Curating Part 2

For my curating I decided to look at teaching resources about teaching economics, a subject which I am passionate about and which I believe should be near the center of social studies education. I learned three main ideas about teaching economics.

1. Given the proper framing, economics, at least at the microeconomic level, is very simple. It's core ideas require very little elucidation when put into the context of everyday life and when economics is framed, correctly, as the science of making rational choices. I found many resources which elegantly presented economics as something fun and relevant, because that is what it is. Simple economic concepts like a market, or saving, or wants versus needs can be placed to the tune of classic children's songs for example, or can be found in classical childrens literature. The foundation ideas of economics are very accessible to even young children because even they know how to make choices, economics only rigorizes those thoughts they already have.

2. The government is a great resource on economic education. For example, I found that several federal reserve banks have resources for teaching economics, many of them good. The San Francisco federal reserve bank even has a question and answer section on their web site, so if students have questions they can ask an actual professional economist, I looked at many of the answers and they were stated in a very friendly and clear way. This stands to reason, the government is in the business of maintaining the market, and for the American economy to thrive, it's children must be educated on the precepts of capitalism, and the virtues that support its continued bounty.

3. Capitalism itself is the ultimate educational resource. The free market is like life, it constantly seeks to improve itself, to expand, and to evolve to fit new and exciting situations and challenges. If there is a need for more educational resources about economics, people will fill those needs guided by freedom and reason through the free market. The government was created by the market so that the will of the people could guide it, and thus more civic citizens help maintain it. In this way, needs may be fulfilled when they arise, and those who fulfill those needs the best receive the resources they need to continue filling those needs.

Curation: Teaching Economics in Elementary School

 A Few Resources That I Have Found

(Number 4 is particularly fun)

1.      http://econkids.rutgers.edu/top-5-books-by-concept-econmenu-155

a.       This site made by Rutgers university has a list of picture books that can be used to teach economic concepts like markets, competition, scarcity, and opportunity cost, some of the books seem pretty interesting.

2.      http://www.kidseconposters.com/literature-connection/

a.       This site has some lessons for a few of the books listed in the last link as well as some resources that can go with them.

3.      http://www.kidseconposters.com/landing-page/posters/

a.       This website has fun posters on economic concepts for sale or for copying the image into a document and printing it on the sly. For example, there is the “interest can work for you” poster with a happy girl climbing a mountain, and “interest can work against you” with a despondent boy climbing out of a hole.

4.      http://www.kidseconposters.com/activites-and-games/sing-a-longs/

a.       This site has some songs about economic consequences sung to classic tunes. For example, one of my favorites is, “consumers and producers” to the tune of the more we get together.

5.      http://econkids.rutgers.edu/images/pdf/final_draft_reading_teacher.pdf

a.       This is an interesting study done by Rutgers university on teaching economics through literacy, and how to develop this project.

6.      https://www.federalreserveeducation.org/

a.       This is the education wing of the Federal Reserve, it has lessons and publications that teachers can look at for their classroom sorted by grade.

7.      http://www.edutopia.org/stw-financial-literacy-resources-lesson-plans

a.       Edutopia has some nifty resources on teaching students about finances.

8.      http://www.councilforeconed.org/

a.       This nifty site has curriculum on it, some you need to pay for. The nicest part is that it is all aligned with common core standards.

9.      http://www.socialstudies.org/economics

a.       The national council for the social studies provides some interesting links to further resources and research.

10.  http://www.wscss.org/lesson-plans/

a.       The Washington state council for the social studies does not at this time have many resources for economics, but it does have a place for members to share resources and a category for economics that they have expressed they are trying to fill, so this may become a more useful resource.