a year) through 2008, a new limited-edition quarter that displays an individual state's design is released into general circulation.…

The United States Mint 50 State Quarters Program launched a 10-year initiative in 1999, commemorating each of the nation's states in the order they were admitted into the Union. Approximately every 10 weeks (5 times a year) through 2008, a new limited-edition quarter that displays an individual state's design is released into general circulation.…

Many historians call the Civil War the central event in U.S. history. The formation of the U.S. Constitution corrected the autonomy of individual states that the Articles of Confederation did not harness. The young country struggled for 75 years to find a graceful balance between the power of the federal government and that of the states. The…

From the earliest times when commodities such as tobacco and beaver pelts were used as money, to the present when credit and debit cards are commonplace, money has played a central role in the U.S. experience. This booklet provides an historical overview of the concept of money as it has evolved in the United States. The booklet is divided into…