Economics: Principals in Action
Unit Plans
Pre-unit: Money
Duration: 2 days
Textbook: Economics: Principals in Action
Chapters: 10, section 1
Content Questions
1. What are the three uses of money?
2. What are the six characteristics of money?
3. What is the source of money’s value?
Essential Questions
1. What is money?
2. How does money make it easier to trade, borrow, save, invest, and compare the value of goods
and services?
Vocabulary
1. Money
2. Medium of Exchange
3. Barter
4. Unit of Account
5. Store of Value
6. Currency
7. Commodity Money
8. Representative Money
9. Fiat Money
Standards
Coming…
Activities/Lessons
1. Ask essential question #1 to see what students know or understand about the concept of
money
2. Interactive lecture on what money is (island scenario)
a. Bring in an artifact and have class analyze how much it is worth and why
3. PPT lecture on history of money, it’s development, and essentials
4. Assign chapter 10, section 1: Answer the following question
a. Evaluate, using the six characteristics of money, how well the following forms of
“money” worked: bolts of cloth, shells, iron spikes the size of your forearm (China),
slaves, sacks of grain
5. Quiz on vocabulary and concepts of pre-unit