Draft June 2012
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Personal Finance: Module 1 Lesson 5
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“Lions, and Tigers and
Bear! Oh, My!”
Dorothy, “The Wizard of OZ”
Inflation
An economic term meaning, the prices
we pay for goods and services are
increasing.
You’ve got $25 to take a date
to the movies. (Usually enough
for two tickets @$7.50 plus
one large popcorn and two
sodas!)
Not tonight…
inflation got there before you did!
Now your $25 doesn’t go as far…
the price of a ticket increased to
$9.50, a medium popcorn is now
$4…you can’t even buy a small drink to
share because it’s $2.50!
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Causes and Effects of Inflation
http://www.englishonline.at/economy/inflation/causes-and-effects-ofinflation.htm
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Inflation Calculator
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http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
How the government measures and
tracks inflation.
http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpifaq.htm
(FAQs)
Unemployment Rate
The government’s estimate of the
percentage of US citizens that are
unemployed.
Those with college degrees are less
likely to experience unemployment!
http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/PDFs/enys0811.pdf
(What’$ That College Degree Really Worth?)
Check out the Statistics:
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http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm
(NOTE: Teachers should use this as a classroom activity--have
students find and compare the unemployment % for different
educational attainment.)
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/05/31/recession-sobersamericas-once-free-spending-teens/ (How teens were
affected by the recession)
Econedlinks Lessons:
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http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lid=6
04&type=educator (Was Babe Ruth underpaid?)
http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lid=6
15&type=educator (What causes inflation?)
http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lid=1
004&type=educator (Focus on Economic Data)
Student Guides on Inflation:
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http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/economics/hotli
st.htm (Supply, Demand, Scarcity, Availability of Goods,
& Prices)
http://www.moneywiseteen.org/portal/home
(Lesson #5: The How and Why of Prices)
http://www.teensguidetomoney.com/investing/econo
mic-indicators--other-causes-that-can-affect-stockprices-other-than-company-news/(Economic Indicators)
Additional Lessons on Wages and Inflation:
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http://www.ja.org/files/supplements/Economic_Investigations_Infl
ation.pdf
http://www.ja.org/files/supplements/Economic_Investigations_Wo
mensWages.pdf
http://www.ja.org/files/supplements/Economic_Investigations_Min
_Wage.pdf
http://www.ja.org/files/supplements/Economic_Investigations_Per
fofNatlEconomy.pdf
http://www.ja.org/files/supplements/Economic_Investigations_Em
ploymentUnemployment.pdf
Additional Articles:
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http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/16/pf/cost_of_pro
m/index.htm (Cost of Prom rises)
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrn
es-literature/LBREEDER/lesson3.html
(Supply & Demand Lesson)
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/community_educati
on/teacher/calc/(CPI calculations)
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