ASE SS 03:
Civics and
Economics
Steve Schmidt
Adult Basic Skills Professional Development
Appalachian State University
abspd.appstate.edu
schmidtsj@appstate.edu
Today’s Quote
“You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.”
- Harry Truman
Agenda
8:30 – 10:00
Civics: Political Ads
10:00 – 10:15
Break
10:15 – 11:45
Power Grab
11:45 – 12:45
Lunch
12:45 – 2:00
Economics: Budgeting
2:00 – 2:15
Break
2:15 – 4:00
Rent to Own
This course is funded by:
Civics: Political Propaganda Techniques
This lesson focuses on helping students understand political propaganda techniques. Students will
learn about seven propaganda techniques and how candidates use them to gain support.
Items Needed:


Internet access
Political Ad Analyzer graphic organizer
Directions:
1. Give students one minute to list as many candy bars as they can. Then, give students two minutes
to list as many Supreme Court Justices as they can. Ask the question, why is it so much easier to
list candy bars than Supreme Court Justices? What role do the media play in this? What can we
say about the power of the media to shape our behavior?
2. Go over the seven propaganda techniques candidates use in media ads. Ask students for
examples of where they have seen these techniques used before. Help them understand that
candidates spend over 1 billion dollars on media in an election year. Also help them realize that
campaign ads are carefully constructed to shape a candidate’s image by the candidate’s media
team.
3. Model for students how to analyze a campaign ad by going over the Political Ad Analyzer graphic
organizer. Play an ad from CSPAN’s Living Room Candidate website (Google: CSPAN The Living
Room Candidate) and show students how to analyze it using the graphic organizer.
4. Play other campaign ads and have students analyze them in small groups and on their own.
5. Discuss: What common themes do you see in these ads? Do these ads help you see who would
be a better candidate? Why or why not? What conclusions can we draw about the media and
political campaigns? Brainstorm: Are there better ways for candidates to get their messages
across than using these propaganda techniques?
6. Divide students in groups and ask them to create 30 second political ads for a candidate using the
propaganda techniques discussed.
1
Propaganda Techniques
Transfer: Popular symbols create a positive connection between a candidate and an
image. In attack ads, negative images are attached to an opponent.
Example: Candidates pose with the American flag or their families. In negative ads,
an opponent is shown with an unpopular person.
Glittering Generalities: Uses very vague language that appeals to voters’ emotions
Example: “She’s a true red, white, and blue patriot who stands up for America and
works tirelessly in support of freedom and justice.”
Testimonial: Support or endorsement from a well-known public figure or celebrity
Example: In 2008, TV personality Oprah Winfrey announced she supported Barack
Obama for President
Mudslinging: Name-calling and accusations are used to show opponent in a negative
way
Example: “Mike Dukakis let convicted murderers have weekend furloughs from prison and
refused to pass a law requiring children to say the Pledge of Allegiance.”
Bandwagon: Tries to create momentum by showing that a candidate is winning the
election, and everyone should support them because they are successful.
Example: “You like Ike, I like Ike, everybody likes Ike for President. Hang out the banners,
beat the drum, we’ll take Ike to Washington.” Also, politicians may release polls
showing they are far ahead of their opponent.
Card-stacking: Uses one-sided data to present a picture that favors a candidate and/or
hurts their opponent.
Example: “Lucretia Smith voted ten times to lower your taxes, helped create 10,000 jobs,
supported our military and fought to keep our country safe against terrorists.”
Plain folks: A candidate shows that he is just like the regular, down-to-earth, hard-working
average voter.
Example: A candidate is shown at a diner or on the street talking to regular people while a
voice over says: “He’s one of us.”
2
Power Grab! Activity Directions
The purpose of Power Grab! is to see how the three branches of government can check (limit each
other’s power) each other as well as helping students become more familiar with the U.S.
Constitution.
To play Power Grab!, use the PowerPoint available on the ABSPD website and the Constitution in
Plain English.
1. Divide your class into three groups: Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of
government. Each student should have a copy of the Constitution. (We used the Constitution
in Plain English.)
2. In each round the teacher will give each branch of government an opportunity for an
unconstitutional "power grab". The remaining two groups have two minutes to find proof from
the Constitution (amendments included) by article and section, why the power grab is
unconstitutional.
3. When a person thinks she finds the appropriate check, she yells "check". She must be
prepared to respond with the answer immediately. If wrong, others may try to block the grab for
power with the two minutes, alternating between branches until the two minutes are gone or
the answer is correct.
4. When checked correctly, the branch receives 10 points. If no one gets the correct answer, the
branch grabbing power gets 5 points. No penalty for wrong answers.
5. A round is a question for each branch.
Adapted from http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/power_grab_game
3
The Constitution in Plain English
The Constitution consists of a preamble, 7 articles, and 27 amendments. The preamble explains why
it was written. The seven articles lay out the three branches of government and the rules they have to
follow, and the basic way the U.S. government will operate. The 27 amendments guarantee the rights
of the people and give more specific rules under which the government will operate.
The Preamble
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure
domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the
Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America.”
The Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the fundamental
purposes and guiding principles which the Constitution is meant to serve. It expresses in general
terms the intentions of its authors, and is sometimes referred to by courts as evidence of what the
Founding Fathers thought the Constitution meant and what they hoped it would achieve (especially
as compared with the Articles of Confederation). Here is a list of the clauses in the Preamble in plain
English.








We the people of the United States – these words make it clear that the authors of the
Constitution wanted “the people” to be the ultimate authority – “popular sovereignty” or
people power.
form a more perfect Union – to create a better government than the Articles of Confederation,
which was the constitution that existed at the time.
establish Justice – to create a justice system, including courts, to bring order to the nation
insure domestic Tranquility – to bring peace at home, inside the country
provide for the common defense – to create and maintain a national defense against other
countries
promote the general welfare – to help establish and maintain a healthy economy, population
and society
to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity – to bring freedom and
liberty to the people now and in the future
do ordain and establish – to invest with authority, to create and give the people’s power to
Article 1
The first article sets up the national legislature and details its powers.
Section 1: The Legislative Branch
This section grants to the congress the power to make laws, and states that it will be made up of two
parts, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Section 2: The House of Representatives
This section decides how often representatives are chosen, how long a representative can stay in
office, how many representatives per state, what will happen if a representative vacates his/her post,
how a speaker is chosen, and the house's ability to impeach (accuse of a crime).
4
Section 3: The Senate
This requires that each of the states has two senators in the Senate, there will be a new election for
one-third of the Senate every 2 years, describes the age, residency and citizenship rules to become a
Senator. The Vice President is designated the President of Senate and can vote in case of a tie. The
Senate is given the power to choose its own officers and a temporary president in case the Vice
President cannot fill his/her duties, and finally, it describes the Senate’s power to act as a jury during
the impeachment of officials of the executive or judicial branches of the national government.
Section 4: Organization of Congress
Says the method used to choose U.S. Senators and Representatives is up to the states. Congress is
required to assemble at least once a year.
Section 5: The House's Jobs
Each house will be the judge of their own elections and qualifications of it members. Each house may
determine the rules of its proceedings, and punish its members for disorderly behavior. Both houses
of Congress must keep a journal of daily proceedings.
Section 6: Money and War-Time Jobs
States that each senator and representative will receive compensation for services to their country to
be paid out by the U.S. treasury. They will also be immune from arrest, except for treason, felony, and
breach of the peace, during an attendance to a session of their respective house, and traveling there
and back. Last no senator or representative will be put into any civil office during the time of war.
Section 7: Bills
All bills for raising revenue (and the paychecks for members of Congress) shall originate in the House
of Representatives, any bill passed in the two houses will go to the president and pending approval
become a law. If the president disapproves of a bill then it goes back to the Congress and if two-thirds
of the members of the House and Senate vote for it, it becomes a law.
Section 8: Powers Granted to Congress
Congress can:
1. Collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises to pay debts and proved defense.
2. Borrow money on the credit of the United States.
3. Regulate commerce with foreign nations.
4. Make laws regarding neutralization and bankruptcies.
5. Coin money and establish standards for weights and measurements.
6. Provide punishment for counterfeiting U.S. money
7. Establish post offices and roads.
8. Promote commerce and the arts by granting copyrights and patents.
9. Punish pirates out in international waters
10. Declare war.
11. Raise and support armed forces for national defense.
12. Call forth the militia (the National Guard, in modern times) when necessary in order to maintain
order.
13. Exercise legal control over all places owned by the U.S. (territories such as Puerto Rico and
Guam).
14. Make all laws that are necessary and proper to carry out their responsibilities under the
Constitution.
Section 9: Powers Forbidden to Congress
1. Congress cannot prohibit the immigration of a person to the U.S. but can charge them money.
2. It cannot ban the process of habeas corpus* during times of peace.
5
3. It cannot pass a bill of attainder -- one that punishes a person without a trial.
4. It cannot pass a law that criminalizes an act that happened in the past.
5. It cannot pass any direct tax (tax collected directly from the people).
6. It cannot pass a law providing for a tax on items exported from any state (from one state to
another).
7. It cannot treat states unequally, giving preferences to one state or another, in passing laws.
8. Money cannot be taken from the national treasury unless Congress votes to do so.
9. Titles of nobility may not be granted by the Congress to any citizen of the United States.
* Habeas corpus means that you cannot be held against your will without just cause. To put it another
way, you cannot be jailed if there are no charges against you. If you are being held, and you demand
it, the courts must issue a writ of habeas corpus, which forces those holding you to answer as to why.
If there is no good or compelling reason, the court must set you free. It is important to note that of all
the civil liberties we take for granted today as a part of the Bill of Rights, the importance of habeas
corpus is illustrated by the fact that it was the sole liberty thought important enough to be included in
the original text of the Constitution.
Section 10: Powers Forbidden to the States
No state shall enter treaties with any foreign nation, issue their own money, or grant any title of
nobility. No state can lay duties on imports or exports without the consent of Congress. No state can
raise and maintain a military force during time of peace without congress’s approval.
Article 2: The Executive Branch
The second article sets up the executive branch of the national government and details its
powers.
This article includes rules to be followed by the executive branch. It includes the presidential term
limit, requirements to become president, how elections of the president will be carried out, what to do
if a president is removed from office (through death, impeachment or other reason). It states that the
president will receive a salary for his service to the United States and as head of the military. The
president is required, from time to time, to give information about the condition of the nation to
Congress (this is usually referred to as the President’s State of the Union Address, an annual ritual
that takes place in front of a joint meeting of the Congress, televised and watched closely by millions
of persons around the world).
Article 3: The Judicial Branch
The third Article sets up the national judiciary and details its powers.
Article Three states that the highest power in the federal court system is the Supreme Court and any
other federal courts that Congress decides to create. Judges and justices will receive lifetime
appointments to their positions “during good behavior.” Judges’ salaries cannot be lowered during the
time they serve in office. In trials the person shall be tried in the state in which the crime was
committed. Treason is described as waging war against the nation and/or taking the side of an enemy
or giving them aid and comfort. A conviction of treason can happen only if there are at least two eye
witnesses to the crime. Treason is punishable by death but only the person guilty of treason shall lose
his/her life.
6
Article 4: Relations of the States to Each Other
Article Four establishes relations among the states and with the federal government.
Full faith and credit shall be given from one state to another in the public acts, records, and judicial
proceedings of each state (each state must recognize other states’ legal documents, such as
marriage certificates and drivers’ licenses). A criminal fleeing from one state to another after
committing a crime, if apprehended, must be returned to the state from which he/she fled, at the
request of the legal authorities in that state (a process called extradition).
New states shall be admitted by Congress, but no state can be formed under the control of another.
Congress can dispose of or change any boundaries of one state whenever it is needed. Every state in
the union is guaranteed (state constitutions are required to establish) a republican form of
government (a representative democracy), and shall be protected by the national government against
invasion and/or violence within the state.
Article 5: Amending the Constitution
The Fifth Article describes how the Constitution can be changed (amended).
Whenever two-thirds of the members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate deem it
necessary, they can propose amendments to the Constitution. To become part of the Constitution an
amendment must be ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states (often, in special ratifying
conventions held within each state). Also, amendments must be ratified in a reasonable amount of
time (in modern times that means seven years).
Article 6: National Debts, Supremacy of the National Government
National Debts
All of the debts made by the United States government before the ratification of the Constitution will
be the responsibility of the national government, just as they were before that time.
Supremacy of the National Government
The federal government has supreme power over state governments. All federal laws, treaties agreed
to by the national government with other nations, and the Constitution are supreme over state laws.
For example, that means if the state of California passed a law that brought back slavery in some
form, it would be void because it's against federal law (under the 13th Amendment, slavery is
prohibited in the U.S., unless it comes “as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been
duly convicted”).
Article 7: Ratifying the Constitution
The constitution had to be ratified by at least nine of the thirteen states present in 1787 to become
law.
7
The Amendments
(The first ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights were ratified in 1791.)
1st Guarantees freedom of speech, religion, and press, and the right to assemble peaceably and
petition the government for redress of grievances (to ask it to fix something that it’s responsible for).
2nd The belief was strong that a well-regulated militia (such as the National Guard, in modern times)
was necessary for maintaining our national security, so the political leaders in Congress guaranteed
that the right to bear arms would not be infringed (violated). (In the context of the Constitution,
phrases like "shall not be infringed," "shall make no law," and "shall not be violated" sound pretty
unbendable, but the Supreme Court has ruled that some laws can, in fact, encroach on these
phrases. For example, though there is freedom of
speech, you cannot slander someone; though you can own a pistol, you cannot own a nuclear
weapon.)
3rd No soldier in time of peace shall be quartered in a private citizens home without the homeowner’s
consent.
4th People and their personal property cannot be searched without a warrant, issued by a judge.
5th No person may be held to answer for a crime unless he or she has first been officially and legally
charged (through an indictment by a grand jury or a presentment from a prosecutor). No person can
be tried for a crime, found not guilty, then tried again for that same exact crime. (Double jeopardy is
the term used in law. Double jeopardy is forbidden by the Fifth Amendment.) Persons cannot be
deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law (see below for more on due process).
Private property cannot be taken for public use unless the owner is fairly compensated for it.
Generally, due process of law as it applies to the 5th Amendment guarantees the following (this list is
not exhaustive):
o
o
o
o
o
Right to a fair and public trial conducted in a competent manner
Right to be present at the trial
Right to an impartial jury
Right to be heard in one's own defense
Laws must be written so that a reasonable person can understand what is criminal
behavior
o Taxes may only be taken for public purposes
o Property may be taken by the government only for public purposes
o Owners of property taken over by the government under its power of eminent domain
must be fairly compensated
6th A person accused of a crime has the right to a fair and speedy trial by an impartial jury of his/her
peers, to be informed of the accusations against him/her, to be confronted with the witnesses against
him/her, to be able to subpoena (summon) witnesses to give testimony in his/her favor, and to have
legal counsel (an attorney) for his/her defense.
7th In any legal case involving a civil suit (lawsuit between two persons or groups), the defendant has
the right to a trial by jury if the amount in question is over twenty dollars.
8th No excessive bail or fines, or cruel and unusual punishment shall be used against a convicted
criminal.
8
9th No one shall be denied their basic constitutional rights.
10th Powers that are not specifically granted to the national government are to be retained by the
states and people.
11th A citizen from one state cannot sue a citizen in another state in federal court. (1795)
12th Electors will vote for President and Vice President on separate ballots. (1804)
13th Involuntary servitude – slavery – was abolished, unless it was the result of a sentence passed
by a court of law upon conviction of a crime. (1865)
14th This is the basic guarantee of civil rights for all Americans. It defined “citizenship” as anyone
born or naturalized in the U.S. (this automatically granted citizenship rights to former slaves). States
were prohibited from enforcing any law that took away the rights, privileges, and immunities
guaranteed to U.S. citizens without first making certain that “due process of law” had been carried
out. All persons were now guaranteed “equal protection of the laws,” regardless of who they were or
what their race, religion, or country of origin happened to be. No person who served in the
government of the southern confederacy during the Civil War was allowed to hold federal office. The
U.S. government refused to accept any debts incurred by the Confederate States of America,
including claims for the loss or emancipation of any slave. (1868)
15th African American males were guaranteed the right to vote, and “race, color, or previous
condition of servitude” could not be used as a reason to refuse anyone the right to vote. (1870)
16th Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes. (1913)
17th Election of Senators was granted to the people of each of the states. (1913)
18th Prohibition – the manufacture, transportation or sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited.
(1919) (Repealed by the 21st amendment in 1933)
19th The right to vote cannot be denied because of a person’s sex. (1920)
20th Shortened the period of time between federal elections (first week of November in even
numbered years) and the day that officials were sworn into office. Called the “Lame Duck
Amendment” because it gave “lame duck” officials (those who were not going to be sworn in, but
were still in office) a shorter period of time to pass laws that tended to enrich their lives or the lives of
their friends and political allies. Presidential inauguration day (when he/she is sworn in) moved back
from March 4 to January 20. Members of Congress are now sworn into office on January 3 instead of
March 4 of odd numbered years. (1933)
21st Repealed the 18th Amendment. The Prohibition Era in America was over. (1933)
22nd President of the U.S. now limited to serving no more than two terms in office, and no more than
a total of ten years (in the case where a Vice President moves into the presidency as the result of a
vacancy in that office, and is re-elected to his/her own terms of office). (1951)
9
23rd People who live in Washington, D.C. are allowed to vote for President and granted three
electoral votes, the minimum number of Electoral College ballots. (Before this amendment, residents
of the District of Columbia were prohibited from voting for President.) (1961)
24th People cannot be denied the right to vote in federal elections – either primaries or general
elections – because they had not paid a tax on voting. (Before this amendment, poor people, and
most particularly ethnic and racial minorities, were effectively kept from voting by such “poll taxes”
that they simply could not afford to pay. This prohibition on poll taxes was later extended to state and
local elections, as well.) (1964)
25th Established procedures to follow in the case of presidential death and/or disability. States for the
first time in the Constitution that the Vice President, when taking over the office of President after a
vacancy occurs, has all of the powers and responsibilities of the presidency. In case of presidential
disability, the Vice President and a majority of his/her Cabinet officers may send written notice to the
Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate that the
President of the U.S. is “unable to discharge his duties and responsibilities,” the Vice President
becomes Acting President. When the President is able to resume the duties that his office requires,
he may send written notice to the congressional leadership that he is returning to his office. If the Vice
President and a majority of the Cabinet officers disagree, they may send written notice to the leaders
of Congress. Congress will then decide who should take office as President. (1967)
26th Established 18 as the minimum age requirement for voting in federal elections. (1971)
27th If Congress passes a law raising their salaries, it does not take effect until after the next federal
election. (1992)
Source: http://www.twyman-whitney.com/constitutiontest/constitutionplainenglish.pdf
10
Power Grab!
President - A serious economic crisis takes place in the U.S. The President decides to
run for a third term.
Congress – Because of his service to our country, Congress grants a former President
the title, “Grand Poohbah.”
Supreme Court - The Supreme Court rules that because of our large national debt, the
United States can no longer borrow money.
President - The President declares war on China.
Congress – In order to raise more money, campaign for re-election, and take a long
vacation, Congress decides not to meet in 2017.
Supreme Court – The Supreme Court declares that since Washington D.C. is not in
any state, residents there may not vote in national elections.
President – The President declares that Supreme Court justices will now serve 8 year terms.
Congress – In order to raise money, Congress declares a $200 voting tax (poll tax).
Supreme Court – The Supreme Court declares that anyone found guilty of a terrorist
act will have their hands cut off.
President – The President declares that a new 28th Amendment to the Constitution will
give him emergency powers for life.
Congress - Congress decides that beards are illegal and anyone who wore one in the
last year must pay a $1000 fine.
Supreme Court – The Supreme Court declares the income tax illegal.
President – The President orders a new coin to be made with his picture on it.
Congress – Congress votes themselves a $400,000 increase effective immediately.
Supreme Court – The Supreme Court declares that they will begin choosing US
Senators.
President - Your land is in the way of a federal highway, so the President takes your land
without paying you.
Congress - Congress passes a law naming 15 college students guilty of crimes
against the government and orders them expelled from school.
Supreme Court – The Supreme Court declares the President is too sick to continue his
duties and that the Vice-President should take over.
Adapted from the US Constitution Power Grab Game
11
Creating a Class Constitution
Your group’s mission is to create a set of six rules that everyone in the class must follow. You have
10 minutes to do this. Your finished product will be a sheet of paper with the rules clearly written on
it. When you finish, discuss and answer these questions as a group:
1. What made this activity hard to do?
2. Which rules were the hardest to make? Why?
3. Which rules were the easiest to make? Why?
4. What would life be like in a country where there were no rules?
5. What would life be like in a country where there were too many rules?
6. A constitution is a written set of rules for a county. Why do countries make constitutions?
7. Why is it important for countries to be able to amend (change) their constitutions?
Bill of Rights Activities
1. Discuss the Bill of Rights using the Constitution in Plain English. If you could only keep three of
these rights, which ones would you keep and why?
2. Using the video feature on students’ smartphones, have them record videos demonstrating two
different rights in the Bill of Rights. Have other students guess what rights they are showing.
12
The Economic Costs of Raising a Child
1. How many in your group are parents or expect to be parents one day?
2. Brainstorm a list of the expenses a child has (food, clothing, medical care, transportation, day
care, etc.)
3. Based on these expenses, what is the yearly cost of raising a child?
4. How much will it cost to raise a child to age 18?
5. Once you finish with questions 1 to 4, ask your instructor to share with you the USDA info graphic
estimate. How does your estimate compare?
6. What financial impact will having children or does having children have on your life?
7. What other things should you consider before having children beside the cost?
Adapted from Reading Reasons (Gallagher)
13
Greeting Card Production Simulation
Words to Know:
Assembly Line – Workers specialize; each one adds certain parts or does certain tasks in order as a
product is made
Specialization – On an assembly line, a person only does a few tasks.
Craft Production – One worker does all the steps in production
Productivity - The pace that work is completed.
Supply and demand determine price – How much there is of something and how much people
want it determine how much something costs.
Directions:
Divide the class in groups. Assign some groups to create an assembly line and other groups to have
each person do craft production. Give each group these instructions:
Greeting Card Assembly Instructions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Fold an 8.5” x 11” piece of paper in half (landscape or hamburger style)
Cut the paper into two pieces along the fold
Fold each of the two pieces in half
On the front of the card, write Happy Birthday! in one color
On the front of the card, draw two balloons and fill in with different colors
On the inside left of the card, draw and fill in a birthday cake (one color) and six candles (different
colors)
7. On the inside right of the card, write May all your birthday wishes come true!
8. On the back of the card at the bottom, write Made especially for you by me.
Give the groups at least 10 minutes to work. After the groups finish making the cards, create a table
and record how many cards were produced.
Discuss the following questions:
1. Which group made more cards? Why?
2. Is there a difference in quality between the craft and assembly line cards? Why?
3. How will the different amounts (supply) of cards made by the craft and assembly line workers
affect the price charged for the cards?
4. What were your feelings as you made the cards?
5. What are the advantages/disadvantages of assembly line production?
6. What are the advantages/disadvantages of craft production?
7. How did specialization affect productivity?
8. What else did you learn from doing this simulation?
Adapted from the National Council for Economic Education
14
Rent to Own
15
1. How does the ad get your attention?
2. What does the smaller print say?
3. What may be left out of the ad?
4. What types of people are targeted by this ad?
5. Use the Internet and find at least two other prices for the Philips 49” LED Smart HDTV:
Website:
Price:
Rent a Center Total Price:
Website:
Price:
6. Use the Internet and find at least two other prices for the Vizio 60” LED Smart HDTV:
Website:
Price:
Rent a Center Total Price:
Website:
Price:
7. Use the Internet and find at least two other prices for the LG 55” Ultra HD 4K LED TV:
Website:
Price:
Rent a Center Total Price:
Website:
Price:
8. What conclusions can you draw between getting a TV at Rent a Center® and buying it somewhere
else?
16
You are Paid to Come to Class!
Using the data above, your group will answer the following questions:
1. What is the difference in yearly earnings between having a high school diploma and not having a
high school diploma?
2. What is the difference in yearly earnings between having a high school diploma and having an
associate’s degree?
3. Let’s assume that someone will work for 45 years. What are the lifetime earnings for:
Less than a high school diploma _____________________________
High school diploma ___________________________________
Associate’s degree __________________________________
4. What conclusions can we draw between education and earnings?
5. So, how can we say that someone is paid to attend class even if they don’t get a paycheck from
their instructor?
17
The Budget Game
The Budget Game helps (especially our younger students) understand the difference between needs
and wants and how to set up a budget for a limited income. Directions for the budget game are in
The Budget Game packet that can be found on the ABSPD website or at:
http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p2433.pdf
Interdependence Quick Write
A Quick Write helps students think about a topic before, during, and after reading. Students are
asked to respond to a question or prompt related to a text and should write down whatever comes to
their mind without worrying about grammar or organization.
To create a quick write, first find a reading passage. Then create a writing topic related to a text.
This could be:
- Summaries of learning
- A connection to students’ lives
- An explanation of a concept or vocabulary
- A prediction, inference, or hypothesis
Quick Writes are between two and ten minutes long. Tell students to begin writing and keep writing
until they are told to stop. To model this, you as the instructor should write too.
Prompt
What information did you learn about interdependence from this passage?
Did you know the microprocessor that lives in a laptop computer is a world
traveler? It begins life as a pile of quartz chips and charcoal at a factory in
Brazil. After being heated and processed, it is sent for more refining to a
German factory. After being formed into blocks of polysilicon, it goes to Japan
where it is made into tiny circular wafers. These thin disks are then shipped to
the United States where Intel Corporation turns them into microprocessors by
adding hundreds of tiny chips. They then journey for testing to the Philippines
where more circuitry is added and testing takes place.
Continuing its journey, the chips move to a factory in China where they are
placed on the laptop’s motherboard along with many other components made in
Southeast Asia. The motherboard, along with the other parts of the computer
including the battery, hard drive and keyboard, are assembled at another
Chinese factory. Finally, the completed laptop is shipped to the United States
for distribution. The other parts that make up this computer come from as many
as 50 countries on six continents including steel from Russia, copper from
Chile, glass from Korea and lithium from Zimbabwe.
18
So what’s the point of knowing how well traveled a laptop is? The global
makeup of the laptop computer is a great example of an economic concept
called interdependence. Interdependence means we rely on others to make or
do things we do not make or do ourselves. No one country has all the raw
materials it needs to produce the products it wants to sell. So, it must trade with
other countries to get the materials it needs. Most all the other manufactured
goods we buy have similar stories of raw material mining and finished product
processing taking place around the globe. The next time you see a laptop;
remember the amazing global journey it had just to reach you!
Teaching Content
How much do students remember from a 50 minute lecture? Guess: _________
The answer is about ______ %.
Students remember the most from the beginning and the end of a lecture
How can we get these points closer together to improve retention?
19
Remember the A, D, C’s !
A = Absorb - Students take in information
Present information in short time blocks – no more than 20 minutes
D = Do - Students do something active with the information: write, answer questions, draw pictures
C = Connect - Students interact and discuss what they have learned
How can we apply using absorb, do, connect in our classrooms?
20
Economics Skits
Rules of the Road:
1. All group members must participate and speak at least one line
2. Your group must use a sound effect
3. Ham it up! Pretend there is a Hollywood producer waiting to discover you!
Skit # 1 - Supply and Demand Determine Price
Create a skit where you show what happens to the price of ice over several days during a very hot
summer when the power has gone out because of a lightning storm. There is a limited supply of ice
which decreases each day. As the hot days go by and people want to cool off or keep their food cold,
the demand for ice continues to increase. At the end, be sure to summarize what happens to prices
when there is a large demand and low supply of a product.
Skit # 2 – Supply and Demand Determine Price, the Sequel!
A local entrepreneur has created a product called “The Thing.” She claims the thing can do most
anything and that everybody needs one. However, no one seems convinced. The entrepreneur has
created a large supply of “The Thing.” In order to get rid of her product, what happens to the price
she is willing to take for it? At the end, be sure to summarize what happens to the price when there is
a large supply and low demand for a product.
Skit # 3 – Opportunity Cost
Create a skit that shows how opportunity cost works. One person must make a choice and give up
something they want in order to get something else. Be sure to explain that opportunity cost is what
is given up when we make choices. In order to make sure your audience really understands, show
more than one example!
Skit # 4 – Monopoly and Competition
Create a skit where you show what happens to the price of a product when there is first a monopoly
and then competition moves in and several people or businesses are selling something. At the end,
be sure to summarize what happens to price as a market moves from monopoly to competition.
Skit # 5 – Supply and Demand Determine Labor Market Prices
Create a skit where you show how the supply of workers for certain jobs determines how much they
earn. For example, since there is a large supply of workers available to be cashiers at Wal-Mart, they
are only paid minimum wage. Since there are few people with the skills to be professional basketball
players, they are able to earn multi-million dollar salaries. At the end, be sure to summarize how the
supply of workers determines how much they are paid in the labor market.
Skit # 6 – Consumer Credit Laws
Create a skit where you show someone applying to get a loan and they are denied credit. While the
loan officer says it is because they do not have a credit history, make it clear that they are denied
because of a discriminatory reason like their race, religion, age, or sex. Please make it clear in your
skit that this is against the law and that the person who is denied credit has the right to appeal and/or
file a complaint with the state attorney general’s office.
21
Resources
 Gilder Lehrman www.gilderlehrman.org A great source for teaching primary sources. Also
includes many free Common Core based lesson plans.
 iCivics www.icivics.org Founded by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor,
iCivics has a wealth of free lesson plans and games that teach civics.
 Minnesota Literacy Council Social Studies Curriculum http://www.mnliteracy.org/learningcenters/classes/ged-social-studies A social studies curriculum geared toward student success
with high school equivalency tests.
 For a general background of economics concepts that may appear on high school equivalency
tests, visit: http://literacy.coe.uga.edu/institutes/2104-SocialStudies/index.html
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Please join us at Appalachian State University for
ABSPD Institute 2016: Shifts in Instruction for WIOA
Implementation
May 23 – 26 or May 30 – June 2, 2016
Reich College of
Education
Registration will open in December. Register at
www.abspd.appstate.edu. Earn 3 hours of graduate credit.
My Takeaways:
22