Making Sen$e with Paul Solman

Marketplace: Doing Business in Afghanistan

In May 2002, delegates from governments, international companies, and financial institutions met at a United Nations conference in Tehran to discuss the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Afghanistan's officials say that to create a viable economy and a stable society, the country must recreate basic...

Grades 6-8, 9-12

Work, Earnings and Economics: Using 'Lyddie' by Katherine Paterson

To get started, the students will read Lyddie, a novel by Katherine Paterson. The novel is set mainly in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1840s. In Lowell the main character, 13-year-old Lyddie Worthen, works six days a week, from dawn until dusk, running weaving looms in a murky dust-and lintfill...

Grades 6-8

The Role of Government: The Federal Government and Fiscal Policy

Students will visit “A Citizen’s Guide to the Federal Budget,” and use the federal government web site to obtain information which will help them understand basic information about the budget of the United States Government for the current fiscal year.

Grades 9-12

The Role of Government: The National Debt vs. The Deficit

This lesson defines and compares the National Debt with the National Deficit. Students will discover the differences between the two and look at current trends. Students will examine the amount of per-capita debt and be exposed to the reality of the amount the national debt is increasing every d...

Grades 9-12

Understanding the Debt Ceiling Debate and the Budget Control Act of 2011

This lesson provides an introduction and an overview of the Budget Control Act of 2011. Students will be given information about the legislation and presented with different proposals for dealing with the long-term deficit problem of the United States.

Grades 9-12