|
|
|
|
Economic Connections |
|
|
Educational services promoting economic and personal finance literacy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Web Links: Role of Government STATE STANDARD: How
government decisions on taxation, spending, public goods, and regulation impact
what is produced, how it is produced, and who receives the benefits of
production. programs/policies
(including
antitrust,
consumer,
and labor
policy) Ben's Guide
to Government for Kids. Learning tools for K-12 students,
parents, and teachers organized by grade level appropriateness that will
teach how our government works, and much more. CongressLink. Information about the
U.S. Congress -- how it works, its members and leaders, and the public
policies it produces. Lesson plans and a variety of classroom aids are also
available. Federal Programs. The Federal Citizen Information
Center's page of links to publications concerning federal government benefits
and protections. Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Links to the regional banks,
consumer information, education materials and more. FindLaw.com. Background information on a
comprehensive list of legal topics with links to articles and other web
sites. A sampling of topics includes credit, identity theft, tenant rights,
pensions, and copyrights. FirstGov.gov. The federal government's search
engine for federal information. FirstGov for Kids.
The federal government’s portal to federal web sites for kids. Government
WWW Servers. An
alphabetical listing of web sites for federal government agencies. Source:
U.S. Small Business Administration. How
Our Laws Are Made. The Library of Congress tells how bills become
laws. Kids Around Town. A model for students to identify, research
and take action on a public issue. Michigan
Kids! You.Gov. Learn about voting and how a bill becomes
a law in Michigan. State
Regulators. The
Federal Consumer Information Center offers a collection of directories
providing contact information for state regulatory and consumer protection offices. U.S. Federal Agency Directories. Links to federal agencies organized
alphabetically and by branch: Judicial, legislative, etc. Source: Louisiana State University
Library. Virtual Field Trips.
Take a virtual tour of a community and learn about public goods and services
at a park, library and city hall. What’s My
Job? Have elementary students
identify the providers of public goods and services. Source: HUD |
|
|
|
|
|
Cities of Today,
Cities of Tomorrow. A 6-week
interdisciplinary curriculum created by the UN for grades 5 and up who study their
own community and those of others then create an "Ideal City”. Among the
objectives are learning about infrastructure and economics, studying causes
and consequences of urban growth, and exploring solutions for environmental,
social and economic problems. Help the
Homeless. A simple explanation of homeless people and how
elementary students can help them. Source: HUD Making
a Meal of It.
Activities with photos for elementary students that help connect the
food we eat with others around the world, particularly in economically
developing countries. Why
some people are hungry and what young people can do about it is also addressed.
Source: Oxfam Oxfam.org.uk. Get the latest news on major
disasters and this organization’s efforts to promote economic development and
free trade. Virtual
Developing Country. Take a
series of virtual field trips throughout Zambia visiting a number of places
and people. At each stop learn about the development issues and ideas. See also the Background
on Countries section of this site. |
|
|
|
|
|
Beige Book. Each
Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic
conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and
interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other
sources. The Beige Book summarizes this information by District and sector
and is published
eight times per year. Briefing Room: Economic Statistics. Data on production, income,
wealth, prices, credit, interest rates, employment, unemployment, earnings,
transportation and trade. Briefing Room: Social Statistics. Data and charts concerning home ownership, poverty, crime,
education and health. Bureau of Economic Analysis. National,
international and regional economic data including GDP and personal income
statistics. Consumer Price Index. Answers to frequently asked
questions about the CPI from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. DismalScientist.com. Economic forecasts, reports, a
dictionary of economic terms, financial calculators, web links to other
economic sites, and more. A calendar tells when economic news releases will
occur. EconEd Data Links.
The National Council on Economic Education brings together economic
statistics and links to statistics from a variety of sources. Explanations are offered on how much of
the information is calculated. EconomicIndicators.gov. Access to the daily releases of key economic
indicators from the Bureau of
Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. Economist.com.
International economic data from The Economist magazine. Econ Dash. Raw economic data is compared over
time in an effort to help users understand what the numbers mean and put them
in perspective. Fed Stats. The
federal government’s site for national, state and local statistics organized A to Z from
more than 70 federal agencies. FRED – Federal Reserve Bank of
St. Louis.
Statistics and links to other sources of statistics concerning income,
interest rates, inflation and much more. Global
Business Cycle Indicators. From the Conference Board, the official source of
the U.S. leading index plus general information about the economy and
cyclical indicators. Global Grocery List Project. Gather prices on a set of
grocery prices and compare your results with those in other parts of the
nation or the world. Data is also
available from previous years of this ongoing project. How Much Is That
Worth Today? Compare
the purchasing power of money in the United States from 1665 to any other
year including the present. How
to Measure the Shrinking Value of the Dollar. A
kid-friendly explanation of the Consumer Price Index with a table of prices
from 1913 to today. Inflation
Calculator. Fill in the sections of the form to adjust a given amount
of money for inflation, from 1800 to 1994. Retail Prices of Selected Foods in U.S. Cities, 1890–1970. FactMonster lets you compare the price of staples such as flour, bread, milk, coffee and sugar. What
Is a Dollar Worth? A CPI Calculator. What would an item or service in
today's dollars be worth in future dollars? Find the answer using the
consumer price index and this on-line calculator. A chart of inflation rates
since 1913 is also provided.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The American Promise. This site is a supplement to the
videos and teaching guide produced for a PBS series created to help K-12
teachers bring democracy to life in their classrooms. Several of the lesson
ideas have an economic connection. CorpWatch.org. The web site of an organization
attempting to hold corporations accountable on a broad range of public policy
issues including biotechnology, money and politics, sweatshops tobacco and
trade agreements. CyberBee.com. A nifty set of questions
and brief answers explain copyrights and public domain as it applies to
common student uses of music and research. The
Index of Economic Freedom. An assessment of economic freedom for countries throughout the
world provided by the Heritage
Foundation - a think tank - whose mission is to promote free enterprise and
other “conservative” values. PBS
Economy: Background Reports. An archive of scripts from PBS
NewsHour that examine economic issues and public policy. SocialSecurity.gov. The official web
site for the Social Security
Administration. Don;’t miss the history page
with its collections of history-related materials including oral
histories, a timeline, puzzles, and games. U.S. Dept.
of State International Information Programs. A site designed to give a view of the U.S. to foreigners but
with lots of information of interest to citizens organized by issues and
regions of the world. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Information on patents in United
States and other countries. U.S. PopClock. Current and historical figures on
U.S. population. World Bank. Current events and country project
information. Assessment of issues such as transfer of government industry in
some nations to private entities and changes with respect to the environment,
women and children. Antitrust
Case Filings. Electronic versions of selected documents filed by the
U.S. Antitrust Division since December 1994. Antitrust Enforcement and the Consumer. An explanation of antitrust
protections from the Department of Justice in a question and answer format. Rockefeller and the
Standard Oil Monopoly. An overview Standard Oil v. United States with a relatively simple
explanation of the events that lead to antitrust legislation and the legal
suit. Links are provided to
supplemental information including the famous Ida Tarbell articles for McClure’s
Magazine. Students are asked to consider whether they would have made the
same court decision. Promoting Competition: Protecting Consumers. A plain English guide to antitrust
law from the Federal Trade Commission. United States vs.
Microsoft. A look at the 1999 federal decision that Microsoft, the
world's biggest software company, is a monopoly. Students are asked to
analyze five possible remedies. Facts about FDA
Investigators.
Kids read about what FDA Investigators do then help Mac &
Molly inspect a warehouse. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Find out which bank accounts are
insured and information on the laws protecting the privacy personal financial
information. FDIC: Learning
Bank. A young
person’s guide to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation including what
the agency does and why it was created. Trade
Measurement History. The importance of accurate
measures to trade. Don’t miss the links in the sidebar that provide details
on measuring weight, volume, length, etc. An Overview of
Federal Child Labor Laws. The Child Labor Coalition
summarizes federal protections and phone numbers for state labor departments. . Between a
Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops From the Smithsonian Institution,
a look at sweatshops in the U.S. since 1820. This exhibition places
the current debate on sweatshops in the garment industry in a historical
context and explores the complex factors that contribute to their existence
today. British History
1700-1900: Child Labour. The life of young workers in
British factories, efforts for reform, and some disturbing facts concerning
the children’s ages, health and mortality. Suggestions for teaching are also
provided. Child
Labor Coalition. Information on child labor abuses in the U.S. and
throughout the world. The site offers an overview of existing laws as well as
updates on campaigns to protect working minors. Child
Labor in America 1908-1912. Lewis Hine
photos of children’s lives especially at work. The
Clothes Line. A series of photos and activities designed to
show the production of cotton and clothing in India. International trade and the industry’s
labor practices are also addressed. Source: Oxfam. Coop America’s Sweatshops.org. Background information on why
sweatshops exist, news on products and companies accused of using sweatshop
and child labor, what individuals can do to make a difference, and links to related
sites on this issue. Driving on
the Job: New Law For Teen Workers. The Child Labor
Coalition provides a summary of the federal law that protects teens who drive
as part of their job. Equal
Pay Act of 1963. Text of the law that prohibits
gender-based wage differentials between men and women employed in the same
establishment who perform jobs requiring equal effort, skill, and
responsibility. Source: Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission. The
Fair Labor Standards Act. A summary of the
federal law that establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and
child labor standards affecting U.S. workers. Information on proposed rules
is also provided. Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor. Fields
of Hope.
Pictures and text tell the story of child labor in agriculture in the
U.S. and around the world. Don’t miss the free downloadable teacher guide. Minimum
Wage Laws. Information and links to information on
federal and state minimum wage laws from the U.S. Department of Labor. Click
here for a chart and table showing the federal minimum wage since 1938
adjusted for inflation. Mr.
Coal's Story. A story with photos of life in the
coal mines told by the National Child Labor Committee to persuade Americans
to support the regulation and elimination of child labor. Occupational Safety. Background and history of OSHA,
the federal agency responsible for protecting worker health and safety.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor. The
Story of My Cotton Dress. An article in a 1914 issue of the Child Labor
Bulletin offers a plea to end child labor in the textile and garment
industries. Sweatshop Timeline. Trace the history of workers in the garment history and
labor protections beginning in 1900.
Part of a story by MSNBC Dateline in which a female producer
wore a hidden camera and kept a journal of what
she found during an 8-month undercover investigation to explore the working
conditions of garment factories. Teen Worker
Safety in Restaurants. A tool to help teen
restaurant employees stay safe and healthy with descriptions of common
hazards and potential safety solutions. Voices
from the Dustbowl. Audio recordings,
photographs, and other materials from the Library of Congress designed to
help us better understand migrant work camps during the Great Depression and
after.
Working
Safely: Advice for Teens. Statistics and tips from the
American Academy of Family Physicians. Limits on work hours are also
provided. YoungWorkers.org.
Resources for teens, parents and educators on workplace safety and the rights
of young workers. Developed for California but links direct the user to laws
in other states. Youth Rules! The U.S. Department of Labor explains what hours and jobs teens can work. There is also advice on preventing workplace injuries. Special page for teens, parents, educators and employers. |
|
|
|
|
|
Bureau of
Public Debt. The
division of U.S. Treasury Department provides a status report and historical
perspective on the nation’s debt plus information on the government
securities used to finance the debt. Budget
of the U.S. Government. A collection of documents from
the Office of Management and Budget that provide information on the current
and past federal budgets. Budget
Explorer: Where Does Your Money Go? Let students estimate the percentage of the federal
budget spent on different items then examine the real numbers. Don’t miss the
questions page, which suggests links for more information and educational
materials on the topic. Internal Revenue Service.
The place to start when seeking information on federal taxes. Download
and print tax forms and publications. Look Who’s Footing
the Bill? A sample web quest that challenges students to learn more about
the federal debt and make recommendations to policymakers. National
Budget Simulation. An on-line simulation that asks the user to cut the 1995 budget
deficit in order to achieve a balanced budget. Understanding
Taxes. The IRS has posted its comprehensive tax
education curriculum online. In
addition to lesson plans and background information, the site has a student
area where users have access to online activities, tutorials, tax
simulations, puzzles, games, virtual field trips and more. Modules
include the hows and whys of taxes, the history of taxation in the U.S., fairness,
and the impact of taxes. |
