Recommendations for Economics

[siloam]

Planning ahead.  I would like to have something that requires low teacher involvement...because I am swamped.  This child doesn't do well with straight text learning, but prefers story based like the STOW books.  I would like something that at least will discuss all sides even if it is biased towards one side.

 

Heather

[DoraBora]

I've been thinking ahead, too, and I'm toying with the idea of using John Stossel's (of 20/20 fame) DVD curriculum. 

 

http://www.stosselintheclassroom.org/economics/

 

It's inexpensive, has a printable teacher guide/tests and could be supplemented with all kinds of living books.   Hope this helps...   :001_smile:

[Pegasus]

I also posted on your Gov't thread so you may be tired of hearing from me.  :laugh:   Oh well, here is the full syllabus for DD's economics course.  She did it independently. The Federal Reserve Bank resources are free and provide a nice intro into a topic many find dull.

 

Economics Syllabus

Completion of this course will satisfy the ½ credit economics requirement for high school. It begins with a gentle introduction to several economic topics through the comic book style publications from the Federal Reserve Bank.

1. Read 3 of the comic books from the Federal Reserve Bank: Titles
2. Read 3 of the comic books from the Federal Reserve Bank: Titles
3. Read 2 of the comic books from the Federal Reserve Bank: Titles
4. Read 2 of the comic books from the Federal Reserve Bank: Titles

The main text for this course is Economics for Dummies by Sean Masaki Flynn. It should be read for understanding. This means that you should not just skim the text without comprehension. Read carefully, stop to study the graphs and charts, flag any sections that you have trouble understanding for discussion.

1. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 1: What does economics study pp 9-22
2. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 2: Tracking consumer choices pp 23-34
3. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 3: Producing the right stuff the right way pp 35-44
4. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 3: Producing the right stuff the right way pp 44-54
5. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 4: Measuring the macroeconomy pp 57-66
6. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 4: Measuring the macroeconomy pp 66-76
7. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 5: Inflation frustration pp 77-87
8. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 5: Inflation frustration pp 87-95
9. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 6: Understanding recessions pp 97-111
10. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 6: Understanding recessions pp 112-122
11. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 7: Fighting recessions pp 123-138
12. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 7: Fighting recessions pp 138-148
13. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 8: Supply and demand made easy pp 151-164
14. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 8: Supply and demand made easy pp 164-174
15. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 9: Getting to know Homo Economicas pp 175-185
16. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 9: Getting to know Homo Economicas pp 185-197
17. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 10: The core of capitalism pp 193-207
18. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 10: The core of capitalism pp 207-218
19. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 11: Why economists love free markets & comp. pp 219-230
20. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 11: Why economists love free markets & comp. pp 230-242
21. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 12: Monopolies pp 243-253
22. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 12: Monopolies pp 253-263
23. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 13: Oligopoly & monopolistic competition pp 265-275
24. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 13: Oligopoly & monopolistic competition pp 275-286
25. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 14: Property rights and wrongs pp 287-298
26. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 15: Market failure pp 299-307
27. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 15: Market failure pp 307-314
28. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 17: Ten seductive economic fallacies pp 325-332
29. Economics for Dummies: read Chapter 18: Ten economic ideas to hold dear pp 333-337

The next section of this course will include listening to a series of lectures on microeconomics from Khan Academy. You should listen to a minimum of 30 minutes per day and TAKE NOTES. Taking notes will help you focus on the lecture and is a critical skill for college classes. Feel free to stop the lecture and back-up as necessary to take good notes.

1. Production Possibilities Frontier (10:59)
2. Opportunity Cost (5:48)
3. Increasing Opportunity Cost (6:26)
4. Allocative Efficiency and Marginal Benefit (14:10)
5. Economic Growth through Investment (7:55)
6. Comparative Advantage Specialization and Gains from Trade (8:56)
7. Comparative Advantage and Absolute Advantage (10:16)
8. Law of Demand (8:16)
9. Price of Related Products and Demand (5:48)
10. Changes in Income, Population, or Preferences (3:33)
11. Normal and Inferior Goods (5:56)
12. Inferior Goods Clarification (5:19)
13. Law of Supply (8:24)
14. Factors Affecting Supply (6:58)
15. Market Equilibrium (10:17)
16. Changes in Market Equilibrium (9:05)
17. Price Elasticity of Demand (13:17)
18. More on Elasticity of Demand (6:01)
19. Perfect Inelasticity and Perfect Elasticity of Demand (9:41)
20. Constant Unit Elasticity (4:37)
21. Total Revenue and Elasticity (11:41)
22. More on Total Revenue and Elasticity (8:25)
23. Cross Elasticity of Demand (11:20)
24. Elasticity of Supply (9:33)
25. Elasticity and Strange Percent Changes (6:54)
26. Demand Curve as Marginal Benefit Curve (5:53)
27. Consumer Surplus Introduction (5:02)
28. Total Consumer Surplus as Area (5:46)
29. Producer Surplus (8:20)
30. Rent Control and Deadweight Loss (11:27)
31. Minimum Wage and Price Floors (9:06)
32. Taxation and Dead Weight Loss (9:06)
33. Percentage Tax on Hamburgers (5:40)
34. Taxes and Perfectly Inelastic Demand (7:51)
35. Taxes and Perfectly Elastic Demand (6:52)
36. Marginal Utility (12:14)
37. Equalizing Marginal Utility per Dollar Spent (7:42)
38. Deriving Demand Curve from Tweaking Marginal Utility per Dollar (8:43)
39. Budget Line (12:11)
40. Optimal Point on Budget Line (9:24)
41. Types of Indifference Curves (5:49)
42. Economic Profit vs Accounting Profit (8:06)
43. Depreciation and Opportunity Cost of Capital (8:10)
44. Fixed, Variable, and Marginal Cost (11:49)
45. Visualizing Average Costs and Marginal Costs as Slope (12:06)
46. Marginal Cost and Average Total Cost (7:40)
47. Marginal Revenue and Marginal Cost (6:10)
48. Marginal Revenue Below Average Total Cost (5:55)
49. Long Term Supply Curve and Economic Profit (8:26)
50. Perfect Competition (10:17)
51. Monopoly Basics (5:44)
52. Monopolist Optimizing Price (part 1)- Total Revenue (7:11)
53. Monopolist Optimizing Price (part 2)- Marginal Revenue (8:31)
54. Monopolist Optimizing Price (part 3)- Dead Weight Loss.avi (5:57)
55. Optional Calculus Proof to Show that MR has Twice Slope of Demand (4:56)
56. Review of Revenue and Cost Graphs for a Monopoly (10:22)
57. Oligopolies and Monopolisitc Competition (9:21)
58. Monopolistic Competition and Long-Run Economic Profit (8:54)
59. Oligopoloies, Duopoplies, Collusion, and Cartels (8:26)
60. Prisoners’ Dilemma and Nash Equilibrium (9:21)
61. More on Nash Equilibrium (6:31)

Take the final exam. The exam is being given as an open book, open note test. It is meant to be a learning experience as well as documenting your level of understanding for this course. Some questions may require additional research to answer.

 

To finish up and round out this course, you will read Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. It is a fun and interesting read. Enjoy! Suggested reading schedule is as follows.

Freakonomics: Read Introduction and Chapter 1

Freakonomics: Read Chapters 2 and 3

Freakonomics: Read Chapters 4 and 5

Freakonomics: Read Chapter 6 and Epilogue

Freakonomics: Read Bonus Matter

[Jane Elliot]

We've enjoyed using Economics in a Box

http://www.economicsinabox.com/learn.php

[Kareni]

... here is the full syllabus for DD's economics course. 

 

 

A very nice plan, Pegasus.  Thanks for sharing!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lori D.]

DVD or CD video lectures: (can be found used for much less)
- Teaching Company: Economics (secular; 36 30-minute lectures on micro and macro economics) 
- Thinkwell: Economics (secular; 180 video lessons on micro and macro economics)
- Khan Academy (secular; free video tutorials: intro to economics; micro economics; macro economics; current economics)

 

Books:
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Economics (Gorman)
- Economics for Dummies (Masaki)

- Economics in One Easy Lesson (Hazlitt)

- Basic Economics (Sowell)

 

Free resources as supplements for Creating Your Own:
An Economics Fairy Tale
I, Pencil
That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen
Economics in One Lesson
Lessons for the Young Economist

Economics for the Impatient

 

Side Topics that could be units within Economics:

- personal finance -- Foundations in Personal Finance; Money Matters for Teens; The Dave Ramsey Show

- accounting -- Alpha Omega LifePac Elective: Accounting

- finances/investing -- The Motley Fool Investment Guide For Teens and webpage for teens

- banking, currency, finance, valuation & investing -- Khan Academy video tutorials

- consumer math (personal economics of budgeting, taxes, loans, etc.)

* Walsh Publishing: Power Basics: Consumer Math

* Wieser Education: AGS Consumer Math -- or -- Pearson's revised version

* Abeka's Consumer Math 

* Bob Jones Consumer Math

* MUS Stewardship

* free downloadable consumer math resources: here, here, and here

 

Textbooks programs:
- Notgrass: Exploring Economics

- Economics in a Box (books and DVDs program)

 

Past Threads with More Ideas:

Suggestions for Economics class
Meeting state's 1/2 credit Economics requirement
Notgrass Economics? (some reviews, but lots of other suggestions, too)
Economics in a Box... Anyone Use This?
Help! Economics: The Teaching Company with... what?
Anybody use this for Economics (asking about Economics: A Self-Teaching Guide)

Economics and Government suggestions

Government and Economics -- not rigorous
Help! American Gov and Econ for 12th grade
Please list what you use for Amer. History, Government, and Economics

[Musicmom]

If it helps, we used Thinkwell Economics (the course Lori D. listed above) and it worked out very well for us.  It's very independent.  The lectures are thorough and engaging (also good for practicing note taking), there are tests built in, and they also now have a very nice schedule that you can print out, which lays out how many/which lectures to do each day and when to take the tests--very helpful.

[mumto2]

Coursera has both micro and macro courses. Dd is doing the micro from Illinois??? and likes it.