Lesson Plans

To find FTE activities and lessons, please select from the different search options.  Search by topic, FTE economic reasoning proposition, Voluntary National Content Standard, or History Content Standard.

Competition

Lesson 3: Beneficiaries of Competition

Concepts market entrepreneurship competition incentives property rights human capital National Voluntary Content Standards in Economics The background materials and student…

E.R.P. #3

Lesson 2 Activity: You’re the Economist

Activity Demonstration Video Concepts institutions capital economic growth property rights investment opportunity cost National Voluntary Content Standards in Economics This…

E.R.P. #4

Lesson 2: Property Rights and the Rule of Law

Concepts: institutions property rights rule of law incentives capital asset collateral National Voluntary Content Standards in Economics The background materials…

Decision Making

Lesson 1 Part 2: Capitalism – Institutional Building Blocks

Concepts market entrepreneurship rule of law incentives property rights limited government National Voluntary Content Standards in Economics The background materials…

E.R.P. #3

Lesson 1 Activity: What is Poverty and Who are the Poor? A WebQuest

Overview A guided web search, or “webquest,” introduces students to a variety of easily accessible data about poverty. The search…

E.R.P. #3

Lesson 1 Activity: What is Poverty? A KWL Exercise

Video Demonstration Lesson Overview KWL is a familiar and productive method of engaging student interest in a new topic of…

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Activity: The Activity That Fails

Overview: This brief classroom activity can be used to informally assess students’ ability to apply the principles of economic reasoning…

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Activity: Site Selection – A Land Use Simulation

Economic Concepts Environmental Context Opportunity Cost Using resources in one way requires giving up alternative uses Trade-off Choice Scarcity Cost/Benefit…

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Lesson 7 Activity: The Pearl River – Water In or Water Out?

Concepts: Scarcity, choices and opportunity cost Cooperation through markets Property rights Institutions shape incentives Content Standards: Standard 4:  People respond…

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Lesson 7: The Future of Water – Crisis or Cooperation?

Concepts: Scarcity, choices and opportunity cost Price and other incentives Cooperation through markets Property rights Institutions shape incentives Content Standards:…

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Lesson 6 Activity:  Marginal Analysis – Would You Swim There?

In the “Would You Swim There?” simulation, students play the roles of community members wrestling with the problem of cleaning…

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Lesson 6: Would You Swim There?

Concepts: Marginal analysis Content Standards: Standard 2:  Effective decision making requires comparing the additional costs of alternatives with the additional…

E.R.P. #3

Lesson 5 Activity: M&Ms and Lemonade

Concepts: Incentives Property rights Tragedy of the commons Content Standards: Standard 10:   Institutions evolve in market economies to help individuals…

E.R.P. #3

Lesson 5: The Tragedy of the Commons

Concepts: Incentives Property rights Tragedy of the commons Content Standards: Standard 10:   Institutions evolve in market economies to help individuals…

E.R.P. #3

Lesson 4 Activity: Fishermen and Farmers – Conflict and Water Law

Concepts:   Incentives Property rights Voluntary Exchange Content Standards: Standard 4:  People respond predictably to positive and negative incentives. Standard 5:…

E.R.P. #3

Lesson 4 Activity:  The Impact of Water Law on People’s Choices

Concepts: Incentives Property rights Institutions Content Standards: Standard 4:  People respond predictably to positive and negative incentives. Standard 10:   Institutions…

E.R.P. #3

Lesson 4: Water Law – The ‘Rules of the Game’ Matter

Concepts: Incentives Institutions Property rights Voluntary Exchange Content Standards: Standard 4:  People respond predictably to positive and negative incentives. Standard…

E.R.P. #3

Lesson 3 Activity: The Rules of Ownership

Time Required: 3-4 class periods Materials: Laminated pictures or clip art of objects—i.e., a ski-lift ticket or water park wrist-band,…