Economics is power. In a world where resources are limited and people’s wants are not, understanding the basic principles of economics and applying them in your life, is one of the most important ways to get ahead.
In this module students will learn how to apply the concept of scarcity to become decision-making ninjas, armed with new powers of marginal analysis and opportunity costs. Be educators that teach students what “it’s just business” really means. Teach your students how market forces rule the world around us, by helping them identify how the laws of supply and demand ultimately determine what gets made, who makes it, and who gets it.Students won’t just uncover the invisible forces of price, surplus, and shortage; they will learn how to capitalize on them. Why? Because in this world there are two kinds of people; those who can take advantage of opportunities, and those who get taken advantage of.
The module opens with a Civic Mirror performance task that puts your students right into the sandbox of economics. They get to take all they’ve learned about market forces and apply it—predicting the value of each property in the vitally important auction. Not only does this activity pique student interest, it gives the curricular content relevance and purpose (mastering it could make them rich in the stock market!). There are infinite follow-up activities that teachers can use to enrich learning and skills.For example, students can graph the results, compare how accurate their predictions were, check for understanding, and/or examine real-world examples to see how market forces impact their lives on a daily basis.
This introductory module to economic forces will get your students out of the back seat of life, and into the driver’s seat; clutching the steering wheel and cruising toward success, pedal to the metal. Got drive? Get ready to use Market Forces & Decision-Making with the Civic Mirror to get you there!
