Today's young students, when they grow to be adults, will have to make decisions the consequences of which will impact their lives and the lives of others. As consumers, they will need to understand that they can't have everything they want. They will have to make spending, savings, and investing decisions that benefit their own families over the…

States that toys can be used in the social studies classroom to help elementary students learn and retain relevant content. Discusses how to incorporate toys into the classroom. Lists toys, games, and lesson plan ideas that can be used when teaching history, geography, and economics. (CMK)

School to Career is part of a national initiative to help students make connections between the content, skills, and concepts they are learning in the classroom and careers in the real world. School-to-career practices add relevance to the elementary school curriculum and promote engagement in learning. A key feature of many school-to-career…

Discusses the connection between economics and decision making in everyday life. Compares basic economic concepts such as choices, scarcity, opportunity costs, indirect costs, and decision making to the choices that students make in their personal lives. Maintains that through the study of economics, students can become responsible decision…

Profiles "Barnyard Economics," a children's play produced by Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). SIFE is a national organization for college students who provide economic education to the community. The audience-participation play uses the adventures of a pig to illustrate opportunity costs, production of goods and services, and productive…

Asserts polls show that the general public, high school seniors, and college seniors have many misunderstandings about the U.S. economic system and its role in the international economy. Maintains that grade level programs need to be interdisciplinary and utilize active learning techniques. (CFR)

Explains that technology allows teachers access to instructional materials for teaching economic concepts in the elementary classroom. Describes "Virtual Economics: An Interactive Center for Economics Education" that is a multimedia resource CD-ROM consisting of a center for economic education and a resource library and provides four web…

Describes the "Teaching and Learning Website Seminar" held at Ball State University (Indiana) that encourages teachers to review state and national economics content standards and to use technology to augment economics lessons. Provides an example of an online lesson plan created at the seminar called "Why Do Some Beanie Babies Cost…

Asserts that elementary students should learn economics to prepare for their adult roles as consumers, producers, and voters. Discusses the "Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics" that consist of 20 standards and the respective benchmarks that describe the concepts students need to know by the end of grades 4, 8, and 12. (CMK)

Discusses the service projects at Hoover Elementary School in Iowa City, Iowa that link economic education, service learning, and global education. Describes one project where the students involved the community in sending educational materials and financial aid to a school in Brazil. (CMK)

Explains that authentic teaching and assessment enable students to utilize their prior knowledge, recent learning, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills in real-world contexts. Describes examples of authentic teaching and assessment that use the "Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics" as a framework for economics…

Maintains that elementary teachers are encouraged to integrate the curriculum to motivate students. Describes an instructional unit in which students set up and run an "international store," in which the items are priced in foreign currency. Provides recommendations on designing the unit and operating the store. (CFR)