Macroeconomics & Economic Indicators Unit Bundle w/ Exam (Distance Learning!)

It’s so easy to turn economic indicators into a boring series of definitions and calculations (think Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). Yet this unit is one of the most relevant to students’ lives outside high school since they’re bound to be affected by economic performance throughout their lifetimes! So, my approach is all about taking the concepts and getting students excited through their own research! Sure, they’ll learn most of the concepts through (engaging, interactive, student-driven) lectures, but they’ll enhance their understanding through discovering how these concepts impact the US, their state, and the world through simple research. I love walking around hearing my students say things like “What the heck happened to the US in 2008?!” while researching indicators. If you’re like me and you want your students to truly connect with and become engaged in your material, this unit is for you!

There are 2-3 days of full lesson plans for GDP, 2 days of lessons for unemployment, a 1-day lesson for inflation, a 1-day lesson for the business cycle, a 2-day lesson on free trade & the global economy, and 1-2 days of lesson plans for monetary & fiscal policy. At the end is a culminating exam that combines vocab with critical thinking questions. For most lessons, along with lecture notes, I've included engaging activities and critical thinking opportunities throughout the lessons as well as plenty of practice and research opportunities for students as they familiarize themselves with these fundamental Economic concepts. My philosophy is that activities should always be fun, educational, and very low prep. Therefore, there is not a lot of prep work involved in any of the lessons.

The best part is that you can use this unit bundle for distance or digital learning! All lessons have student resources that come in a printable PDF version AND a Google Slides or Docs version. Students just make a copy and they can use all the included resources! The Unit Exam comes in a Google Forms Quiz.

*Projects & Exam are editable. Many other included resources are not. Check each resource for details.

Please view individual lessons prior to purchasing! Not every lesson in this bundle includes a lecture. Material taught is in a variety of ways.

What to Expect:

• Daily Warm Ups & Opening Activities (except for Fiscal vs. Monetary Policy)
• Essential Questions for Lectures
• Engaging Lectures with Thinking Activities & Think-Pair-Shares throughout
• Student Fill In Notes for Lectures (including Warm Ups)
• Practice Worksheets for Students (& Teacher Key)
• Student Research Activities (except for Inflation)
• Types of Unemployment Instagram-inspired Activity
• Unemployment Mini-Activity
• Global Trade Political Cartoon Assignment
• Review Packet & Unit Exam
• Daily Lesson Plans
• Suggested Timeline for Implementation

To reduce tech issues, please be sure to have the most recent free version of Adobe Reader downloaded. More help linked here.

The timeline assumes 50-minute periods, but they can be combined for a block period schedule as well.

Note: all Google Drive versions appear in the lesson plans of each individual lesson. As of right now, there is no way to copy a folder in Google so for right now you will need to open the lesson plan and make a copy of each digital resource using the provided links and instructions.

Materials Needed:

• Class set of included worksheets
• Blank sheets of paper or small posters
• Markers or colored pencils (unemployment activity only)
• Computers for research

Want to see my style of lectures before you buy? Check out this freebie: Globalization Economics Lesson

You might enjoy:

• Supply & Demand Unit Bundle (including Shark Tank Project)
• Foundations & Fundamentals of Economics Unit Bundle (including unit exam!)
• Personal Finance Budgeting Economics Project

For freebies, teaching tips, and more, check out my blog and sign up for my weekly newsletter! When you sign up, your first email will come with FREE supply and demand warm ups!