Web Sites to Help You Make Sense of the Economy

Economy for Kids—A Scholastic News Special Report
This online guide will help upper elementary and middle school students understand the current financial crisis. Don’t Miss: The “Kids Economic Glossary” and the article “They’re Working on It,” which describes the $700 billion bailout approved by Congress. Detour: “How to talk to your kids about the economy” is another must-see.

EconEdLink—Current Events
To help track the roller coaster that is our economy, visit this super Web site for current news, with links to lesson plans. Don’t Miss: Click on the “Lessons,” “WebLinks,” and “DataLinks” tabs at the top of each page for more valuable information you’ll want to share. Detour: The New York Times Learning Network’s “Math & Economics” resources provide lesson plans, online crosswords and quizzes, and related “Issues in Depth”.

Federal Reserve Education
Daily media reports ponder what the “Fed” will do to help jump-start the economy. But how many teens, much less adults, know precisely what the Federal Reserve System does? This wonderful resource has the answers. Don’t Miss: “Fed 101” offers the basics, while “FedClue” helps kids learn via an online game. Detour: Need to explain interest rates? Then look no further than the “McRel Economics Lesson Plans” at
www.mcrel.org/lesson-plans/economics/econlessons.asp.

NCEE Resources
Here you’ll find plenty of lesson plans, searchable by grade or economic concept. Links to complete Web-based economic units include “Learning, Earning, and Investing” (for grades 4–12). Don’t miss: Elementary kids (grades 3–5) will love to play “MinyanLand.com,” which mimics real-life economics such as plummeting home prices. Detour: For excellent K–12 lesson plans complete with standards and benchmarks, visit the “EcEdWeb Economics Lessons.” 

Twelve Great Lessons for Teaching the Great Depression
Kids are hearing references to the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression. Explain these events and how the country responded to the economic crisis with the help of this site. Don’t Miss: The wealth of links to extraordinary Web-based resources. Detour: The federal government helped folks get back on their feet thanks, in part, to President Roosevelt’s “New Deal” initiatives. Find out more about them at the “New Deal Network.” A must-see site!