Understanding by Design Unit Plan
Course/Grade Level: 12th/Senior
Unit: Economic Systems
Teacher: Granning
Number of Lessons/Days:
DESIRED RESULTS (STAGE 1)
Understanding(s):
Students will understand…
1. I can explain how the four economic systems impact the
United States on a daily basis.
2. I can explain how the goals of the United States impact
the choices of our government.
3. I can explain how resources, goods, services and money
create interdependence between the different actors of
our economic system
Essential Question(s):
To understand, students will need to consider such questions as…
1. How do the 4 economic systems impact you on a daily
basis?
2. How do the economic goals of the United States conflict
with each other, on a daily basis?
3. How does the interdependence of the different roles in
our society force us to make choices in relation to the
flow/exchange of our system.
State/District Standard(s) addressed:
1. Compare and Contrast the characteristics of traditional, command, market-based and mixed economic systems.
2. Define broad economic goals and describe the trade-offs that exist between them; evaluate how different economic systems
achieve these goals in theory and practice.
3. Describe the role of households, businesses and governments in the movement or resources, goods and services and money
in an economy.
4. Describe the role of markets in the movement of resources, goods and services and money in an economy
To understand, student will need to…
Know…
Be able to…
1. The basic economic systems: Traditional, Command,
1. Compare and contrast economic systems
Market, Mixed
2. Define and Describe economic goals
2. The economic goals of different economic systems.
3. Evaluate how economic systems achieve goals in theory
3. The roles of households, businesses and governments
and practice.
role in our society
4. Describe the roles of household, businesses and
4. The movement of resources, goods and services in an
governments in the economy.
economy.
5. Describe the movement of resources, goods and services
5. The role of markets in movement resources, goods and
and money in an economy.
services and money in economy.
6. Describe the role of markets in the movement of
6. The Circular Flow Model
resources, goods and services and money in an economy.
Essential new vocabulary:
Traditional, Market, Command, Entrepreneurs, Mixed Economy,
Free Enterprise, Capitalism, Modified Private Enterprise
Economy, Actors, Factors of Production, Circular Flow Model,
Interdependence
Common misunderstandings:
1. What the advantages and disadvantages of the economic
systems are.
2. What are the 7 economic goals
-How they conflict
-Able to apply them to different scenario’s in society.
3. How the different actors are interdependent.
ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE (STAGE 2)
Performance Task(s):
GOAL: To create an argumentative essay, to be presented to a
command economy (i.e. China, N. Korea, Vietnam, Cuba)
explaining why they should be a market economy.
ROLE: You are the economist convincing the command economy
that your form of economy (market) is the best.
AUDIENCE: You are writing to a command economy (China, N.
Korea, Vietnam, Cuba)
SITUATION: You would be an economist traveling to another
country trying to convince their people of the benefits of the
market economy.
PRODUCT: The essay should specify the advantages and
disadvantages of a market economy and why you feel a market
economy would benefit their people.
Other Evidence: (Formative Assessments)
1. Create a country where you make 1 of the 4 economic
systems by inventing laws to have a make-believe
economic system. The laws should show the advantages
and disadvantages of the given economic system. The
laws should also create a working system.
2. A quiz on the economic goals, in which they apply the
goals to different situations facing the United States.
3. The students will assess each other countries created to
determine what type of economic system was created.
4. They will complete a worksheet in which they must
determine how economic goals conflict.
5. A worksheet where they complete a circular flow model
6. A formative assessment where they read a teacher
created make-believe country and through reading about
this country they can determine which economic system
they are dealing with.
STANDARDS AND CRITERIA: The essay should be an opinion
based research focusing on the criteria identified in a rubric.
7. A summative assessment of the Unit
LEARNING PLAN (STAGE 3)
Learning Activities
1. They will complete a worksheet in which they must determine how economic goals conflict.
2. Read the section on economic goals, taking notes and creating their own
3. A lecture on the economic systems explaining examples of countries or cultures and then explaining the advantages and
disadvantages of each system.
4. A lecture on the three economic actors of the United States system. The lecture will include different ways that the United
States can be labeled (Market, Capitalist, Free Enterprise, Mixed, Modified Private Enterprise Economy)
5. An activity in which they will complete a circular flow model.