Nissi Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 events) Could you recommend some good introductory textbooks, living books , websites, etc that would help him. Also, I think it will help if he understood how US government worked. So, please recommend books for US Government as well. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Ds is taking a high school class that uses the book "What Ever Happened to Penny Candy?" There's a workbook that accompanies it, with great questions and thoughtful essays. He's learned a lot about economics this year, and the book is very thorough. We were able to find both books at Rainbow Resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Thomas Sowell is a good place to start. TeenPact is another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Ds is taking a high school class that uses the book "What Ever Happened to Penny Candy?" There's a workbook that accompanies it, with great questions and thoughtful essays. He's learned a lot about economics this year, and the book is very thorough. We were able to find both books at Rainbow Resource. I'm sorry but I must disagree with the thoroughness of What Ever Happened to Penny Candy. I've had both micro and macro economics at the masters level and this book a) skips a great deal of economics and b) is so one sided and anti-gov't that it's more propoganda and a good discussion starter at the end of a course than it is a spine. The book totally ignores how technology advances affect businesses and the economy, how bad business decisions can affect businesses, and the psychology of the economy (think of runs on banks, using home equity as a bank, etc). As I recall, it also excludes supply and demand, probably the most basic theory for the free market. Instead it blames all bad business decisions on the gov't, any economic down turn entirely on the gov't and only once does it mention consumer behavior as a problem. Of course, businesses are implied to be perfect if only the gov't would do what it's supposed to do. I'm sorry but I've worked too many years in a variety of industries to buy that. It's a pity that it's so shallow because the author is very clear in explaining his opinions and has an entertaining delivery system. He also makes some good points. Instead I would use The Teaching Companies economic tapes and supplement it with The Worldly Philosophers, an excellent book that covers the history of economic theory development through short biographies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I second the recommendation for Thomas Sowell. His books are interesting to read yet chalk full of information. A good one to start with is "Basic Economics." I also recommend the Teaching Company tapes on economics by Timothy Taylor. Again, he is interesting yet informative. My son listened to them as part of his AP Economics course. My dd (who is NOT interested in economics) listened to all of them voluntarily because she overheard my son listening to one and found it fascinating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Kathy, I'm sorry. I agree "Penny Candy" is NOT for a student who has economics as a passion, and is wanting to pursue a rigorous understanding of the subject. I was recommending "Penny Candy" for a student who has a *developing interest* and is wanting to start down the road toward learning more; just dipping their toes into the water, so to speak. I do think it is thorough as an *introduction* to economics (for an absolute beginner), and I appreciated the book's clear explanations of concepts that are often difficult to grasp. Perhaps I misunderstood the original post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I am enjoying Timothy Taylor's Economics [/i ]lectures as well - and drooling over his new course while trying to convince my local library that it's a "must buy." Unfortunately my neighbors aren't as fascinated with The Teaching Company as I am. Circulation numbers speak, so they can only justify so much of the stuff I want. :001_smile: His textbooks are available for free online. I haven't signed up for this site, but I came across it in my travels so I thought that I would throw it out there. Scroll down to find his name - Timothy Taylor http://www.freeloadpress.com/bookList.aspx?sI=sA Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissi Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 Ladies, thank you. My library has Basic Economics and Worldly Philosophers. That will be a start. Peace, Nissi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in MD Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 We were talking curriculum this weekend at a bonfire and she expressed how pleased she was with the TTC course she was working through with her ds. She referenced that it had a lot of information directly related to the current crisis that was leading to great discussions at her home. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I second the recommendation for Thomas Sowell. His books are interesting to read yet chalk full of information. A good one to start with is "Basic Economics." I third this. My son has read his book this year and now loves economics and wants to take a few classes at the CC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 And don't miss the Cliff Notes to Worldly Philosophers. I've found it wise to teach my kids how to use these guides to enhance the time that they spend engaging with a text. Especially if you do it the WEM way and take the time to read through the text more than once. These kinds of guides always help me see more than I would have seen on my own. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/The-Worldly-Philosophers.id-163.html Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielle Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Whatever you choose, be aware of the political orientation of the writer. Thomas Sowell is very interesting, but he is a conservative economist and you might want to balance it with others. In economics, because it is so controversial, I believe we owe it to our children to make them aware of the full panoply of issues. That said, I have several recommendations that others have not yet mentioned. Annenberg/CPB has free courses available on their website www.learner.org: Inside the Global Economy and Economics USA. You might want to pre-read it, but Freakanomics (sp.?) was very contemporary and shows the power of applying economic ideas to contemporary problems. Similarly, Jared Diamond's books Guns Germs and Steel and Collapse address contemporary econ issues. If you really want to augment your study with contemporary controversy, the books of Lester Brown are worth looking at. He's a MacArthur awardee (as is Jared Diamond) who is in the forefront of environmental/economics discussions. Finally, the National Association of Investment Clubs (NAIC) has a terrific Youth Handbook that talks about the market and gets kids started on understanding investment choice. Really high quality, practical and about as free as possible from political angles. Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori A. Davis Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 In my research of good starting points in Economics I contacted Thomas Sowell himself to ask how reasonable it would be for a high school student to use his book "Basic Economics." He replied that he wrote the book specifically for people with no background in economics, and he presents the information clearly with practical explanations that are very approachable. In the back of the book you will find a list of questions for each section, so be sure to use that to evaluate how well the principles have been learned. Students who complete "Basic Economics" and enjoy the experience can move on to his book "Economic Facts and Fallacies." I would also recommend "Free to Choose" by Milton & Rose Friedman as a next step (there is a TV series based on this book that might be useful - I think it was produced by PBS). If you have a student who still has an interest in economics and you are stdying great books, you might want to tackle "Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith to get a historical perspective. You might also want to give your son a big pat on the back. I firmly believe our society could avoid much unnecessary pain if we had more citizens with a good foundation in economics. Kudos for your boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissi Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 Lori, thanks for the encouragement and the additional recommendations. Blessings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 And don't miss the Cliff Notes to Worldly Philosophers. I've found it wise to teach my kids how to use these guides to enhance the time that they spend engaging with a text. Especially if you do it the WEM way and take the time to read through the text more than once. These kinds of guides always help me see more than I would have seen on my own. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/The-Worldly-Philosophers.id-163.html Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Thanks for the info! I didn't realize that this was available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Daniel Yegrin's The Commanding Hights is a good theoretical overview of important thinkers and ideas. There's also a movie series and resources at PBS http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/ Yergin also has a history of Oil, The Prize. However, at 700 pages it would only be for the most ambitious of high school students. A short primer on international political economy might also be of use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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