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Wisconsin Economic Standard D.4.7 Decision Making and Incentives

Describe how personal economic decisions, such as deciding what to buy, what to recycle, or how much to contribute to people in need, can affect the lives of people in Wisconsin, the United States, and the world

Economic Concepts
Interdependence  ||  Decision making  ||  Consumer spending  ||  Choice

Links to Content Information

	Affluenza - Definition and other information, from PBS.  And map.
	American Red Cross (Note:  Many other charities can be found on the Internet using search engines.
	Earth's 911 - Provides information on the environment including reducing, reusing, and recycling; your nearest recycling center location; how to buy recycled products; how to handle household hazardous waste; an interactive kid’s section; and more! Detailed sections on air and water quality, composting, and energy conservation will soon roll out nationwide.  This service is made possible through a partnership between the Environmental Protection Agency, all 50 states, and dozens of public and private organizations.
	Environmental Protection Agency - Information and activities for students and teachers.
	Political Economy Research Center - PERC is a market-oriented think tank focusing on environmental and natural resource issues. Our research and policy analysis covers endangered species, forestry, fisheries, mines, parks, public lands, property rights, Superfund, water, wildlife, and environmental education.
	The relationship between economic wants and needs - Contains a clear description and a student activity for grades K-3.
	United Way of America (Note:  Many other charities can be found on the Internet using search engines.
	World Bank Organization

Links to Lesson Plans and other Suggested Teaching Strategies

	Helping Hands - Grade Level - PreK, Primary. An on-going lesson to help children learn that our hands are for helping.
	How E-Commerce Influences Consumer Choice - Grades 4-6. This lesson is designed to focus on the decision making skills of the consumer.
	How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World - Grades 2-5.  Economic Concepts: Resources, Production, Interdependence
	Pancakes, Pancakes - Grade 1. Economic Concepts: Consumption; Production; Interdependence; Natural, Capital and Human Resources
	Water, Water, Everywhere - Grades K-2. Children see the many ways we use water.
	A Web of Workers - This activity emphasizes the interdependence of workers in the community.
	Other Web Sites - This page lists web sites offering a wealth of lesson plans for teaching economics, in addition to these lesson plans.

List of Curricular Materials and Learning Activities

	Master Curriculum Guide in Economics: Teaching Strategies K-2, from Economics America (search catalogue), available from Economics Wisconsin.  Part 4, Lessons 16, 18 and 19:  Specialization and Interdependence - Students learn that most people work in jobs where they specialize in a particular good or service, and that specialization creates interdependence.
	The Community Publishing Company - Grades 3-5.  In this series of 33 lessons, students explore their communities, then write reports, form a publishing company, and manufacture and sell their book. Through this involving and motivating program, students learn economic concepts: scarcity, opportunity cost and trade-offs, productivity, economic institutions and incentives, exchange, money, and interdependence, markets and prices, supply and demand.  From Economics America (search catalogue), available from Economics Wisconsin.
	Econ and Me - Grades 3-6. An award-winning program of five 15-minute, sequentially arranged video lessons, each focusing on a specific economic concept: scarcity, opportunity cost, consumption, production, and interdependence.  Also included are two videotapes with background information for teachers.  From Economics America (search catalogue).
	Eco-Sense: It's Elementary from Business Economic Education Foundation, 123 North Third Street, Suite 504, Minneapolis, MN 55401; (612) 337-5252. Grades 2-6.  Unit 1, Section A: What am I? A Consumer or a Producer?, Lessons 1-2:   Economic Concepts: Consumer, goods, services
	Economics for the Elementary Classroom by Elaine C. Coulson and Sarapage McCorkle, 1982. St. Louis, MO: SPEC Publishers.  The following lessons for grades 2-6:      * Dandy Dollar Takes a Trip - pp. 85-95
	Virtual Economics: An Interactive Center for Economic Education, Version 2 - Each exhibit includes teaching tips, background information, a list of lessons, and video and audio clips that give additional information about the topic.  Available from Economics America (search catalogue).  In section Fundamental Economics, see exhibit:  Exchange, Money and Interdependence

National Content Standards 2 and 4 and their benchmarks

Email an expert

Professor Mark Schug - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee