Collection
National Economics Challenge

The National Economics Challenge (NEC) is the country’s only economics competition of its kind for high school students. It tests micro and macroeconomic principles as well as knowledge of the world economy.

Lesson

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Grades 9-12

High School Economics: Unemployment Survey

In this economics lesson plan, students conduct their own employment survey to calculate an unemployment rate.
Key Concepts: Labor Force, Unemployment, Unemployment Rate
60 mins
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Content Partner

Grades 9-12

The Great Recession Simulation

In this economics lesson, students will learn about incentives behind bank loans.
Key Concepts: Financial Markets, Interest, Risk and Return
45 mins
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Publication

Grades 9-12

Financial Institutions and Services

In this personal finance lesson, students will look into financial institutions to learn about personal investing.
Key Concepts: Credit, Economic Institutions, Saving
135 mins
Lesson
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Grades 9-12

Money is What Money Does

In this economics lesson, students will research the cryptocurrency Bitcoin to learn about the functions and characteristics of money.
Key Concepts: Money
90 mins
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Grades 9-12

NYSE Made Easy

In this personal finance lesson, students will make choices about buying stocks.
Key Concepts: Financial Markets
90 mins
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Grades 6-8, 9-12

Time Value of Money

In this economics lesson, students will learn how the value of money changes over time.
Key Concepts: Decision Making/Cost-Benefit Analysis, Interest, Money
60 mins
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Grades 9-12

Just How Powerful is the Fed Chair?

In this economics lesson, students will learn about the powers of the Federal Reserve Chair.
Key Concepts: Federal Reserve, Interest, Monetary Policy
90 mins
Lesson
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Grades 9-12

Production Possibilities Curve

In this economics lesson, students will use a production possibilities curve to learn about scarcity and opportunity cost.
Key Concepts: Choice, Decision Making/Cost-Benefit Analysis, Scarcity
45 mins
Lesson
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Grades 6-8, 9-12

Where Does the Price of Pizza Come From?

In this economics lesson, students will examine data for buyers and sellers to learn how prices emerge in a market.
Key Concepts: Demand, Markets and Prices, Supply
60 mins
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Grades 9-12

Green Eggs and ...Economics?

In this economics lesson, students will learn key economic concepts found in children's literature.
Key Concepts: Decision Making/Cost-Benefit Analysis, Division of Labor/Specialization, Market Structures
90 mins
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Grades 9-12

Economic Data Lesson: Economic Policy Options

This is the final lesson in a series of lessons that introduces students to the economic data that economists use...
Key Concepts: Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments, Business Cycles, Economic Institutions…
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Grades 9-12

Unemployment Data: Is the Economy Healthy?

In this economics lesson, students will learn about economic data and what they communicate about the health of the economy.
Key Concepts: Business Cycles, Employment and Unemployment
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Grades 9-12

Marginal Analysis

In this economics lesson, students will use marginal analysis to optimize real life decisions.
Key Concepts: Consumers, Decision Making/Cost-Benefit Analysis
60 mins
Lesson
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Grades 9-12

Taxation and the National Debt

In this economics lesson, students will analyze arguments concerning income and corporate taxes and the impact of national debt.
Key Concepts: Budget Deficits and Public Debt, Fiscal Policy, Taxes
60 mins
Lesson
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Grades 9-12

How Will I Pay for College?

In this lesson, students will learn about current trends in student borrowing and determine a reasonable debt load for hypothetical...
Key Concepts: Borrow, Budgeting, Credit…
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Grades 6-8, 9-12

The Columbian Exchange

In this lesson, students learn that the Columbian Exchange resulted in an enormous exchange of goods, resources, and institutions between...
Key Concepts: Economic Development, Economic Institutions, Economic Systems…
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Grades 6-8, 9-12

Transportation: They Say We Had a Revolution (Part 1)

Advancements in transportation have played a key role in the growth of our nation. U.S.government policies have also had a...
Key Concepts: Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments, Benefits of Trade, Business Costs and Revenues…
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Grades 6-8, 9-12

Why do we need money? Think about Ebay!

The students investigate money--its purpose and functions. They complete an exercise, using the online acution site Ebay, to learn why...
Key Concepts: Foreign Exchange, Markets, Markets and Prices…
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Grades 6-8, 9-12

Industrial Entrepreneurs or Robber Barons?

This lesson focuses on a group of nineteenth century industrial entrepreneurs described in many history books as Robber Barons. It...
Key Concepts: Credit, Decision Making/Cost-Benefit Analysis, Economic Systems…
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Grades 9-12

Closing the Gap

In this economics lesson, students will identify factors affecting GDP in different countries.
Key Concepts: Economic Growth, GDP, Inflation
60 mins
Lesson
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Grades 9-12

U.S. farmers and the Cuban embargo

In this economics lesson, students examine trade barriers using the U.S. trade embargo with Cuba.
Key Concepts: Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments, Barriers to Trade, Trade, Exchange and Interdependence
60 mins
Lesson
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Grades 9-12

Wages and Me

In this economics lesson, students will identify factors influencing wages.
Key Concepts: Demand, Income, Supply
90 mins
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Manual

Professional Development

Grades 9-12

Exchange Rates: How Money Affects Trade

In this economics lesson, students will compute exchange rates to learn their impact on international trade.
Key Concepts: Markets and Prices, Trade, Exchange and Interdependence
60 mins
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