FRED Interactives are online modules that teach data literacy and economic content at the same time. Students learn how to build and customize FRED graphs and then interpret the data–all within the Econ Lowdown Teacher Portal.
The FRED® database includes hundreds of thousands of data series from dozens of national, international, public, and private sources. The FRED website allows users to combine and display data with an easy-to-master mix of tools. In this interactive lesson, students learn to use several FRED features that are key for understanding and visualizing data: formatting data units and frequency and customizing the graph.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: 7 Activities in 7 Minutes
Students compare manufacturing unit labor costs across countries. These costs help us quantify the comparative advantage of the United States relative to other countries.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: Comparative Advantage
Students learn to use the metadata in FRED® to create good data citations.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: Data Citations
Students learn to use a key FRED feature for understanding and visualizing data: applying basic mathematical formulas to the data.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: Doing Basic Math
Students learn to use several FRED® features to play the FREDcast® game: forecasting the growth rate of the consumer price index.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: FREDcasting Consumer Price Index
Students learn to use several FRED® features to play the FREDcast® game: forecasting the change in payroll employment.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: FREDcasting Payroll Employment
Students learn to use several FRED® features to play the FREDcast® game: forecasting the growth rate of the real gross domestic product.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: FREDcasting Real GDP
Students learn to use several FRED® features to play the FREDcast® game: forecasting the unemployment rate.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: FREDcasting Unemployment Rate
The economic recession that started in December 2007 and ended in June 2009 is sometimes called the “Great Recession.” In this interactive lesson, students learn to use several FRED features that are key for understanding and visualizing data: formatting data units and customizing the graph. This helps us see why the 2007-2009 recession received that moniker.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: The Great Recession
Students learn to use several FRED® features to discover how to use index numbers to measure growth in prices: changing the data units and applying a formula to the data.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: Index Numbers
Students practice information literacy skills related to three threshold concepts: Searching as strategic exploration, information has value, and research as inquiry.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: Information Literacy
Students learn to use several FRED® features that are key for understanding and visualizing data: formatting graphs and customizing the data units.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: Mind the Units
Students compare the nominal value of the federally mandated minimum wage with its inflation-adjusted real value.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: Nominal and Real Wages
The average standard of living in a country is measured by dividing the value of its gross domestic product by the size of its population. In this interactive lesson, students learn to calculate the gross domestic product per person in the United States. This helps us see how the average standard of living has changed over time.
Learn more about the FRED Interactive: Real GDP per capita
This lesson plan is designed to supplement the “FRED Interactive: Information Literacy” online course.
Learn more about the lesson plan
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