Home > Education Resources > High School

Education Resources

Economic Education

High School Economics

E-mail Alert for High School Lesson Plans, Activities and Resources

Online Courses: Econ Ed Live Learn more

Econ Ed Mobile Learning App: Learn more

Economic Lowdown Podcasts: Listen to the Podcasts

Personal Finance 101: Learn more

New
Lessons / Whiteboard Activities
AP
Multimedia
Student Activities
Publications
Links

Supply and Demand
.notebook
This series of slides aids students in reviewing the determinants of supply and demand, provides an exercise for them to choose which of the curves shift and why, and allows them to determine which curve will shift given a market event.
No-Frills Money Skills Video Series — Growing Money
watch the video
In this first episode of the No-Frills Money Skills video series, economic education specialist Kris Bertelsen explains compound interest, or "Growing Money." This new video series will cover a variety of personal finance topics using clear, simple language, and graphic elements so that students can better visualize the personal finance content being presented.
Wait, Is Saving Good or Bad? The Paradox of Thrift
download
The average saving rate for the typical American household before the recession started in 2007 was 2.9 percent; since then it has risen to 5 percent. Uncertainty about the future was the primary driver for the increase. More saving is a good thing, right? Well, some economists argue it might be detrimental to the overall economy. Given the benefits to individuals, how could this be? The May 2012 Page One explores this “paradox of thrift.”
The Economic Lowdown Video Companion — Equilibrium
watch the video
Economic education specialist Scott Wolla explains the concept of equilibrium. Viewers will get a refresher on the laws of supply and demand before they learn about market equilibrium — the point at which there is no shortage or surplus of a good or service.
Online Course: Econ Ed Live — Currency Crusaders of Justice
online learning course
Jack of All Trades and his best bud, Andy, are traveling the world by cape, having a coffee at each stop. Andy learns that purchasing those coffees using the currencies of their host countries presents a minor complication - the relative value of currencies around the world can change and make those coffees more expensive or less expensive. How does that happen? Stay tuned and you'll learn how economic conditions affect exchange rates...and the price of coffee everywhere.
Online Course: Econ Ed Live — Great Inflation
online learning course
In this course, superhero Jack of All Trades and his sidekick Andy are confronted by a villain that threatens to disrupt society and rob the world of the certainty people have come to expect. And this dastardly villain is...Inflation. Jack and Andy time travel to the period known as The Great Inflation to discover the truth about inflation. With the help of Dr. Equilibrium, professor of economics, they learn that inflation is the result of too much money chasing too few goods and that the Federal Reserve System plays a key role in maintaining stable prices.
Econ Ed Mobile Learning App
download
Take a look at the St. Louis Fed's new Econ Ed Mobile Learning app for the iPad, iPhone and iTouch. Our new app allows you to visualize and understand how inflation and the cost of credit can affect your spending and saving decisions.
Constitutionality of a Central Bank
lesson (.pdf, 18 pgs., 248 kB)
Students learn about McCulloch v. Maryland, a case decided in 1819 over (1) whether the state of Maryland had the right to tax the Second Bank of the United States and (2) whether Congress had violated the Constitution in establishing the Bank. Students also review the expressed powers of Congress identified in the Constitution and analyze how Congress implements the necessary and proper (elastic) clause to enact its expressed powers. Finally, students use their knowledge of McCulloch v. Maryland and the necessary and proper clause to consider the constitutionality of the Federal Reserve System.

Online Courses: Econ Ed Live
learn more
visit the Instructor Management Panel
Looking for online courses for your students? This award-winning collection of new and improved resources will help bring economics lessons to life for your students with interactive activities, online courses, podcasts and more.
Cards, Cars and Currency: Managing Credit Cards, Debit Cards and Buying a Car
curriculum unit
Cards, Cars and Currency is a curriculum unit that challenges students to become involved in three specific areas of personal finance: credit cards, debit cards and purchasing a car.
Constitutionality of a Central Bank
lesson (.pdf, 18 pgs., 248 kB)
Students learn about McCulloch v. Maryland, a case decided in 1819 over (1) whether the state of Maryland had the right to tax the Second Bank of the United States and (2) whether Congress had violated the Constitution in establishing the Bank. Students also review the expressed powers of Congress identified in the Constitution and analyze how Congress implements the necessary and proper (elastic) clause to enact its expressed powers. Finally, students use their knowledge of McCulloch v. Maryland and the necessary and proper clause to consider the constitutionality of the Federal Reserve System.
Crossing Borders: The Globalization Debate
lesson (.pdf, 18 pgs., 757 kB)
Students will consider both sides of the globalization debate—the benefits and the costs—by reading and discussing the article "Crossing Borders: The Globalization Debate" from the Spring 2008 issue of Inside the Vault.
Crowding Out
lesson (.pdf, 11 pgs., 119 kB)
whiteboard (.notebook, 78 kB)
Students learn that the loanable funds market is a virtual clearing house matching borrowers and savers. They participate in an activity to demonstrate crowding out in the loanable funds market. They use demand and supply analysis to graphically represent the results of crowding out.
Currency and the Fed
lesson (.pdf, 22 pgs., 1.2 MB)
Students learn some basic facts about money as well as some basics about the Federal Reserve System. In addition, they describe the Federal Reserve’s role in the distribution of money by identifying features of the $5 note.
Diversification and Risk
lesson (.pdf, 24 pgs., 130 kB)
whiteboard (.notebook, 102 kB)
powerpoint
Students are given a portfolio of investments, and they assess the relative risk associated with the products in their portfolios. They later determine which savings and investment instruments might be most suitable for clients of different ages and economic status.
Eminent Domain
lesson (.pdf, 19 pgs., 342 kB)
Students will examine three Supreme Court rulings and analyze possible positive and negative impacts of the Court's decision on eminent domain. From the Inside the Vault article, "Eminent Domain: Should Private Property Be Taken for Public Use?"
Extra Credit: It's NO Fairy Tale
lesson (.pdf, 29 pgs., 525 kB)
Students read a story that illustrates some of the trends and concerns discussed in the Fall 2008 Inside the Vault article "Extra Credit: The Rise of Short-term Liabilities." The facts of the story are then analyzed to identify the debt trap and to generate solutions to the problem.
Fractile vs. Equal
lesson (.pdf, 14 pgs., 98 kB)
Students learn the difference between categorizing data in fractile intervals and equal intervals using the GeoFRED mapping tool.
Glossary of Economics and Personal Finance Terms
online glossary
An economics and personal finance glossary to assist teachers and students with a comprehensive list of defined terms. If you can't find a term, please notify Barb at barbara.flowers@stls.frb.org.
The Great Depression
curriculum unit
The Great Depression is an event that provides the opportunity to teach and learn a great deal about economics. This curriculum is designed to provide teachers with economic lessons that they can share with their students to help them understand this significant experience in U.S. history.
Income Taxes: Who Pays and How Much?
lesson (.pdf, 27 pgs., 395 kB)
Using data collected from the Internal Revenue Service for the tax year 2003, students will become involved in an inquiry of individual federal income taxes. The lesson is divided into sections that address specific questions, such as: Why do we have an individual income tax? What is individual federal income tax? How is it paid? When is it paid? How is the individual income tax structured? What is a perfect tax structure? What are the different categories of taxes? What is the correlation between tax burden and income groups? What if the tax structure were changed? What effects would a different tax structure have on taxpayers? What effect would a different tax structure have on the government? From the Inside the Vault article, "Income Taxes: Who Pays and How Much?"
It's Your Paycheck!: Earning and Managing Your Money
curriculum unit
It's Your Paycheck! is designed for use in high school personal finance classes. The curriculum contains three sections—"Know Your Dough," "KaChing!" and "All About Credit."
Just Sign Here: Bottom-Line Personal Finance Myths
lesson (.pdf, 28 pgs., 691 kB)
This lesson helps students develop a basic understanding of credit and the importance of a credit history. Students will learn how a credit history affects their lives. From the Inside the Vault article, "Just Sign Here: Bottom-Line Personal Finance Myths."
Market Basket
lesson (.pdf, 11 pgs., 193 kB)
whiteboard (.notebook, 1.8 MB)
Students will compare the price of goods from one time period to another and through discussion and role play interpret the effects of inflation on consumers. They will categorize goods and services according to the eight major groups of the consumer price index and be able to determine the difference between the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the core CPI.
Oil Prices: Demand and Supply
lesson (.pdf, 14 pgs., 436 kB)
Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to list the determinants of demand and supply, recognize which factors will cause demand curves or supply curves to shift, determine equilibrium using a demand/supply graph, and show the effects on price and quantity when equilibrium changes. From the Inside the Vault article, "What Is Driving Oil Prices?"
Page One Economics Newsletter Classroom Edition
learn more
Keep your students in the know on timely economic issues with the new Page One Economics Newsletter Classroom Edition.
Shifting Curves: Demand and Supply Shifts in the Gasoline Market
lesson (.pdf, 27 pgs., 397 kB)
Students create a graph of gasoline supply and demand and identify the market-clearing price, then graph a decrease in demand for gasoline and a decrease in supply of gasoline to understand how those factors affect prices. From the Inside the Vault article, "Why Do Gasoline Prices React to Things That Have Not Happened?"
To Get the Right Answers about College: Ask the Right Questions
lesson (.pdf, 35 pgs., 856 kB)
Students will read the Inside the Vault article "As College Costs Rise, Student Loans are Harder to Find" and will complete a survey of college students. Students will discuss the typical costs a college student faces and will learn about the various types of education loans available. In the lesson plan's Assessment section, students will complete an FAFSA form and write an essay that identifies a plan for obtaining money to cover college expenses.
U.S. Income Inequality: It's Not So Bad
lesson (.pdf, 26 pgs., 614 kB)
The lead article in the Spring 2010 issue of Inside the Vault discusses redistributing wealth through taxation. In this lesson, students will examine the ability-to-pay principle of taxation. Students will compare a progressive tax system and a flat tax system by analyzing the same household scenarios using one system and then the other.
What is Unemployment, How Is It Measured and Why does the Fed Care?
lesson (.pdf, 20 pgs., 244 kB)
In this lesson, students read and interpret choropleth maps, which contain unemployment data. They compare verbal descriptions of the labor market from the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book with the mapped data.
Which Came First—Democracy or Growth?
lesson (.pdf, 26 pgs., 276 kB)
Students will compute real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and GDP per capita for three fictional countries. The Index of Economic Freedom will be used to compare and contrast the relationship between the degree of a country’s economic freedom and the total output of that country and its standard of living. From the Inside the Vault article, "Which Came First—Democracy or Growth?"

Comparative Advantage
whiteboard (.notebook, 181 kB)
This series of slides presents the production possibilities frontiers for Alphatown and Omegaville and illustrates their comparative advantage in the production of apples and potatoes, leading to specialization and trade.
Crowding Out
lesson (.pdf, 11 pgs., 119 kB)
whiteboard (.notebook, 78 kB)
Students learn that the loanable funds market is a virtual clearing house matching borrowers and savers. They participate in an activity to demonstrate crowding out in the loanable funds market. They use demand and supply analysis to graphically represent the results of crowding out.
Employment and the Labor Force: FRED Data Classroom Application
lesson (pdf, 18 pgs, 1.5 MB)
A lesson on Employment and the Labor Force to be used in conjunction with FRED® (Federal Reserve Economic Data), a database of 45,000 U.S. economic time series.
Measures of Inflation: FRED Data Classroom Application
lesson (pdf, 18 pgs, 4.1 MB)
A lesson on measures of inflation to be used in conjunction with FRED® (Federal Reserve Economic Data), a database of 45,000 U.S. economic time series.
Monopoly
whiteboard (.notebook, 92 kB)
powerpoint
Monopolistic Competition
whiteboard (.notebook, 104 kB)
powerpoint
Perfect Competition
whiteboard (.notebook, 144 kB)
powerpoint
The Market Structures slides present graphs related to Monopoly, Monopolistic Competition and Perfect Competition. The slides illustrate firms' short-run decisions.
Page One Economics Newsletter Classroom Edition
learn more
Keep your students in the know on timely economic issues with the new Page One Economics Newsletter Classroom Edition.
Production Possibilities
lesson (.pdf, 12 pgs., 130 kB) using .notebook
lesson (.pdf, 12 pgs., 135 kB) using powerpoint
Students develop the production possibilities frontier model while discussing the value of models in general in explaining complex ideas. They see what movement along the production possibilities curve entails—on both the constant-cost curve and a bowed curve indicating increasing costs. They discuss ways a society can consume beyond the limits of its production possibilities through specialization and trade, as well as through an increase in resources, capital investment, and technological advance.
Supply and Demand
.notebook
This series of slides aids students in reviewing the determinants of supply and demand, provides an exercise for them to choose which of the curves shift and why, and allows them to determine which curve will shift given a market event.
U.S. Deficit and Debt: FRED Data Classroom Application
lesson (pdf, 12 pgs, 680 kB)
A lesson on the U.S. deficit, debt and debt to GDP ratio to be used in conjunction with FRED® (Federal Reserve Economic Data), a database of 45,000 U.S. economic time series.

Online Courses: Econ Ed Live
learn more
visit the Instructor Management Panel
Looking for online courses for your students? This collection of new and improved resources will help bring economics lessons to life for your students with interactive activities, online courses, podcasts and more.
Econ Ed Mobile Learning App
download
Take a look at the St. Louis Fed's Econ Ed Mobile Learning app for the iPad, iPhone and iTouch. The app allows you to visualize and understand how inflation and the cost of credit can affect your spending and saving decisions.
Economic Lowdown Audio Podcasts and Video Companions
listen to the podcasts | watch the videos
The Economic Lowdown is a podcast series produced by the Economic Education department of the St. Louis Fed for high school students. The series covers topics in economics, banking and monetary policy. The brief videos use clear, simple language and graphic elements so that students can better visualize the economic concepts being presented. In the end, they will see how economic principles affect the choices they make in their everyday lives.
No-Frills Money Skills Video Series
watch the videos
This video series covers a variety of personal finance topics. The brief videos use clear, simple language, and graphic elements so that viewers can better visualize the personal finance content being presented. In the end, they will see how important these concepts are to their everyday lives.
Calculating Present Value and Future Value
watch the video
How much money should you save today in order to have $10,000 in 10 years? If you won the lottery, how will you decide whether to take the lump sum payment? To answer these questions, you need to understand present and future value. Watch an economist from the St. Louis Fed explain.
High School Financial Literacy
video
Missouri's new requirement that public high school students take a personal finance course was the focus of a recent interview by KSDK-TV in St. Louis with Mary Suiter, manger of economic education at the St. Louis Fed. Suiter talked about the Bank's lesson plans for teaching personal finance and explained some of the other related materials for teachers, students and consumers.
In Plain English Video
watch the video
Need to learn - or teach someone else - about the Federal Reserve? Buck, our friendly tour guide, will show you around the Federal Reserve System, introducing you to who we are and what we do.
National Economic Education Video Competitions
learn more about the current competition
Economic Short Takes
watch the videos
View the National Economic Education Video Competition winning videos.
A Word on the Economy: Why Is the Country Facing a Financial Crisis?
presentation with audio commentary
Need a little help understanding and explaining current events in financial markets to your students? Check out this easy-to-understand presentation on the current economic situation, developed by Julie Stackhouse, senior vice president of the Fed's Banking Supervision & Regulation division. Additional resources: presentation (no audio, .pdf 267 kB) | glossary (.pdf 102 kB)

Econ Ed Mobile Learning App
download
Take a look at the St. Louis Fed's Econ Ed Mobile Learning app for the iPad, iPhone and iTouch. The app allows you to visualize and understand how inflation and the cost of credit can affect your spending and saving decisions.
Glossary of Economics and Personal Finance Terms
online glossary
An economics and personal finance glossary to assist teachers and students with a comprehensive list of defined terms. If you can't find a term, please notify Barb at barbara.flowers@stls.frb.org.
Great Depression Puzzles
activities
Learn about the Great Depression using a crossword puzzle and word search. You can play online or print the activities. Also included are printable teacher's guides.
Personal Finance 101
learn more
Find quick answers to frustrating personal finance questions that pop up now and again. Choose a topic and watch a short (pre-recorded) instant-messaging exchange with a trusted adviser. Then, view common financial forms, enhanced with roll-over hints on how to complete them.
Personal Finance Challenges
learn more
Each year, Eighth District states hold personal finance challenges for teams of high school students.
Personal Finance Flash Cards
play the online quiz
You will flip over this fun way to review personal finance concepts, whether you're taking a class in school, preparing for the Personal Finance Challenge in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri or Tennessee, or simply want to learn more about smart personal finance decisions.

In Plain English
web site
An easy-to-read guide to the structure and functions of the Federal Reserve System.
Inside the Vault
current issue | subscribe | past issues
An economic education newsletter for elementary- and secondary-level teachers. Distributed twice a year.
Page One Economics Newsletter
current and past issues | classroom edition | e-mail alert | RSS
A newsletter written for librarians, students and the general public on current economic topics. Includes links to relevant data and articles. Published nine times a year, August - November, and January - May.
The Regional Economist
current issue | e-mail alert | subscribe | past issues
A quarterly publication that addresses national and regional economic issues and their impact on the Eighth District.

FinFAQs.com
Answers to common personal finance questions, covering such topics as credit cards, home finance, fraud, loans and banking.
Bessie B. Moore Center for Economic Education at University of Arkansas
Economic education resources including teacher training and curriculum development, consultant services for education and business communities, and information and resources for educators who teach economic and financial education.
Center for Economic Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha
Economic education resources for economics teachers from K–12 to college/university level, as well as links to other web sites with economic education resources.
Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Education
Sponsored by the University of Missouri-St. Louis and affiliated with the Missouri Council on Economic Education.
Econ Illinois
Economic education resources for K-12 educators including professional development programs and materials.
EconEdLink
Classroom-tested, Internet-based economic lesson materials for grades K-12.
Economics Arkansas
Economics Arkansas (through the Arkansas Council on Economic Education) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan, educational organization founded in 1962 by Dr. Bessie B. Moore to promote economic literacy in Arkansas.
Foundation for Teaching Economics
Economic education resources including content outlines, classroom activities and teacher materials from FTE courses.
FRASER®
Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research provides historical economic statistical publications, releases and documents.
FRED®
The Federal Reserve's economic and financial database.
GeoFRED®
Enables users to create thematic maps of U.S. economic data by state, county or metropolitan statistical area.
Glossary of Economic Terms
A Minneapolis Fed glossary of terms related to the Federal Reserve, banking and economics.
H.I.P. Pocket Change
The U.S. Mint's economics education site for kids.
JA Student Center
The Junior Achievement "JA Student Center" is an online navigational tool geared to help your students become workforce-ready. They can gain knowledge on how to handle their money, explore careers, get tips on starting a business and much more.
Jump$tart: Financial Smarts for Students
Activities, information and resources from the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, which promotes personal finance education for grades K-12.
Know Your Money
A U.S. Secret Service site providing information on how to detect counterfeit currency and guard against forgery loss.
Missouri Council on Economic Education
Economic education resources for K-12 educators including professional development programs and materials.
The Stock Market Game
An electronic educational simulation program designed to help students in grades 4-12 learn more about economics, finance and the American economic system.
U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Official site.
U.S. Mint
Official site.