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Classroom Economist


Updated March 14, 2012

The Classroom Economist features video and PowerPoint content designed to clarify and enhance teacher understanding of core economic and Federal Reserve topics. This content provides lesson demonstrations and resource ideas to help teachers bring the economic topics to life in the classroom.

In a special video segment, Gary Tapp, director of economic education at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, discusses the goals for the Classroom Economist series. He also introduces the current quarter's topic.

History of Central Banking

Image of Federal Reserve sealVideos

  • Chat with an Economist—Tom Cunningham, vice president, senior economist, and regional executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, gives an economist's view of the early history of central banking in the United States. He focuses on the evolution of banking from the late 1700s through the Great Depression, with a special focus on the Fed's role in the Depression.
  • Lesson demonstration—Leah Kilfoyle, 12th grade economics teacher at Mountain Brook High School in Mountain Brook, Alabama, demonstrates an active-learning lesson with open market operations to teach students the concept of money supply. The lesson is structured to also teach the students the role of the Fed during the Great Depression.

PowerPoint Lesson—This voice-over PowerPoint lesson helps you give your students a clear understanding of the history of central banking in the United States, from the First Bank of the United States to the Second Bank of the United States to today's Federal Reserve System.

SMART Board Lesson on central banking—Teachers with interactive whiteboards will appreciate the SMART Lesson on the history of central banking. This lesson provides an additional opportunity to get students actively involved in the lesson. (.notebook, 17.8 MB)
Lesson procedures (63 KB PDF)

Test Your Knowledge—This short PowerPoint-based quiz will gauge students' understanding, or your own, of events in the history of central banking in the United States, up to an including the role of the Federal Reserve in the Great Depression.
You can also use this piece for review or as a basis for creating your own evaluations. (If PowerPoint does not launch in slideshow mode, select slideshow mode PPT slideshow icon to take the quiz.) Powerpoint logo

Resources Guide—This guide provides links not only to the demonstrated lesson but to other free lesson plans, publications, and other resources to supplement your unit on central banking.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Image of GDP flow chartVideos

  • Chat with an Economist—Tom Cunningham, Vice President, Senior Economist, and Regional Executive of Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, gives an economist's view of gross domestic product, or GDP. He discusses what it is, how to measure it, and what it means to a country’s economy. He also talks about the business cycle, another concept related to the measurement of economic performance.
  • Lesson demonstration—Chris Cannon, 12th grade economics teacher at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia, demonstrates a lesson with a vocabulary matching activity to teach students about GDP.
    Lesson
    (216 KB PDF) | Presentation (1.71 MB PDF)

PowerPoint Lesson—This voice-over PowerPoint lesson helps you give your students a clear understanding of GDP.

SMART Board Lesson on GDP —Teachers with interactive whiteboards will appreciate the SMART Lesson on gross domestic product, which provides an additional opportunity to get students actively involved in the lesson. (.notebook, 2.5 MB)
Lesson procedures (63 KB PDF)

Test Your Knowledge—This short PowerPoint-based quiz will gauge students' understanding, or your own, of factors related to gross domestic product, including how to measure it and its components.

You can also use this piece for review or as a basis for creating your own evaluations. (If PowerPoint does not launch in slideshow mode, select slideshow mode PPT slideshow icon to take the quiz.) Powerpoint logo

The Fed Explains Real Versus Potential GDP—The latest in the Atlanta Fed's The Fed Explained series is a video that explores real versus potential gross domestic product, or GDP. Using an engaging animated format, the video defines what GDP means to an individual and its relationship to Fed policies.

Resources Guide—This guide provides links not only to the demonstrated lesson but to other free lesson plans, publications, and other resources to supplement your unit on GDP.

Unemployment

Image of unemployment lineVideos

  • Chat with an Economist—Melinda Pitts, research economist and director of the Atlanta Fed's Center for Human Capital Studies, gives an economist's view of unemployment. She discusses how the labor market differs from a product market, different ways of looking at and measuring unemployment, and other issues concerning unemployment.
  • Lesson demonstration—Eric Fields, 12th-grade economics teacher at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Florida, demonstrates a hands-on lesson with a role-playing activity to teach students factors in unemployment.

PowerPoint Lesson—This voice-over PowerPoint lesson helps you give your students a sharper understanding of unemployment.

SMART Board Lesson on Unemployment—Teachers with interactive whiteboards will appreciate the SMART Lesson on unemployment, which provides an additional opportunity to get students actively involved in the lesson. (.notebook, 2.5 MB)
Instructions (63 KB PDF)

Test Your Knowledge—This short PowerPoint-based quiz will gauge students' understanding, or your own, of factors related to unemployment, including what the labor force is and how the unemployment rate is determined
You can also use this piece for review or as a basis for creating your own evaluations. (If PowerPoint does not launch in slideshow mode, select slideshow mode PPT slideshow icon to take the quiz.) Powerpoint logo

Jobs Calculator—Calculate the net employment change needed to achieve a target unemployment rate after a specified number of months. You can adjust the target unemployment rate, the number of months, and the assumed labor force growth.

Resources Guide—This guide provides links not only to the demonstrated lesson but to other free lesson plans, publications, and other resources to supplement your unit on unemployment.

Monetary Policy

Photo of measurement scalesvideo iconVideos

  • Chat with an Economist—Mike Bryan, vice president and senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, gives an economist's view of the role of the Federal Reserve System in setting monetary policy. He describes the tools of monetary policy and highlights the role that the banking system plays.
  • Lesson demonstration—Clips from "The Trial of Monty Terry," an award-winning classroom drama on monetary policy, provide a hands-on lesson that you can use in your own classroom to give students practical insights.
  • Interview with Nobel Laureate Christopher Sims—Nobel Prize winner Chris Sims explains the economic impact of monetary policy, compares European and U.S. policy models, and shares practical advice for budding economists.

PowerPoint Lesson—This voice-over PowerPoint lesson helps you give your students a sharper understanding of monetary policy.

SMART Board Lesson on Monetary Policy—Teachers with interactive whiteboards will appreciate the SMART Lesson on monetary policy, which provides an additional opportunity to get students actively involved in the lesson. (.notebook, 2.5 MB)

Test Your Knowledge—This short PowerPoint-based quiz will gauge students' understanding, or your own, of the Fed's role in setting monetary policy. You can also use this piece for review or as a basis for creating your own evaluations. (If PowerPoint does not launch in slideshow mode, select slideshow mode PPT slideshow icon to take the quiz.) Powerpoint logo

Resources Guide—This guide provides links not only to the demonstrated lesson but to other free lesson plans, publications, and other resources to supplement your unit on monetary policy.

 

Fractional Reserve Banking

video iconVideos

  • Chat with an Economist—Mike Bryan, vice president and senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, gives an economist's view of the inner workings of fractional reserve banking. He describes the role of the Federal Reserve in the U.S. banking system and clearly explains concepts like the money creation potential of deposits and the money multiplier.
  • Lesson demonstration—A master teacher gives tips on active-based learning and demonstrates a hands-on lesson that you can use in your own classroom to give students practical insights into fractional reserve banking.

PowerPoint Lesson—This voice-over PowerPoint lesson provides deeper insight into the role of banks, the fractional reserve banking system, monetary expansion, and the role of the Federal Reserve.

SMART Board Lesson on Fractional Reserve Banking—Teachers with interactive whiteboards will appreciate the SMART Lesson on fractional reserve banking, which provides an additional opportunity to get students actively involved in the lesson. (.notebook, 3.5 MB)

Test Your Knowledge—This short PowerPoint-based quiz will gauge students' understanding of fractional reserve banking—or your own. This piece can also be used for review or as a basis for creating your own evaluations. (If PowerPoint does not launch in slideshow mode, select slideshow mode PPT slideshow icon to take the quiz.) Powerpoint logo

Resources Guide—This guide provides links not only to the demonstrated lesson but to other free lesson plans, publications, and other resources to supplement your unit on money and banking.

 

What Is Money?

video iconVideos

  • Chat with an Economist—Mike Bryan, vice president and senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, talks about money—its definition, the problem it solves, what fiat money accomplishes, and how the Yapese used giant wheels of stone for money—in four video segments that teachers can show to students or use for their own professional development.
  • Lesson demonstration—Watch a master teacher demonstrate in the classroom a lesson on money, including its characteristics and the problems it solves. The teacher also describes how the activity complements the teaching of the subject.

Lesson on Money—This lesson reinforces key money concepts. Use it to prepare teachers for the classroom or to teach students.

SMART lessons—These two lessons cover the functions, characteristics, and types of money. Early American Money introduces students to the foundations and principles of money in colonial America, and highlights the economic problems a country experiences from having too little money in circulation. What is Money? demonstrates the relationship between the supply of money and nominal interest rates, and explains the Federal Reserve's role in that process.

Test Your Knowledge—Use this quiz to test your own comprehension of money or assess student learning. (If PowerPoint does not launch in slideshow mode, select slideshow mode PPT slideshow icon to take the quiz.) Powerpoint logo

Resources Guide—This guide provides links to additional resources and lesson plans to expand your knowledge and teaching skills regarding money.

 

Inflation

video iconVideos

  • Chat with an Economist—Mike Bryan, vice president and senior economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, discusses key concepts regarding inflation in a video segment that teachers can show to students or use for their own professional development.
  • Lesson demonstration—Watch a classroom demonstration of an inflation lesson by a master teacher, with a discussion of how the activity complements the teaching of the subject.

Lesson on Inflation—This lesson reinforces key inflation concepts. Use it to prepare teachers for the classroom or to teach students. Interactive Whiteboard (.notebook, 8 MB)

Test Your Knowledge—Use this quiz to test your own comprehension of inflation or assess student learning. (If PowerPoint does not launch in slideshow mode, select slideshow mode PPT slideshow icon to take the quiz.) Powerpoint logo

The Fed Explains Inflation—The first in the Atlanta Fed's video series on economic issues and the Federal Reserve focuses on inflation. In an engaging animated format, this brief video defines inflation and the price level and explains the difference between inflation and cost-of-living price increases.

Resources Guide—This guide provides links to additional resources and lesson plans to expand your knowledge and teaching skills regarding inflation.