Economic literacy is critical for success in one's career and life. Such literacy has never been more relevant than today due to supply-chain issues causing product shortages, surging inflation, and rising interest rates. Discovery learning through active learning materials discussed in this article were employed with fifth and sixth-grade…

Behavioral economics concepts can advance understanding, predicting, and controlling complex human behavior. Although there have been numerous attempts to apply behavioral economics concepts to applied settings, there are a limited number of experiments conducted in educational settings. The purpose of the studies in this paper is a to apply…

In this paper, I describe the implementation of a project-based economics unit in a fifth-grade classroom in Michigan, titled One Hen. One Hen is a curricular unit designed to teach students about social entrepreneurship as a way for students to learn economic concepts while developing their own civic efficacy by engaging in a project where they…

A prime concern for middle school educators is for students to become knowledgeable and skilled in the areas of economics and personal finance. Some of the reasons underscoring this concern include the questionable future of social support systems, reduction of corporate pension plans, and the lingering effects of the 2008 financial crisis on…

The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework from the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) features an inquiry approach to teaching K-12 social studies in which social studies standards are organized into an "inquiry arc." Inquiry in elementary economics is often underused in practice (Laney 2001). This study describes how a…

High-stakes standardized tests in reading and limited instructional time are two powerful disincentives for teaching economics in the elementary classroom. In this article, integrating instruction in poetry and economic decision-making is presented as one way to maximize the use of scarce instructional time. Following a brief introduction to the…

This dissertation is a qualitative case study focused on describing and analyzing the student and teacher experience with One Hen, a project-based learning unit specifically designed to teach civic engagement. In this study I address three questions: 1) Do fifth-grade students' knowledge and skills in economics change after participating in a…

The purpose of this study is to outline a partnership program that involved a local elementary school district, an institution of higher education, the local business community, and a state economic education advocacy group to integrate economics into math in grades K-5. The "Economics: Math in Real Life" program was provided in…

This document provides teaching guidelines and student material for a unit intended for use in fifth and sixth grade social studies and economics programs. Time allotment is from four to six hours. The objectives are to help students identify the difference between wants and needs, to distinguish between items that are scarce and abundant, to…

Describes a lesson plan which was used successfully to teach the basics of investment to students in a fifth-grade social studies class on economics education. Projects included in the unit included selling stock, pre-sales preparation, selling, profits, and investment. (DB)

This guide is designed to assist fifth and sixth grade teachers who are basically following the New York State curricula. While an effort has been made to include ideas for teaching every concept found in the state's outline, additional concepts have been included for the benefit of those who might go beyond the outline, and for teachers in other…

Describes a stock market investing project for fifth graders. (SJL)

This paper describes the acquisition of basic economic concepts by two fifth-grade classes in an elementary school through the use of a school store. The paper contains: (1) a review of the literature relating to economics education and the use of simulations; (2) a discussion of two teachers' approaches to teaching economic concepts; and (3) a…

Explores fifth-graders' ideas about art and economic concepts before and after an integrated art-economics unit. Indicates that students increased their understanding of both sets of concepts, with the economic concepts being learned better. Suggests that this support claims that coupling disciplines can facilitate the deep learning of concepts…

Discusses "Economics Is FUN-damental," a collection of six musical skits designed to address economic concepts in a manner meaningful and relevant to elementary students. The skits, performed by fourth and fifth graders, are designed to relate economic concepts such as scarcity and supply and demand, to real life situations. (LS)