economics assignments for high school students

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High School Resources for Teaching Economics

The Economic Education team at the St. Louis Fed has hundreds of free, award-winning resources for teaching economics, including active learning lessons, videos and much more.

Check out these resources for the first few months of class! Find teaching resources for:

• » High School

We also have teaching resources for Elementary , Middle School and College .

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We've collected a number of useful high school-level economics lessons for you to use with your students.  

Click the button to either download a PDF file of the lesson or view resources.

Lesson: Barbie in the Labor Force

GRADES: 6-12

CONCEPTS: Labor Force, Labor Trends

SOURCE:  Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

DOWNLOAD PDF

Lesson: The Case of the Gigantic 100,000 Bill

GRADES:  9-12

CONCEPTS: Money Supply, Excess Reserves, Money Multiplier, Reserve Requirements

Crossing Borders: The Globalization Debate

CONCEPTS: Benefits, Costs, Globalization

SOURCE:  Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis

SEE RESOURCES

Lesson: Currency and the Fed

GRADES:  8-12

CONCEPTS: Currency features and history, Federal Reserve System, Functions of Money

Lesson: The Economic Way of Thinking

CONCEPTS: Consumers, Cost-benefit analysis, Incentives, Producers, Saving, Scarcity

SOURCE: Foundation for Teaching Economics

Lesson: How Can Big Business Make Money From Tariffs?

CONCEPTS: Incentives, Tariffs, Special Interest Groups

SOURCE: Focus on Economics: U. S. History

Lesson: How Can Entrepreneurs Control Costs?

CONCEPTS: Entrepreneurship, Fixed Costs, Variable Costs

SOURCE: Entrepreneurship in the U.S. Economy

Lesson: Introducing the Credit Card

CONCEPTS: Credit, Decision-making

SOURCE: CompareCards.com

Lesson: It’s a Not So Wonderful Life

CONCEPTS: Banking, Central Banking System, Money, Savers

SOURCE: EconEdLink.org

Lesson: Privatizing Schools: Schools For Sale

CONCEPTS: Public Goods, Incentives, Private Goods, Economic Efficiency, Costs

SOURCE:   Nebraska Council on Economic Education

Lesson: The Ultimatum Game

CONCEPTS: Self Interest, Markets

Lesson: What Are the Economic Functions Of Government?

GRADES:  6-12

CONCEPTS: Role of Government

SOURCE: Focus on Economics: Civics and Government

Lesson: What Is a Stock? or Who Owns McDonalds?

CONCEPTS: Incentives, Choice, Profit, Risk

SOURCE: Learning for the Market: Integrating the Stock Market Game Across the Curriculum

Lesson: Who Desegregated Major League Baseball: Adam Smith or Jackie Robinson?

CONCEPTS: Competition, Cartel, “Invisible Hand”, Labor Market, Monopoly, Monopsony, Profit, Market

SOURCE: Economic Episodes in American History

A Group of "Bell-Ringer" Activities

SOURCE: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

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ECONLIB Guides

High School Economics Topics

Introduction

The Council for Economic Education (CEE) has compiled a list of the 51 key economics concepts common to all U.S. State requirements for high school classes in economics.

The resources arranged here supplement these recommended CEE topics. These free resources are appropriate for teachers of high school and AP economics, social studies, and history classes. They are also appropriate for interested students, home schoolers, and newcomers to the topic of economics.

Materials have been selected for authoritativeness, quality of writing, liveliness, and ease of understanding. Most of the suggested readings and podcasts were prepared by internationally respected professors of economics. Many are selected from the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics (CEE) , a widely used economics reference first published in 1993. Links to podcasts, original source materials, and other web pages are also included.

List of Topics

Fundamental Economics | Macroeconomics | Microeconomics | International Economics | Personal Finance Economics

Fundamental Economics

Decision Making and Cost-Benefit Analysis Division of Labor and Specialization Economic Institutions Economic Systems Incentives Money Opportunity Cost Productive Resources Productivity Property Rights Scarcity Technology Trade, Exchange and Interdependence

Macroeconomics

Aggregate Demand Aggregate Supply Budget Deficits and Public Debt Business Cycles Economic Growth Employment and Unemployment Fiscal Policy GDP Inflation Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve Real vs. Nominal

Microeconomics

Competition and Market Structures Consumers Demand Elasticity of Demand Entrepreneurs Government Failures/Public-Choice Analysis Income Distribution Market Failures Markets and Prices Price Ceilings and Floors Producers Profit Roles of Government Supply

International Economics

Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments Barriers to Trade Benefits of Trade/Comparative Advantage Economic Development Foreign Currency Markets/Exchange Rates

Personal Finance Economics

Compound Interest Credit Financial Markets Human Capital Insurance Money Management/Budgeting Risk and Return Saving and Investing

RELATED CONTENT By Anthony de Jasay

Economics textbooks: teaching to despise.

Home » News » TFAS Offers Online Economics Lessons and Resources for High School Students

March 20, 2020

TFAS Offers Online Economics Lessons and Resources for High School Students

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As the spread of COVID-19 causes high schools across the country to close their doors, TFAS is providing resources to help our teachers and parents continue the important task of educating our nation’s future leaders.

View our Economics Lessons of the Week

Through our high school programming division – the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE) – TFAS offers a plethora of online lesson plans, readings, handouts, video demonstrations and hands-on activity guides to teach the “economic way of thinking” in engaging and relatable ways.

These resources include:

Economic Reasoning Propositions: The Foundation for Teaching Economics’ Economic Reasoning Propositions (ERPs) are a guide to the “economic way of thinking.” They empower students to view the world through an economic lens and provide a tool kit to solve economic mysteries, understand social phenomenon and make sense of current events.

Lesson Plan Database: This searchable database enables teachers and parents to find lessons and educational activities by topic, Economic Reasoning Propositions (ERPs) and by content standards. All lessons are correlated to the National Voluntary Content Standards in economics, the Common Core, and when possible, to the individual state standards. Our searchable interface facilitates alignment of lesson content and activities for standards- and mastery-based instruction.

Economic Barometer: This series of benchmarks provides an overview of the U.S. federal government’s latest quarterly economic data. Each one is accompanied by its definition and explanation of its composition and use. These benchmarks, especially in combination, are intended to help teachers and students and others readily locate and observe the fundamentals of the evolving national economy.

In the coming days and weeks, we will highlight and promote these lessons with teachers and parents within our network. Please, if you know of a teacher or parent who is educating high school students, share these resources with them as well.

Thank you for helping us continue our important mission through these trying times. We look forward to rising to the occasion and finding new and innovative ways to teach economic reasoning to our rising generations.

Apply for High School Economics Programs

Applications are now open for a number of Summer 2020 FTE programs for high school teachers and students. Please see below for more information and to begin your application today.

We are continuing to closely monitor the spread of COVID-19. The safety of our students, faculty and staff are our first priority. Some FTE programs have been moved to online only. Learn more.

High School Economics Lesson of the Week

As the spread of COVID-19 causes high schools across the country to close their doors, TFAS is providing resources to help our teachers and parents continue the important task of educating our nation’s future leaders. Each week, we’ll feature a different lesson from our high school programming division –  the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE)

Economic Growth and Scarcity

In this lesson, students are introduced to the concept of economic growth through the story of human progress and changing standards of living over time. Video clips, historical examples and a mini-activity engage students in the discovery of the institutions that foster economic growth.

Opportunity Cost and Incentives

This lesson uses examples, videos and three mini-activities to teach concepts such as opportunity cost, incentives, pricing, marginal benefit and cost, rationing, supply, demand and sunk cost. Downloadable lesson guides and slides provide instructions.

Open Markets

During this lesson, students make connections to their real-world interactions in markets to better understand the role competition and prices play in guiding market outcomes. Fun video clips and a mini-activity help students discover how discover how open competitive markets can promote economic growth.

Markets in Action

This lesson has two goals. The first is to expand students’ understanding of markets by discussing government-imposed frictions that affect the market-clearing price and quantity. The second is to involve students in analyzing examples of economic reasoning using problems and activities. Through two optional mini activities and a 1 vs 100 Game Show, students practice applying the tools of supply and demand analysis real-world scenarios.

Labor Markets

The focus of this lesson is on the choices made by buyers and sellers of labor services, and the factors and constraints that affect these choices including wages, technology and demand. Downloadable lesson guides and slides provide instructions.

Incentives, Innovations, and Roles of Institutions

This lesson uses examples, video clips and a risk-reward mini activity to teach the relationship between innovation and economic growth. Downloadable lesson guides and slides provide instructions.

Property Rights: Is the Environment Different?

In this lesson, students apply the tools of economic analysis to environmental problems. Through the analysis of historical and contemporary environmental problems, students discover the value of looking at environmental issues as problems of incentives and institutions rather than blaming them on “bad people doing bad things.”

Setting the Rules: Costs and Benefits of Government Action

This lesson gives students the opportunity to apply the economic way of thinking to the political arena. After exploring differences between private and public choice they will apply public choice theory to understand why “bad economics” often makes for “good politics.”

Money and Inflation

In this lesson, students learn that anything that performs the functions of money can be money (even macaroni!). As they use their macaroni to bid on items during an auction, they learn that the value of money depends on the quantity of money relative to the quantity of goods and services they can buy with that money.

International Markets

In this lesson, students apply the model of supply and demand to international markets for goods and services and currencies. Interactive online resources, videos and discussion of contemporary trade issues connect the students to the larger (and sometimes invisible) world in which they exchange.

The Magic of Markets

This lesson involves students in a trading simulation designed to illustrate a complex marketplace in which goods and services are traded. Students use this experience to investigate the conditions that encourage or discourage trade among individuals. Downloadable guides, videos and a group activity introduce new concepts such as trade, voluntary exchange, costs, benefits and property rights.

In The Chips

This week's lesson is "In The Chips," an activity that simulates a market for computer chips. Students, acting as buyers and sellers, will experience the competitive nature of markets. As a result, they will see how competition influences the price of goods and the decisions of buyers and sellers. Students will be introduced to concepts including supply, demand, equilibrium price (or market clearing price) and competition.

The Job Jungle

This activity allows students to experience a labor market firsthand and ultimately discover how wages are determined. A video, handouts and teacher guide explain the set up and goals for the activity. Students will explore labor supply and demand, why profit-maximizing employers will not offer more than the value of a worker’s marginal product, and the opportunity cost a worker faces when considering whether to accept a wage offer.

Cartels and Competition

This week's lesson is "Cartels and Competition." Through this activity, students experience the interdependent decision-making characteristic of oligopolies, and see firsthand the impact that incentives and competition have on the market. A downloadable guide, instructional video and handouts help instructors facilitate the activity.

The Wheat Activity

In this simulation, students act as workers producing wheat. The students will use their available capital (pencils) to produce wheat by writing the word “w-h-e-a-t” as many times on the piece of paper (land) as possible in a given time period. Each round more students are added to each team which will slow down production and show how even as total product increases the marginal productivity of workers does not increase at that same rate. Students will use this activity and marginal decision making to understand how companies make decisions to hire based on marginal productivity.

The Fish Activity

The activity introduces the "free-rider problem" that occurs when resources are owned in common – what we refer to in economics as "the tragedy of the commons." In this simulation, students act as fisherman who harvest fish for profit and incentives. Students will explore economic concepts including, "the tragedy of the commons," property rights and market approaches to conservation and environmentalism. This lesson teaches how well established property rights increase the value of investments that pay off in the future.

Farmers & Fishers

In this group activity, which can be used for in-person or online instruction, students are given role cards and must play the game as either a farmer or fisher, with both parties looking to harvest for profit. In the scenario, we imagine farmers own the water rights where they must grow crops and where the fishers must harvest fish. The farmers’ decision on whether or not to irrigate with the water could hurt the fishers and help the farmers in a “low water year.” Students review U.S. Water Rights law and are tasked with coming up with solutions that will benefit both parties. The key takeaway from the lesson is the importance of property rights.

A Pollution Solution

In this activity, students acting as owners of companies emitting proscribed substances engage in a market for tradable pollution credits. So-called “cap-and-trade” programs have been used successfully to meet pollution standards while incorporating incentives to find least-cost solutions.

Foreign Currency and Foreign Exchange

In this simulation, students are given copies of Saudi Arabian Riyals, and must find a way to convert them into "Classroom Bucks" in order to purchase candy. Through this activity, students learn that in a foreign exchange market, importers often must obtain the currency of the exporter’s country to purchase the goods to be imported.

The Bread Market

This lesson simulates a bread market that undergoes an unpredicted shock and the emergent order that follows. Over the course of the simulation, students acting as buyers and sellers develop expectations about the price of goods in the market. Once a demand shock occurs, students must use their knowledge of past price predictions along with their own willingness to buy or sell to experience how the market adjusts to an increase in scarcity.

The U.S. Airline Industry... Fight or Flight!?

In this lesson, students will explore the concepts of international trade, trade barriers, balance of trade and public choice theory. Through a comprehensive lesson plan and related classroom activities, students will analyze the impact of Open Skies agreements on American jobs as well as the unseen costs being borne by U.S. consumers and businesses.

Property Rights and U.S. History – Jamestown Simulation

In this activity, students will simulate the experience at Jamestown before and after the arrival of Sir Thomas Dale. The students will become colonists who are expected to work to pay the price of their passage to America. The game is played over several rounds, each of which can last up to two minutes. In the early rounds of the game, students are not rewarded for working hard. Instead, three student managers are rewarded for whatever the students create. In the later rounds of the game, students are rewarded for what they create and, consequently, get involved in creating more.

Indentured Servitude – A Colonial Market for Labor

This activity will demonstrate to students, using the context of colonial markets for indentured servants, that prices emerge from the choices made by individual people. As students participate in this simulation, they will discover that the specific time period of indentured servitude is determined by an agreed upon price that emerged spontaneously from the voluntary actions of people as buyers and sellers in the market.

Transaction Costs and Currency – 1808 Road Trip

In this activity, students are given a “purse” containing one of four types of bank notes and are sent off on an imaginary 1808 journey from Richmond to Boston. As they stop in several cities along the way, students realize that businesses in some states accept only the notes issued by a local, well-known bank. Through a series of rounds, students are given the option to exchange notes with a notebroker or trade in their money for the notes of the Bank of the United States. As they experience the frustration of trying to obtain the notes needed for their purchases, students explore ways to reduce or eliminate this “transaction cost,” a commonly overlooked concept when studying markets.

The Oklahoma Land Rush – Property Rights on the American Frontier

In this 45-minute activity, students will work in family groups of four while simulating the rationing of land in American history on a “first-come, first-served” basis, as it was rationed during the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893. As student “Boomers” engage in the chaos and excitement of racing for land, they participate in a common experience they can analyze and evaluate afterwards. This helps them sort through the historical experience, highlighting the exorbitant and unrecognized costs of rationing property rights in the American West.

A Question of Trust

The purpose of “A Question of Trust” is to let students simulate the origins of the era of trusts in American economic history. Acting as “captains of industry” they, too, will try to create monopoly power within their classroom oil industry. Their experience will challenge the common belief that the era of trust formation was evidence that Adam Smith’s analysis of capitalism was flawed.

Show Me the Money! A Fractional Reserve Banking Simulation

In this activity, students will learn how to calculate the amount of money created by banks in the classroom economy, appreciate the role of banks as creators of money and understand the importance of fractional reserve banking in the process of money creation.

The Great Depression – A Family's Choices

In this simulation, students play the role of families in a small town, trying to deal with the changes in income they experience a a result of the Great Depression.

Women and Work in American History – The Opportunity Cost of Staying Home

In this activity, students assume the roles of married women in the 1930s and 1940s in the United States. As they play their roles, they learn to identify the opportunity costs involved in choosing whether to stay home or go to work. Successive rounds of the activity incorporate changing societal values and wage rates, both of which influence their choices about whether or not to enter the labor force and take jobs outside their homes.

Are Disasters Good for the Economy?

In this activity, students will analyze and reconcile data to arrive at a group consensus on the impact of disasters on an economy. Following the activity, students will consider factors that determine how much an economy can produce, what happens to an economy's resource base during a disaster, the impact of a pandemic on GDP, and more.

When Disaster Strikes, What Can Markets Do?

In this lesson, students proceed to examine the institutional tools available to societies and nations to deal with the blows that nature occasionally deals us. By looking back on historical and recent examples of disasters, students will determine what markets can – and can not – do in the event of a disaster.

When Disaster Strikes, What Can Government Do?

In this lesson, students will explore examples in history and determine how governments should respond, and how government should not respond in the event of a disaster. Through a series of case studies, students will learn that big problems like natural disasters cannot be best dealt with by big institutions.

When Disaster Strikes, What Can We Do?

In this lesson, students will learn the role private citizens play in responding to disasters. In performing an institutional analysis of disasters, students will learn that people who want to help can be most effective when they work through the institutions that form the framework of society.

The Future of Water – Crisis or Cooperation?

In this activity, students will act as Oyster Valley farmers under an appropriation system. Students will then analyze the fair and desirable outcomes of water appropriation as they consider alternative water allocation methods that could help increase the sum of total revenues to all farmers.

Yours, Mine, Ours: The Rules of Ownership

In this activity, students will analyze problems that arise over ownership and use of water. Through a series of discussion sessions, they will explore the privileges and limitations of ownership, the definition of property rights, and the transfer of goods and resources.

Bag and Baggage

In this activity, students will explore the economic concepts of opportunity cost, scarcity, rational choice, and cost-benefit analysis. As one of the many variations of the well-known “bag game,” this lesson teaches students that voluntary exchange creates wealth and that wealth-creation is enhanced by opening the market to more traders.

How Clean Is Clean?

In this lesson, students will explore the economic concepts of marginal analysis, opportunity cost, sunk cost, marginal cost and benefit, and total cost and benefit. Through various activities and lesson guides, students will gain an understanding of how economic reasoning teaches us that the economic perspective is preferable to the all-or-nothing approach to pollution clean-up that is sometimes adopted by environmental activist groups.

Using Markets to Reduce Pollution

In this activity, students will explore the scarcity of resources needed to reach a certain level of environmental quality. They will also learn the externalities that make achieving this goal difficult. Through a series of discussion sessions, students will determine that the same incentives that lead markets to produce more goods and services for lower cost can help us to achieve greater environmental benefit at lower cost.

The Environment Is An Economic Good

In this workshop, students will look at the environment as an economic good. They will look at the scarcities and limitations of the environment, exploring how people's choices about the environment are affected by incentives. Students will also look at the consequences of choices regarding environmental issues, gaining an understanding of how to anticipate the potential unintended, secondary effects.

Inflation and Unemployment

This lesson goes beyond the data and terminology of measuring inflation and unemployment to look at the impact on the economy and on individuals of changes in the levels of prices and employment.  By acknowledging the continuity of change, focusing on how change redefines winners and losers in the economy, and by pointing out that things are not always what they seem, lessons on employment and inflation can demonstrate how economics education adds value to people’s lives.

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High School Economics

About the book.

To help teachers better teach economics, the Council for Economic Education revised and updated High School Economics. This new and revised 3rd Edition includes 28 engaging lessons which employ an active-learning approach that brings economic concepts to life for students. This resource has been:

• Updated to include more contemporary references that highlight new challenges in a world that has changed significantly since the 2nd edition 11 years ago
• Redesigned to meet the needs of today’s students and applies economic thinking to current issues
• Integrates more macroeconomics and international economics lessons including materials on topics such as GDP, unemployment, inflation, and trade
• Field-tested and aligned with Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics and Common Core State Standards (ELA and Math)
• Select lessons feature interactive online activities that connect to and extend the lessons both in class and as self-guided homework activities

Table of Contents

• Production Possibilities and Opportunity Cost ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Allocating Scarce Resources ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Marginalism ( Slides , Interactive Worksheet , Print Activities )
• A Classroom Market for Cocoa ( Slides , Collaborative Activity , Print Activities )
• What Happens When Prices are not in Equilibrium? ( Slides , Print Activities )
• The Market Never Stands Still ( Slides , Print Activities )
• How Markets Interact ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Productivity ( Slides , Print Activities , Collaborative Activity )
• Perfect Competition Versus Monopoly ( Slides , Interactive Visual , Print Activities )
• Game Theory: One Step Ahead of the Competition ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Not-So-Private Goods and Services ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Third-Party Costs and Benefits ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Who Decides Wage Rates? ( Slides , Interactive Activity , Print Activities )
• Income Distribution ( Slides , Interactive Activity , Print Activities )
• Public Choice Economics ( Slides , Print Activities )
• The Circular Flows of Econoland ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Inflation ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Unemployment Survey ( Slides , Interactive Worksheet , Print Activities )
• Economic Growth ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Explaining Short-Run Economic Fluctuations ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Fiscal Policy: The Multiplier Effect ( Slides , Print Activities )
• The Case of the Gigantic $100,000 Bill ( Interactive Visual , Print Activities )
• Interest Rates: Let’s Go Shopping for Money ( Slides , Interactive Visual , Print Activities )
• The Fed’s Toolbox ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Trade: Why Do People Trade? ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Comparative Advantage ( Slides , Interactive Visual , Print Activities )
• Where to Build a Factory ( Slides , Print Activities )
• Broad Social Goals of an Economy ( Print Activities )

Browser Support : Interactive activities work best in modern versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Internet Explorer is not fully supported in all activities. Interactive Activity Feedback and Support .

Interactive Activities

Ten of the lessons in High School Economics include web-based interactive supplements . These supplements range from simple online worksheets designed to help teachers make the best possible use of instructional time to rich, collaborative activities that have students working together and interacting with each other. The collaborative activities are designed to be easy to use and are built around CEE’s commitment to active learning. They don’t require managing multiple sets of student usernames and passwords. Teachers are able to create a special web address for each group that they can distribute to their students. At the end of the activity, teachers can download all of the data generated by their students and use those data to illustrate the concepts covered in the lesson.

Sample Lesson: Wage Rates

In this lesson, students play the role of either buyers or sellers of labor to examine the interconnectedness of individuals and companies in labor markets. Students learn that the demand and supply for labor determine market wage rates and that wages depend, in part, on individual productivity.

Demonstration Videos

Lesson 8: productivity.

Lesson 13: Who Decides Wage Rates?

Lesson 18: Unemployment Survey

Curt Anderson

Dr. Anderson earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wyoming with specialties in environmental and natural resource economics and general economic theory. He has published numerous journal articles and curriculum materials, conducted teacher-training workshops on every continent (except Antarctica…penguins are smart enough), created the Council for Economic Education’s “National Economics Challenge,” and served as President of the National Association of Economic Educators (NAEE). He is a member of the University of Minnesota’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers and has received numerous awards for his teaching and service from his university, NAEE, and the Minnesota Council on Economic Education.

Brett Burkey

Brett Burkey has taught Economics and Personal Finance for thirty years at Spanish River H.S. in Boca Raton, FL. He is Chairman of the Social Studies Department there as well. In addition, he serves as the Assistant Director of the FAU Center for Economic Education and provides teacher training on behalf of the FCEE. He is a past recipient of both the National High School Teacher of the Year from the CEE and the Florida Economic Educator of the Year from the FCEE.

Bonnie Meszaros

Bonnie Meszaros joined the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware in 1974 as a field consultant. She currently serves as the Center’s associate director and is an assistant professor in the Economics Department. After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1967, she taught middle school in Ohio and Delaware before joining the Center. She received her master’s in education in 1980 and Ph.D. in 1986 from the University of Delaware. She served as project director and as a member of the writing team for the development of the Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics and is a coauthor of the National Standards for Financial Literacy. She is a past president of the National Association of Economic Educators and is a recipient of the Bessie B. Moore Service Award and the Patty Elder International Award. Bonnie has co-authored numerous economic education materials and published in The Journal of Economic Education, Social Studies and the Young Learner, Social Education, AEA Papers and Proceedings, and the Journal of Consumer Education.

Mike Raymer

Mike Raymer is the Program Manager at the Georgia Council on Economic Education and is responsible for developing and conducting K-12 workshops designed to facilitate the teaching of economics throughout the state of Georgia. In addition, he acts as liaison between the Georgia Association of Economic Educators and social studies teachers in the state of Georgia. Mr. Raymer is a frequent workshop presenter who has lectured at state, regional, and national conferences. He is a former Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year, the 2014 President of the National Association of Economic Educators, and a 2013 Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education Fellow.

Martha Rush

Martha Sevetson Rush teaches AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP Psychology and Journalism at Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, MN, where she has worked since 1997. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A.) and the University of Minnesota (M.A.) She serves on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Council on Economic Education (MCEE) and is a member of the College Board’s AP Microeconomics Curriculum Development and Assessment Committee. She is the 2013 recipient of the national John Morton Excellence in the Teaching of Economics Award and is a frequent instructor for MCEE.

Phillip VanFossen

Phillip J. VanFossen is the Head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education. He also serves as the James F. Ackerman Professor of Social Studies Education and as Director of the James F. Ackerman Center for

Contributors

Andrew hill.

Andrew Hill is the economic education advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and adjunct professor of economics at Temple University. He served as a member of the writing committees for the National Standards for Financial Literacy and FOCUS: Middle School World History. In 2012, Andrew received the Bessie B. Moore Service Award from the National Association of Economic Educators and the National Council for Economic Education. He is the author of articles appearing in the Journal of Consumer Education, Social Education, and Social Studies and the Young Learner, and numerous lessons for use in the K-12 classroom.

Kris Bertelsen

Kris Bertelsen is an Economic Education Specialist with the Little Rock Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Previously, Kris taught high school economics in St. Charles, MN. He graduated from St. Cloud State University and earned his Master’s in Economic Education and Entrepreneurship from the University of Delaware. Kris has served on various boards and committees including the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP] economics assessment writing committee, various capacities for the Council for Economic Education [CEE], and on the 2014 Arkansas Department of Education, Social Studies Standards Frameworks Revision Committee.

Scott Wolla

Scott Wolla is senior economic education specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis where he develops economics and personal finance curricula including traditional lessons, online learning modules, videos, and podcasts. Scott earned his B.S. in social studies education from Minnesota State University Moorhead, M.S. in teacher education from Bemidji State University, and M.A. in economics for educators from the University of Delaware. Prior to his time at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Scott taught history and economics in Minnesota.

Project Director

William bosshardt.

William Bosshardt has been director of the Center for Economic Education at Florida Atlantic University since 1995. He was on the writing team of a number of publications by the Council on Economic Education including Focus: Globalization and Focus: Civics and Government. He was the project director for the volumes Focus: Middle School World History as well as for the National Standards in Financial Literacy.

Bill is an active researcher in the area of economic education, having published in leading journals such as the Review of Economics and Statistics, Economic Inquiry and the Journal of Economic Education. He received the Henry H. Villard Research Award in 2004, presented by the National Association of Economic Educators for outstanding published research in economic education. Bill received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1991.

The Council for Economic Education gratefully acknowledges the funding of this publication by 3Mgives.

Bibliographic Information

125 Activities and Assignments for High School Economics

What educators are saying

Description.

• This product includes my best-selling economics products in one bundle. Included in this product are 30 writing prompts, 30 creative classroom activities, 52 texting assignments (with texting template) and 13 stand and sort activities. These activities encourage students to demonstrate their knowledge of economic concepts in various ways. The writing prompt slides and creative activity slides are editable!

• At $0.12 each, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal on this many economics activities! This bundle saves you 17% more than if you bought each of these products separately!

• All of these activities, with the exception of the “stand and sort” activities can be used as an in-class assignment or homework. (Stand and sort activities are group activities that must be completed in class.)

• All activities can be used independently of each other.

• Many of these assignments can be modified from an assignment for a single student to one involving pairs or groups.

These activities can be used:

• As a way to reinforce content taught during a lesson

• As a review after teaching a lesson

• As a starting activity to help students access their prior knowledge

• As extra practice for a student who is having trouble with a certain concept

Concepts Covered

• Factors of Production

• Entrepreneurship

• Specialization

• Economic Systems

• Free Enterprise

• Government Aid Programs

• Government Regulatory Agencies

• Types of Businesses

• Market Structures

• Price Fixing

• Labor Unions

• Supply and Demand

• Complementary and Substitute Goods

• Elastic and Inelastic Demand

• Surplus and Shortage

• Advertising

• Price Ceiling

• Business Cycle

• Unemployment Rate

• Types of Unemployment

• Consumer Price Index

• Inflation

• Federal Reserve

• Monetary Policy

• Fiscal Policy

• Budget Deficit

• National Debt

• Recession

• Exchange Rates

• Benefits of Trade

• Barter System

• Imports and Exports

• Trade Restrictions

• Free Trade

• Mortgages

• Credit Score

• Credit Cards

• Investing

• Diversification

• Insurance

• Stock Market

• Types of Taxes

Types of Assignments Included

• 30 Writing Prompts

• 30 Creative Activities

• 52 Texting Assignments with Texting Template

• 13 Stand and Sort Assignments to Get Students Moving

Documents Included

• Teacher Instructions

• Index of Activities

• Teacher Summary of Creative Assignments

• Creative Assignment PowerPoint Slides

• Creative Assignment Student Sheets

• Teacher Summary of Writing Prompts

• Student Handout – Things to Ask Yourself

• Writing Prompts PowerPoint Slides

• Writing Prompts Assignment Sheets

• Teacher Summary of Texting Assignments

• Blank Texting Template

• 52 Texting Assignment Handouts

• Example Assignment for Students

• Optional Rubrics (1/2 or whole page)

• Optional Peer Evaluation Sheet for Group Projects

• 13 Stand and Sort Activity Files with Instructions

• Stand and Sort Student Directions PowerPoint

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180 Bell Ringers and Warm-ups for Economics

30 Economics Writing Prompts

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Texting Template and 52 Economics Texting Assignments

13 Stand and Sort Activities to Get Economics Students Moving

***You are not allowed to share, loan, or transmit a hard or digital copy of these materials to any other educators. You may copy this product for the purposes of helping your students only. You may not post any of my products to any webpage, blog, or social media tool. It is your responsibility to ensure that your students follow the License Agreement as well.

I hope my product meets your needs!

Do not hesitate to e-mail me at [email protected] if you have any questions or suggestions.

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• Teacher Resources

High School Economics Classroom Resources

In 2009, Economics Arkansas spearheaded a statewide, collaborative effort to require a high school economics course for graduation. Economics Arkansas is certified by the Arkansas Department of Education to teach all components of this course.

The Arkansas Tool Kit and LiveBinder below will enable you to teach this course. You may also wish to register for Professional Development training , which is typically offered during the summer.

Includes curriculum. Addresses all standards.

PREVIEW DOWNLOAD

Livebinder Access Key: Economics Arkansas

Padlet of resources for teaching the updated High School Economics State Standards.

A new 2023 edition of the High School Tool Kit was produced in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. This resource aligns with the recently updated Arkansas economics standards. A digital version of the tool kit will be housed on this website page. 

Check out our Event Calendar for upcoming teacher workshops around the new toolkit.

The links below are provided for your convenience to locate a particular lesson from the Livebinder.

Economic Decision Making

• EconEdLink: The Car Loan Project
• FTE.org: Trade Offs and Opportunity Cost
• EconEdLink: Be an Energy Saver
• EconEdLink: Why Cities Provide Tax Breaks When They Are Strapped for Revenue
• FRB St. Louis: The Art of Decision Making

Exchange and Markets

• EconEdLink: I Don't Want Much, I Just Want More: Allocation, Competition and Productivity
• EconEdLink: The Supply and Demand of Toy Fads
• EconEdLink: Who Decides Wage Rates?
• FRB St. Louis: Supply and Demand Online Course
• EconEdLink: Sweet Opportunities – Three Types of Business Organizations
• FRB St. Louis: Externalities
• EconEdLink: Competition and Market Structures Video and Quiz
• FRB St. Louis: Countering the Lump of Labor Fallacy
• FTE: Labor Markets

National Economy

• EconEdLink: Economic Indicators for Informed Citizens
• EconEdLink: When Graphs Mislead Us
• EconEdLink: How is Our Economy Doing?
• FRB St. Louis: GDP and Pizza
• FRB St. Louis: Unemployment Short Courses
• EconEdLink: The Unemployment Game
• EconEdLink: Who is Working?
• EconEdLink: How Much Does it Cost Now?
• FRB St. Louis: Economic Growth
• EconEdLink: The Mystery of the Amazing Farmers
• FRB St. Louis: Feducation Videos
• FRB St. Louis: Monetary Policy Video
• FRB St. Louis: Monetary Policy Online Course
• FRB St. Louis: Fiscal Policy Online Course
• EconEdLink: The Role of Government Video and Quiz
• EconEdLink: The Role of Government: The Federal Government and Fiscal Policy

Global Economy

• EconEdLink: Benefits of Trade Video and Quiz
• ACDC Econ: Comparative Advantage
• FRB St. Louis: Comparative Advantage Online Course
• FRB St. Louis: It's a Small World After All
• EconEdLink: Barriers to Trade Video and Quiz
• EconEdLink: The Columbian Exchange
• FTE: Issues of International Trade
• ACRE: The Trade Game
• The Economics Network: The International Trade Game
• FRB St. Louis: Trading Hurdles Lesson

Personal Financial Management

• EconEdLink: Invest in Yourself
• EconEdLink: It Pays to Stay in School
• FRB St. Louis: Learning Skills to Pay the Bills
• EconEdLink: Setting Goals
• EconEdLink: The Basics of Saving and Budgeting
• EconEdLink: Break a Leg
• FRB St. Louis: Car Insurance - Personal Finance Chat
• EconEdLink: Building Good Credit Scores
• FRB St. Louis: Cards, Cars, and Currency Online Course
• EconEdLink: Credit for Beginners
• FRB St. Louis: Credit Cred Online Course
• EconEdLink: Earning Credit
• FRB St. Louis: Making Personal Finance Decisions
• Economics Arkansas: Personal Finance PBL
• SEC: Tools and Calculators for Investors
• Investor Protection Trust: Learn About Investing

Thank You Donors

• AR Capital Corporation logo
• ARVEST logo
• Bank of America logo
• R.E. Lee Wilson Trust

Projects for High School Economics

5 Characteristics of Capitalism

High school economics students are expected to understand concepts related to scarcity, market competition, entrepreneurship and government regulation, among other things. Learning through doing projects helps students to remember what they've learned and to practice skills in a way that is not offered by traditional instruction, says the Buck Institute for Education. Certain projects aimed at the high school economics student help to cement required skills necessary for future success.

Figuring the Cost of College

The scarcity of resources and opportunity cost are fundamental principles of economics. Students must understand that resources, be it time, money or anything else of value, are limited. Calculating the cost of college is a great way to not only allow students to apply these concepts, but also to start thinking about their academic and financial futures. Ask students to choose three different colleges and research the cost of tuition, books, room and board and other miscellaneous items, such as travel related to distance from home. Next, have students calculate the total monetary cost of attending each institution and make a final decision. This could also be a good opportunity to discuss non-monetary costs and benefits, such as the prestige of a particular school, which should be factored into an educated decision.

Starting a Business

High school students are expected to know the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and market competition. Both concepts can be taught through a controlled experiment of starting a small business. Assign a specific type of business to a group of students, such as a restaurant or landscaping company. Each group should calculate start-up costs, including a commercial lease, any necessary equipment and funds to pay employees for the first year of operation. Next, have students forecast the amount of expected revenue based on similar businesses in your area. This would be a perfect opportunity for students to interview business owners to learn about the real-world problems and benefits associated with starting a business. Finally, have each group present its concept to area business owners who could act as potential investors.

Learning Uncle Sam's Role

The complexities of the government's involvement in business and markets is critical to understanding macroeconomics. It's important to expose students to government regulations and incentives in a way that shows a clear cause-and-effect relationship. Assign each student in a group a different role related to a specific industry, such as the energy sector. One student can play an inspector with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, another can act as an energy company executive, with other students playing the role of commercial energy customers. Provide each group with specific scenarios, such as a spike in energy demand during the summer. Allow the industry executive to weigh the costs and benefits of sourcing the energy through specific means, like coal or renewable energy. Require the federal inspector to ensure that all transmission regulations are met appropriately.

Playing the Market

Playing the stock market requires students to evaluate potential investments, understand how funds and indexes work and evaluate the overall state of the U.S. economy. Give groups of students a fixed amount of money, like $10,000, and ask them to invest it in the stock market. Pick only one market, such as NASDAQ or the New York Stock Exchange. Have students buy stock in at least five different companies or funds and chart their gains and losses over a fixed amount of time, such as three months. Finally, have them compare with other classmates or groups to see who had the best returns. It's important to focus on why some groups succeeded, perhaps because of luck or better research, and why some groups performed less well, possibly because of a lack of understanding or knowledge of the market.

Related Articles

Problems of Macro & Micro Economics

School Projects on Banking

The Five Characteristics of Free Enterprise

What Is the Central Bank of the United States?

Managerial Economics Topics

Negative Effects of Free Enterprise

The Disadvantages of Government Subsidies

Objectives of Monetary & Fiscal Policy

• Edutopia.org: Project Based Learning -- What Experts Say
• EconEdLink: National Standards in Economics
• The Entrepreneur in Youth: An Untapped Resource for Economic Growth, Social Entrepreneurship, and Education; Marilyn L. Kourilsky et al
• Spokane Schools: Economics-- How Much Does College Cost?

Lesson 9: Money and Inflation

• Teacher Resources
• Lesson Plans
• Economics for Leaders
• Lesson 9: Money and Inflation…

Download EFL Lesson 9 Guide and Slides

Virtual Lesson Instructions and Slides

Introduction

In this lesson students learn that anything that performs the functions of money can be money (even macaroni!).  As they use their macaroni to bid on items during an auction, they learn that the value of money depends on the quantity of money relative to the quantity of goods and services they can buy with that money.   Historical and contemporary examples as well as video clips help students understand the role that banks and the Federal Reserve  play in expanding and contracting the money supply.

MINI ACTIVITY

• Inflation Auction

At the end of this lesson students will be able to:

• Identify the three functions of money.
• Explain how banks create money through fractional reserve banking.
• Give examples of how the Federal Reserve uses their tools to increase or decrease the money supply.
• Explain the cause of inflation.
• Provide examples of the costs of inflation

Economic Concepts

National content standards addressed, standard 11: role of money.

Money makes it easier to trade, borrow, save, invest, and compare the value of goods and services.

• Money is anything widely accepted as final payment for goods and services.
• Money encourages specialization by decreasing the costs of exchange.
• The basic money supply in the United States consists of currency, coins, and checking account deposits.
• In many economies, when banks make loans, the money supply increases; when loans are paid off, the money supply decreases.

Standard 12: Role of Interest Rates

Interest rates, adjusted for inflation, rise and fall to balance the amount saved with the amount borrowed, which affects the allocation of scarce resources between present and future uses.

• An interest rate is the price of money that is borrowed or saved.
• Like other prices, interest rates are determined by the forces of supply and demand.
• The real interest rate is the nominal or current market interest rate minus the expected rate of inflation.

Standard 19: Unemployment and Inflation

Unemployment imposes costs on individuals and nations. Unexpected inflation imposes costs on many people and benefits some others because it arbitrarily redistributes purchasing power. Inflation can reduce the rate of growth of national living standards because individuals and organizations use resources to protect themselves against the uncertainty of future prices.

• Inflation is an increase in most prices; deflation is a decrease in most prices.
• Inflation reduces the value of money
• When people’s incomes increase more slowly than the inflation rate, their purchasing power declines.
• The costs of inflation are different for different groups of people. Unexpected inflation hurts savers and people on fixed incomes; it helps people who have borrowed money at a fixed rate of interest.
• Inflation imposes costs on people beyond its effects on wealth distribution because people devote resources to protect themselves from expected inflation.

Standard 20: Monetary and Fiscal Policy

Federal government budgetary policy and the Federal Reserve System’s monetary policy influence the overall levels of employment, output, and prices.

• Monetary policies are decision by the Federal Reserve System that lead to changes in the supply of money and the availability of credit. Changes in the money supply can influence overall levels of spending, employment, and prices in the economy by inducing changes in interest rates charged for credit and by affecting the levels of personal and business investment spending.

Download full lesson guide for procedures and teaching tips.

• Voluntary trade creates wealth.
• Institutions that facilitate trade help to increase wealth and raise standards of living.

2. Money enhances voluntary trade by reducing transaction costs.

• Money is anything generally accepted in exchange for goods and services.
• Money is a store of value
• Money is a standard of value.
• Money is a medium of exchange.

3. The interest rate is the opportunity cost of holding money, because instead of holding money, people could hold interest-earning assets (such as Certificates of Deposit or bonds) instead.

4. Interest rates are determined by the interaction of lenders who supply funds, and borrowers, who demand funds.

• Savers supply funds to be loaned and are paid interest for waiting to consume at a later date.
• Demanders of these funds are the borrowers, who pay interest in order to have the right to spend now instead of waiting for future income. This spending might be on consumption or on investment goods (such as plant and equipment).
• Interest rates vary with the type of market. Rates change within a market in response to changes in supply and demand for loanable funds.

5. The money supply is a measure of the total amount of money in an economy.

• The money supply changes through activities of the commercial banking system.
• The Federal Reserve uses open market operations to alter the amount of currency and bank reserves, generally signaling its intentions to do so through changes in its target value for the Federal Funds rate and changes in the Discount rate.
• The Federal Fund rate is the rate of interest at which U.S. banks lend to one another their excess reserves held on deposit by Federal Reserve banks.
• The Discount rate is the rate at which member banks may borrow short term funds directly from a Federal Reserve Bank.
• Other policy vehicles available to the Fed include: reserve requirements, margin requirements on stock loans, credit controls on lending quality, and changes in eligible “collateral” for direct loans to member banks and other commercial institutions (e.g., investment banks).

6. Inflation is a general increase in the level of prices throughout the economy.

• The most commonly used measure of inflation is the Consumer Price Index, (or CPI). The GDP Deflator is another important measure of inflation. Changes in these price indices indicate changes in the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar.
• Inflation encourages more debt and faster spending as buyers and sellers try to avoid rising prices.
• Inflation creates uncertainty and makes future planning more difficult.
• Unanticipated inflation erodes the purchasing power of nominal assets, including money, bonds, and savings accounts. Individuals with fixed incomes also lose.
• The extremely high cost of using money during hyperinflations forces people to resort to barter, which is an inefficient means of transacting.
• A high average rate of inflation is always accompanied by much uncertainty about the future inflation rate, which makes many contracts more risky. Greater levels of risk increase the value of the “option to wait,” which delays many consumption and investment decisions, and thereby slows economic growth.

7. Inflation is a monetary phenomenon, and almost always occurs because increases in the stock of money exceed growth in output of goods and services.

• A frequent problem in developing nations is that governments without stable or consistent tax collections often resort to printing money to finance government spending.
• Intended to halt rising prices, price controls instead disguise inflation and disrupt the allocation of goods and services.

Ideas To Take Away From This Lesson

• Money is an innovation that significantly improved the operation of markets.
• Banks facilitate the operation of markets by expanding the quantity of money in circulation.
• Inflation is a consequence of the money supply growing faster than production.
• The Fed manages price and interest rate levels by changing the money supply.
• Inflation creates disruptions and losses in the overall economy as buyers and sellers act to avoid its effects.

Debbie Henney, FTE Director of Curriculum Receives Bessie B Moore Service Award

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Why We Should Be Teaching Students Economic Literacy

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Macroeconomics

Ap®︎/college macroeconomics, microeconomics, ap®︎/college microeconomics, finance and capital markets.

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Free Lesson Plans for Economics

Middle School Economics, lesson plans

Balance of Power Teaching Guide

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Great Economists and Their Times (free download)

7 Economics Classroom Games Your Students Will Love

Making economics interesting and fun for students can be a challenge. That's why we've put together a list of 7 amazing classroom games that will make your students fall in love with economics. These games are engaging, interactive, and easy to understand, even for those who are new to the subject.

Below are 7 simple games that can help students of all ages learn economic principles and thinking.

So, without further ado, let's dive into these fantastic games!

1. The Trading Game

• Objective : Understand supply, demand, and market equilibrium
• Materials : Index cards, pens, and a stopwatch
• How to Play :
• Divide the class into two groups: buyers and sellers
• Give each student an index card with a specific item and price (buyers receive a maximum price they're willing to pay, sellers receive a minimum price they're willing to accept)
• Set a time limit for students to negotiate trades and exchange cards, trying to make deals that benefit both parties

Pro tip: Encourage students to reflect on their strategies, the overall trading experience, and how the game demonstrates the principles of supply and demand.

2. The Production Line Game

• Objective : Learn about specialization, division of labor, and productivity
• Materials : Assembly materials (e.g., Legos or paper shapes) and a stopwatch
• Split the class into small groups, each tasked with assembling a specific product
• Run multiple rounds, with each group using different strategies (e.g., everyone working independently, splitting tasks evenly, or assigning specialized roles)
• Track the time it takes to complete the assembly and compare the productivity of each strategy

Extra challenge : Introduce a "market" element by assigning point values to the products and having groups compete to accumulate the most points within a set time.

3. The Budgeting Game

• Objective : Teach students about budgeting, financial planning, and decision-making
• Materials : Paper, pens, calculators, and a list of common expenses
• Assign each student a fictional income and a list of necessary expenses (e.g., housing, food, transportation)
• Challenge students to create a monthly budget, allocating their income to cover all expenses
• Discuss the importance of budgeting, saving, and making smart financial decisions

Remember, the key to success in teaching economics is to make it fun and engaging for your students. With these classroom games, you'll be well on your way to creating a dynamic and exciting learning environment.

4. The Monopoly Game

• Objective : Teach students about property ownership, investments, and risk management
• Materials : A Monopoly board game set
• Divide the class into small groups and provide each group with a Monopoly board game set
• Allow the students to play the game, encouraging them to develop strategies for buying and selling properties, managing their money, and making sound investments
• After the game, hold a discussion about the economic concepts illustrated, such as market competition, scarcity, and opportunity cost

Note: You can adapt the classic Monopoly game to focus on specific economic concepts or use a specialized version, such as Monopoly: Cheaters Edition, to teach about the consequences of unethical business practices.

5. The Stock Market Game

• Objective : Introduce students to investing, stocks, and portfolio management
• Materials : Paper, pens, calculators, and access to stock market data (online or printed)
• Provide each student with a fictional budget to invest in stocks
• Students research and select stocks, tracking their performance over a set period (e.g., one week or one month)
• Throughout the game, hold discussions on investment strategies, risks, and the importance of diversification

Bonus idea : Use a stock market simulation tool or app to create a more realistic and engaging experience for your students.

6. The International Trade Game

• Objective : Explore the concepts of international trade, comparative advantage, and protectionism
• Materials : Paper, pens, index cards, and information on fictional countries and their resources
• Divide the class into teams, each representing a fictional country with unique resources and production capabilities
• Teams must negotiate trade deals with other countries to obtain needed resources and maximize their wealth
• Introduce various trade policies (e.g., tariffs, quotas) and discuss their impact on international trade and economic growth

Tip: Make the game more complex by introducing currency exchange rates and varying levels of resource abundance.

7. The Lemonade Stand Game

• Objective : Teach students about entrepreneurship, profit, and cost management
• Materials : Paper, pens, calculators, and a lemonade stand scenario with cost and revenue data
• Provide students with a fictional lemonade stand business, including details on costs (e.g., supplies, labor) and potential revenue
• Students must make decisions on pricing, marketing, and cost management to maximize their profit

Summary and Conclusion

In summary, these 7 engaging economics classroom games offer students an interactive and enjoyable way to learn important economic concepts:

• The Trading Game: Understand supply, demand, and market equilibrium
• The Production Line Game: Learn about specialization, division of labor, and productivity
• The Budgeting Game: Teach students about budgeting, financial planning, and decision-making
• The Monopoly Game: Teach students about property ownership, investments, and risk management
• The Stock Market Game: Introduce students to investing, stocks, and portfolio management
• The International Trade Game: Explore the concepts of international trade, comparative advantage, and protectionism
• The Lemonade Stand Game: Teach students about entrepreneurship, profit, and cost management

Learning economics is essential for students as it equips them with valuable life skills and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

By incorporating these fun and interactive games into your lessons, you'll help students grasp complex economic concepts, develop critical thinking skills, and foster an appreciation for the subject. Not only will they be more prepared for future financial decisions, but they'll also be better equipped to analyze and navigate the global economy.

So, let's make economics exciting and accessible to our students with these engaging classroom games!

About Shaun Connell

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10 Research Opportunities in Economics for High School Students

If you are passionate about economics, there are a variety of research opportunities available for you to deep-dive into research or enhance your understanding. In this post, we will explore some well-regarded economics research programs for high school students and what they offer. We have also kept some great pre-college courses in the mix so that there is something for everyone.

If you are more interested in seeing how you stack up against your peers, check out our list of economics competitions here !

1. Economics Transformation Project (ETP) - J-PAL

Hosted by J-PAL, North America’s Economics Transformation Project (ETP) brings together highly talented students from historically underrepresented backgrounds to work with top researchers. The program offers insights into the applications and impacts of applied economic research, has workshops, and partnerships with institutions such as MIT to avail of courses there, and gives students a platform to get research mentorship from the extensive network of researchers.

The program website does not have a lot of particulars on the application etc. but provides this email id ( [email protected] ) as a contact for anyone who is interested in the program.

2. Lumiere Research Scholar Program - Economics Track

Lumiere has been founded by researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Hundreds of ambitious high school students do economics research through the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs. Each student is paired with a top PhD and works with their mentor 1-1 to produce a university-level research paper.

The programs are fully virtual and vary in durations based on the student’s end goal with respect to how much of a deep dive they would prefer. The research opportunities range from pure economics to economics combining economics with other STEM subjects.

Past research has explored the impact of non-profit employment on a country’s GDP and the use of machine learning methods accurately forecast cryptocurrency price return.

Also check out the Lumiere Foundation , a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.

Location: Virtual

Application deadline: four cohorts throughout the year, applications due in February, May, September, and December, apply here .

Program dates: There are four cohorts throughout the year in spring, summer, fall, and winter

Eligibility: All high school students may apply.

3. Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology Summer Institute (M&Tsi) – Penn Engineering and Wharton, University of Pennsylvania

For ambitious high school seniors and a small group of incoming high school juniors enthusiastic about learning how to integrate management principles with technical concepts, M&Tsi is a challenging and exciting summer program. The other great thing about this program is that it offers a full Penn college-course credit for students who complete it successfully!

Students attend courses and guest lectures by Penn faculty members and other field experts. Then, they must create a prototype and go-to-market strategy for their high-tech firm, present it, and get feedback from Penn faculty members, seasoned entrepreneurs, and industry innovators.

Location: Residential, University of Pennsylvania campus

Cost or stipend:

$9,000 On-Campus Program Fee

$100 application fee

Application deadline:

February 1, 2023 (Priority)

April 1, 2023 (Final)

Program dates: July 9 – July 29, 2023.

Eligibility: High school seniors and rising high school juniors

4. Economics for Leaders (EFL) – Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE)

Established in 1975, the Foundation for Teaching Economics is a non-profit educational organization introducing young individuals to an economic way of thinking about national and international issues.

Their Economics for Leaders (EFL) is a selective summer program that empowers outstanding students with the tools to lead more effectively and teaches them how to use economic analysis while evaluating challenging public policy choices.

This course introduces students to leadership theory and focuses on teaching and application of economic ideas and reasoning abilities.

A bonus: The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) has partnered with EFL to provide students taking the program two semester hours of optional undergraduate credit (for an additional fee).

Location: Several Residential and Virtual Sessions here

$2,100 for FTE residential student programs (incl. room and board)

$35 application fee

$244 for college credit (optional)

February 8, 2023 (Early)

March 15, 2023 (Priority)

April 12, 2023 (Final)

Program dates: Several Residential and Virtual Sessions here

Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors

5. Global High School Investment Competition - Wharton School, UPenn

You’re wondering what a competition is doing in this list? This is a competition which has a 10-week crash course and challenges you to research and apply your knowledge to win!

Hosted by the Wharton School of Business, one of the country's most prestigious undergraduate business schools, the Global High School Investment Competition is an exciting, engaging, and rewarding challenge. As part of the competition, you are required to build a portfolio with $100,000 in virtual cash, on a simulator. You must use your financial and business analysis skills to invest and make profits.

The best part about this challenge? Winners are not chosen simply based on profits, but also on the strength of the strategies they chose to make decisions. The competition also involves a 10-week crash course on investing, business analysis, pitch creation, and portfolio building.

You participate in a team of 4-7 students from your school and send in 2 deliverables that will be shortlisted for a semifinal round. At the Global Finale, the top 10 teams pitch their ideas for funding at Wharton. Here are some free learning resources and case studies from previous years!

Location: Virtual pitching rounds with a final presentation at UPenn

Prizes: Certificates, a complimentary spot in the Wharton Online Summer Program for winning teams

Application Deadline: September 16, 2023 (based on last year's timetable)

Dates: September 26 - April 22, 2023

Eligibility: High school students residing in the US

6. Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY) – Haas School of Business, University of California (Berkeley)

This two-week course introduces students to the ideas of teamwork, communications, presentations, creating a business plan, and research methods in an intimate cohort of only 50 students. Along with being fully immersed in campus life, participants also engage in social activities, attend guest lectures, and work in teams to create a business plan that they subsequently have to present at the course's conclusion. They also get to interact with a group of UC Berkeley undergraduate students.

Location: Residential, University of California (Berkeley) campus

California resident tuition: $6,050

Out-of-state resident tuition: $7,050

Application deadline: March 17, 2023

Program dates:

Session I: July 9 – July 22, 2023

Session II: July 22 – August 9, 2023

Eligibility: US and international high school students

7. Anson L. Clark Scholar Program, Economics/Business/Finance/Marketing research area – Texas Tech University

The Anson L. Clark Scholar Program is an intensive seven-week summer research program for twelve highly qualified high school juniors and seniors from around the globe. It gives students the chance to collaborate closely with prominent faculty in a research-intensive setting . Along with weekly seminars, the program also offers field trips, lectures, and discussions with faculty and other like-minded students.

Academic success, teacher recommendations, and professional goals are taken into consideration when choosing the 12 Clark Scholars each year. Past Clark Scholars focusing on the economics research area have done research on how the media is affected by IPOs and what the targeting effectiveness is of different digital advertising platforms for the travel industry.

Location: Residential, Texas Tech University campus

Cost or stipend: Free (on-campus meals and board) with a $750 tax-free stipend upon completion of a successful research project

Application deadline: February 13, 2023

Program dates: June 18 – August 3, 2023

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors – you must be at least 17 years of age by the program start date

8. Research Mentorship Program (RMP) – University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)

The Research Mentorship Program is a competitive summer program for ambitious, high-performing high school students around the globe who want to participate in multidisciplinary, practical, university-level research. S tudents choose a research project from a list of disciplines given by the program, including economics, and are matched with a mentor (graduate student, postdoc, or faculty).

This program teaches students how to write technical papers in a professional style and present their research findings in formal academic symposiums. Students also earn university credits that will be recorded on their permanent record at UC Santa Barbara. If you’re interested in this program, we’ve also written an in-depth piece detailing everything you need to know about RMP 2023 !

Location: UCSB Campus

Commuter option: Around $5,000

Residential Option: Around $12,000

Application deadline: March 15, 2023

Program dates: June 20 – August 4, 2023

Eligibility: Students all over the world who are in 10th and 11th Grade with a minimum GPA of 3.8

9. Yale Young Scholars’ Politics, Law & Economics (PLE) Session – Yale University

The Yale Young Scholars’ PLE session is aimed at students wishing to pursue economics. Students learn to understand diverse economic theories, market regulation, international policy, public policy, and more.

This program is designed to enable students to critically examine social systems, issues, and current affairs through economic, legal, and political theory lenses . Some of their sample lectures and seminars are on international trade and US manufacturing, the commodification and economics of art and music, liberty sanctions in the modern world, and more.

Location: Residential, Yale University

$6,500 program fee

$75 application fee

Application deadline: Applications for the 2023 sessions are already closed. Based on this year’s deadlines, the applications are open from November to early January each year.

Session I: June 18 – June 30, 2023

Session II: July 2 – July 14, 2023

Session III: July 16 – July 28, 2023

Eligibility: Students have to be

At least 16 years old by the first day of Session III

A current sophomore or junior (or any international equivalent)

A first-time participant

10. Pentacle's High School Internship Program

One way of bridging the gap between academic knowledge and its real-world applications is to go through a solid internship program. Pentacle’s High School Internship Program runs for eight weeks, during which students get hands-on work experience interning for a participating small business that shares their interests and goals. The workstreams require research and your understanding of how concepts in economics are applied in decision-making will be put to the test as you work with a real business. The program also has weekly professional development seminars led by Pentacle, where students have the opportunity to meet industry leaders among the Pentacle staff and other visiting professionals.

The program website does not have many details, but the application form provides this email id (Brittany Couch at [email protected] ) as a contact for anyone who has questions about the program.

Cost or stipend: $600 stipend

Application deadline: Intern applications are accepted on a rolling basis!

Program dates: Dates for upcoming sessions are announced through Pentacle's newsletter , blog , and social media . The last high school internship program ran from July 6 to August 31, 2021.

Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors

Note: Pentacle (DanceWorks, Inc.) is a not-for-profit management support organization for the performing arts

A few other options you can consider are the Voltage Scholars Program , Boston Leadership Institute: Finance , Babson’s Introduction to the Entrepreneurial Experience , Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) , and BETA Camp .

One other option – Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you are passionate about research, you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program , a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.

• Principal Leadership

Raising Student Voice and Participation

When I was a high school principal, I always tried to listen to students and their ideas for activities, events, and ways to build school pride. However, it was not until a school-related tragedy that I focused on student voice and youth-adult partnerships.

I will never forget May 22, 2016—the day one of our beloved students, Antwan Timbers, Jr., was struck and killed in a pedestrian-motor vehicle crash in our school zone. Our entire school community was devastated. Antwan was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and had recently been named “Most Improved Cadet.” Shortly after Antwan was killed, the JROTC student leaders met with me and were determined to make our school zone safer for all students in Antwan’s honor.

Burlington City High School sits along State Highway Route 130, which is the most dangerous road for pedestrians in New Jersey. There had been one other student killed along Route 130 and two additional near-fatal accidents in the eight years prior to Antwan’s death.

The school year after Antwan’s death, our school started a 25 Saves Lives Campaign in which students and staff worked together in reminding motorists to slow down and to be aware of our students walking in this very dangerous school zone. After two and a half years of advocating for increased safety, the campaign led to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signing Antwan’s Law on Jan. 31, 2019, which reduced the speed on Route 130 to 25 miles per hour 24 hours per day in the Burlington City High School school zone.

The Power of Student Leadership

The 25 Saves Lives Campaign opened my eyes to the power and passion of student voice, leadership, agency, youth-adult partnership, and citizenship. Students truly can change the world. To that end, principals and staff need to believe in them and partner with them.

I was a doctoral student during the campaign and my professors advised me to pick a dissertation topic I was passionate about as it was going to consume me for the next few years. I was so moved by the accomplishments of my students and staff during the campaign that I chose student voice. I completed my dissertation, “High School Principals’ Perception and Experience with Student Voice and Youth-Adult Partnerships” in 2022.

During my research, I uncovered an important opportunity for high school (and middle school) principals to embrace student voice and youth-adult partnerships: NASSP’s program, Raising Student Voice & Participation (RSVP). It’s something many high schools and middle schools are well-positioned to implement given that organizations like NASSP’s National Association of Student Councils (NASC) and National Honor Society (NHS) already exist in their schools. Middle schools can also implement RSVP with NASC and National Junior Honor Society. (For more on the program, see this article .)

School Summits and Civic Action Plans

When I discovered RSVP, I was immediately excited to put my research into practice at Burlington City High School. I had outstanding advisers for student council (Sue Andris) and NHS (Alyssa Anderson), both of whom I knew would embrace RSVP. I also had amazing student leaders in both student council and NHS who could help lead the RSVP initiative to incorporate the voices of all students at Burlington City, including those with special needs and those who were marginalized.

We embarked on RSVP in fall 2020. I was searching for a way to connect my students and staff to an educational environment that was anything but normal due to the virtual and hybrid learning of the pandemic. I reached out to NASSP to discuss options for implementing RSVP. Then, our school purchased the Raising Student Voice & Participation Implementation Guide , which describes key roles and provides step-by-step instructions. The guide was an invaluable resource for me, Sue, Alyssa, and the small group of staff members we recruited in partnering with our students to initiate the RSVP program.

“ RSVP helps to expand these student leadership programs to encourage the voices of students who are not elected to positions of leadership or heard in school on a consistent basis. “

As a team of students and staff working together, we created an awareness campaign about RSVP and established a leadership team of two students from each grade level. Once the team was in place, we recruited an additional 75 students to be RSVP facilitators for the upcoming student summits. We now had an additional 83 students who were connected to school through RSVP, building their leadership skills, and using their voices to help make Burlington City High School a better place.

We established 10 facilitator teams of students along with one adult partner, and each team conducted group summits via Zoom. Summits included icebreakers, discussion, and questions, such as “What is one thing you would like to see improved or implemented at Burlington City High School?” Facilitator teams compiled the feedback and sent out a Google form to all students to prioritize their areas of improvement. Over 50% of our students responded to the Google form, calling for greater student voice and input. The results of the summits were detailed civic action plans, which resulted in the creation of two new clubs during the 2021–22 school year: the Equity/Social Justice Club and the Gay-Straight Alliance.

Bringing RSVP to Your School

I highly recommend RSVP as a vehicle for you as a principal to foster and support the voices of your amazing students. The structure for amplifying student voice is already in place at most of your schools through student council and Honor Society chapters. RSVP helps to expand these student leadership programs to encourage the voices of students who are not elected to positions of leadership or heard in school on a consistent basis.

Principals do not have to jump into the student voice arena alone when they are implementing RSVP. NASSP staff can assist in program implementation and the RSVP Implementation Guide answers any questions you may have. I encourage you to recruit a small group of staff members interested in RSVP to adopt this program. Not only will you foster the voices of your students and their agency in creating positive change, you will help develop productive citizens in your school community and society at large.

James Flynn, EdD, is the director of planning/research and evaluation, operations, and state and federal programs at Burlington City Public Schools in Burlington, NJ. He is the former principal of Burlington City High School.

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Teacher Secretly Sold His Students’ Art on Mugs and Shirts, Lawsuit Says

Parents of a dozen students at a school near Montreal accused an art teacher in a lawsuit of reproducing portraits from a class assignment and putting them on items that he offered for sale online.

By Sopan Deb

In January, students at a junior high school outside Montreal received an assignment to draw a classmate or a self-portrait in the style of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

“The challenge is to make an original artwork in Basquiat’s style; not to copy one of his images,” the teacher, Mario Perron, wrote to his students on the junior campus at Westwood High School in St.-Lazare, Quebec. “I am very familiar with Basquiat’s work and will return copied work, because it is considered plagiarism.”

The assignment was titled “Creepy Portrait.”

Basquiat was a worthy subject: He was the influential Brooklyn-born artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent who was known for a brief career in which he innovated with graffiti and other types of improvisational pieces. He died at 27 in 1988 .

But parents of some students who completed the assignment were shocked to find that Mr. Perron had copied the portraits and was offering mugs, cushions, bags, apparel and other items for sale online bearing reproductions of the artwork, according to a class-action lawsuit filed last week in Quebec Superior Court.

Joel DeBellefeuille, who learned what was happening from his 13-year-old son, Jax, accused Mr. Perron in an interview of perpetrating a “premeditated” scheme. A portrait of Jax by one of his classmates was among the student artwork being offered for sale, he said.

“ I freaked out,” Mr. DeBellefeuille said. “I was full of emotions. Still now, it’s really unbelievable.”

Mr. Perron, who did not respond to a request for comment, is not listed as a current employee on the school’s website . Darren Becker, a spokesman for the Lester B. Pearson School Board, which is a named defendant in the suit, said the school board “does not comment on internal investigations.”

It was not immediately clear if Mr. Perron had sold any of the items he listed, or how much money, if any, he had made.

Mr. DeBellefeuille first discovered that the art had been repurposed on Feb. 8, when his son, who had done a Google search, showed him that Mr. Perron had created a profile on Fine Art America , an online art marketplace. The profile had thousands of items for sale displaying the work originally submitted by the students, priced between $9.50 and $113 in U.S. currency, all apparently unauthorized.

Each item was labeled with the student’s first name followed by “Creepy Portrait.” The drawings themselves mimic the frenetic style of Basquiat — multicolored portraits that nod to the unconventional and imaginative, including many oddly shaped heads and contorted bodies. Mr. Perron was listed as the artist for all of the works, according to screenshots provided by Mr. DeBellefeuille.

In total, according to a demand letter sent to the school district on Feb. 13, there were 2,976 items for sale using works from the 96 students who were given the assignment. The student artwork was reproduced in 31 categories, including throw pillows, tank tops, tote bags and beach towels, according to the letter.

The works appear to have been removed from the Fine Art America website.

“It is evident that the trust of the public, the students, the parents, and specifically our clients, in the school board and its representatives, has been severely shaken,” the letter said.

Mr. DeBellefeuille’s brother Martin, a lawyer, initially sent the letter on behalf of Mr. DeBellefeuille and Edith Liard, the parent of another child in the art class. The parents of 10 other children have since attached themselves to the suit, Mr. DeBellefeuille said, including two who added their names after it was filed on Friday.

The plaintiffs are seeking 2.16 million Canadian dollars, or about $1.59 million, a figure that includes 5,000 Canadian dollars for each work reproduced in the 31 categories as well as punitive damages and legal fees. They are also demanding that Mr. Perron withdraw the works from all platforms, for him to be suspended and for a written apology.

Under the Canadian Copyright Act, a copyright owner may be entitled to between 500 and 20,000 Canadian dollars for each work that is unlawfully used. Under Canadian law, one does not need to file for a copyright to be considered a copyright owner .

The suit cites the Civil Code of Quebec as the reason the school board is named as a defendant. It says that “the principal is bound to make reparation for injury caused by the fault of his subordinates in the performance of their duties.”

Mr. DeBellefeuille said he expected that the school district would settle rather than go to court.

“For me, it takes a special kind of person to go that deep to do what he did to minor children,” Mr. DeBellefeuille said of Mr. Perron. “This is what enrages me.”

Sopan Deb is a Times reporter covering breaking news and culture. More about Sopan Deb

Mass Walkout: Students Boycott School Over Transgender Matter

H undreds of students at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Fort Lauderdale, chose to boycott classrooms in December 2023. Rather than let normal class activities commence, the kids trooped out in a file onto the school’s football field.

Pictures taken from the scene show students holding signs in favor of trans rights while others chanted, “Trans lives matter.” The protest started a day after the high school’s principal, James Cecil, and four others were reassigned to non-school sites. The reassignment occurred amid an ongoing investigation by Broward County officials. 

According to reports, the investigation was to ascertain whether the school should let a transgender student compete on its girls’ volleyball team. However, if that happens, the school will be violating state law. 

Following the investigation, a Broward County Public Schools spokesperson confirmed the status of Cecil and the other staffers. The school allegedly reassigned them “pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of improper student participation in sports.” However, there was no specification that it was because the student was transgender.

ALSO READ:  A “Title” Genocide: Should Gender Identity Discussion and LGBTQ+ Literature Be Allowed in Schools?

Afterward, the district’s superintendent, Peter Licata, fielded a flurry of reporters’ questions at a news conference. The questions concerned the transgender student’s participation in the high school’s girls’ volleyball team. 

According to Licata, “new processes” will now exist for athlete eligibility. He said, “We’ll have an extra level of investigation on ensuring everyone is eligible for the sport they’re playing, in all aspects, grade level, grades, and so forth.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the state law that bars transgenders from competing on women’s sports teams in public schools. He is currently campaigning to be the 2024 Republican nominee for president. And will probably prefer that there be no exceptions to the law. 

POLL — Is Artificial Intelligence a Net Positive or Negative for Mankind?

Over 20 other states in the USA have similar laws restricting trans athletes’ participation in school sports. A lawsuit was filed in June 2021 against the governor, the School Board of Broward County, and several other Florida officials.

The court documents argued that the measure violated Title IX. This landmark civil rights law bans sex-based discrimination at any school that receives funding from the federal government. 

A plaintiff in the lawsuit, which a federal judge rejected in December 2023, is a teenage girl who wants to try out for her public school’s volleyball team in Broward County. Her true identity is unknown as only her initials, D.N., represent her. 

Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union, suggests that the staffers reassigned might not have known they were breaking the law by allowing the trans girl to join the team.

ALSO READ:  Trans Athlete Controversy Leads to Lawsuit Against Vermont State

“It’s getting harder and harder for our educators to really understand everything that’s happening,” she said. Furthermore, Fusco stated, “Our teachers don’t always understand new laws that come out, old laws that have been out.”

She  added , “They just want to show up and be the teacher, the coach, the counselor to help a student thrive.”

The investigation will examine the possibility that the principal or staffers were aware they were breaking the law, but that detail remains unverified as of now. 

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2024 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award Recipients

Congratulations to CLA's Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award   recipients:

• Fahima Aziz  (Economics)
• Katrien Vanpee (Asian & Middle Eastern Studies)

Each year the College of Liberal Art recognizes select instructors who are outstanding teachers of undergraduate students, rewarding their passion and commitment to teaching. The Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award acknowledges non-tenure-track instructors who:

• Inspire their students and genuinely care about their progress.
• Are approachable and accessible to their students.
• Show an interest in individual students’ well-being and in programs for the benefit of students generally.
• Give of themselves generously in advising, counseling, and directing projects.
• Create an active classroom atmosphere. 
• Provide a model for undergraduate students through their own research and teaching, and leave an impression by their efforts which alumni recall with appreciation and esteem.
• Demonstrates distinguished teaching through scholarly mastery of material as evidenced by productivity and pedagogical sophistication.
• Made significant contributions, such as developing new courses, organizing or reorganizing curricular programs, or improving teaching methods and techniques. 

CLA faculty and staff have been awarded many prestigious awards. Visit our  Faculty of Distinction page  to learn more.

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Superb Summer Courses

From museum management to sociological studies, learn about twelve exciting courses offered by CLA this summer!

Happy Graduate Student Appreciation Week!

Let's celebrate the amazing work of all our graduate students with a week full of activities and programs to support their careers and dreams!

CLA alum highlighted in MPR's Women’s History Month collection

BIS alum Natalie Shaw '19 was recently featured in MPR News' "15 influential Minnesotans for Women’s History Month."

More CLA News

School districts close early, send students home ahead of severe weather

CINCINNATI — Some school districts in the region plan to close early Tuesday as severe weather is expected to hit the Tri-State region.

Boone County Schools will release early; middle and high school students will be released at noon and elementary school dismissal will be at 1 p.m.

Kenton County School District will release secondary school students at 11:30 a.m. while elementary dismissal will begin at around 12:30 p.m., the district said.

Cincinnati Public Schools have canceled all after school activities, including athletic events.

School closings and early dismissals are being announced rapidly — check the latest announcements here

Bethel-Tate Local Schools will release high school students at 1:45 p.m. and all extracurricular activities are canceled, the district announced. The middle school will release at 1:30. The elementary school will not dismiss early, but parents can come pick up their students if they desire.

Walton-Verona Independent Schools announced it will dismiss students at noon. Buses will load at the middle and high schools at 12 p.m. before loading at the elementary school at around 1 p.m. The district has canceled all extracurricular activities.

Clermont Northeastern Local Schools has announced it will dismiss students two hours early. Blanchester Local Schools will dismiss students from the high school and middle school at 1:15 p.m., while Putman Elementary School will dismiss at 2:15 p.m.

East Clinton Local Schools will dismiss the middle and high schools at noon.

Eastern Local Brown County is dismissing two hours early and canceling all evening activities.

Erlanger-Elsmere Independent Schools will close at noon.

Fayetteville-Perry Local Schools will dismiss students two hours early.

Georgetown Exempted Village Schools will dismiss middle and high school students at noon.

Heritage Academy is closing at noon.

New Richmond Exempted Village Schools will release students two hours early.

Pendleton County Schools are closing at 12:30 p.m.

Union Pointe Academy is closing at noon.

In addition, Switzerland County Schools in Indiana have opted to have students learn remotely for the day.

Franklin County Schools in Indiana, Canaan Community Academy and Aberdeen Preschool have also announced they will be closed Tuesday.

Covington Independent Public Schools has canceled all evening activities.

Tuesday's risk for severe weather is one of the more significant threats for tornadoes the region has seen in recent years.

The Storm Prediction Center has a majority of the Tri-State under a "Moderate Risk" for severe storms, which is threat level 4 of 5, a rating we don't see very often. In fact, the last time that Cincinnati was included in a Moderate Risk was back on April 3, 2018. Other than Tuesday's threat, Cincinnati has only been included in a Moderate Risk 5 times in the last 10 years.

9 First Warning: It's likely a severe weather day for the Tri-State. We are in a "MODERATE RISK". This a category 4 out of 5, something we rarely see. The team is in tracking the developing storms all day and you'll know first! @wcpo #cincywx pic.twitter.com/bELH3hHpN5 — Steve Raleigh WCPO (@Cincywxman) April 2, 2024

These severe storms will bring all forms of severe weather. The big issue is that all threats could be significant.

• Tornadoes:  This includes the potential that we may see a tornado that is intense and long-track. This is one of the bigger tornado threats that we have been placed in recent years.
• Hail:  Hail stones of 2" or greater. This is equivalent to the size of a hen egg.
• Wind:  Straight-line wind gusts of 75+ mph will be possible. That is the equivalent of hurricane-forced winds (74mph = CAT1)

Sign up for the Breaking News Newsletter and receive up to date information.

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Find WCPO 9 everywhere you stream.

Video games are now an officially sanctioned sport in Utah

The uhsaa announced the decision monday..

(Thibault Camus | AP) A general view during the final of the League of Legends tournament between Team G2 Esports and Team FunPlus Phoenix, in Paris, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019. E-sports, competitive multi-player video gaming, has been sanctioned as an official sport in Utah high schools.

The Utah High School Activities Association on Monday added a new sport in the state, and students don’t even have to be athletic to participate.

The UHSAA board of trustees unanimously sanctioned e-sports for its high schools, a decision it called “groundbreaking” and marked “a significant milestone in the Association’s efforts to provide increased opportunities for student engagement.”

E-sports — generally competitive, multiplayer video games that may or may not be related to traditional sports — have been rising in popularity among young people with the advent of the internet and streaming websites such as Twitch and YouTube. Some popular titles include NBA 2K, FIFA and Overwatch. People have become professional e-sports players, and there are several tournaments that occur throughout the world.

In Utah, e-sports will begin as a sanctioned sport in the 2025-26 school year, per a news release. The season will run from January through April.

“E-sports provides a unique avenue for student engagement and competition, and we believe it has the potential to enrich the high school experience for a wide range of students,” Rob Cuff, executive director of the UHSAA, said in a statement.

The UHSAA’s release did not mention what games would be available to high school students, or how many schools will participate in the inaugural season. But schools are already participating on a club basis.

Ken Garff E-sports boasts 42 high schools that participate in its network, including Alta, Bingham, Taylorsville, Roy and Hurricane.

“We believe that e-sports has the power to bring students together in new and exciting ways, fostering teamwork, strategic thinking, and leadership skills,” Cuff said. “By embracing esports as an official activity, we hope to provide students with opportunities for growth and personal development both on and off the virtual battlefield.”

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UHSAA approves esports starting in 2025-26 school year

By daily herald - | apr 1, 2024.

Louise Delmotte, AP Photo

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) has announced a groundbreaking decision to officially sanction esports as an activity, marking a significant milestone in the Association’s efforts to provide increased opportunities for student engagement.

Following a unanimous vote by the UHSAA Board of Trustees on Thursday, March 28, esports has been formally recognized as a sanctioned activity beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. This decision underscores the UHSAA’s commitment to adapting to the evolving interests and needs of today’s youth while embracing emerging trends in extracurricular participation.

Starting with the 2025-2026 school year, high school students across Utah will have the opportunity to compete in organized esports competitions under the auspices of the UHSAA. The inaugural season will run from January through April, offering students the chance to showcase their skills in a variety of popular video games while representing their schools with pride.

“We are thrilled to announce the sanctioning of esports as an official activity within the UHSAA,” said Rob Cuff, Executive Director of the Utah High School Activities Association. “Esports provides a unique avenue for student engagement and competition, and we believe it has the potential to enrich the high school experience for a wide range of students.”

The decision to sanction esports as an activity comes after careful consideration and collaboration with stakeholders across the state, including educators, administrators, students, and community members. The UHSAA remains committed to ensuring that esports participation aligns with the Association’s core values of sportsmanship, integrity, and inclusivity.

“We believe that esports has the power to bring students together in new and exciting ways, fostering teamwork, strategic thinking, and leadership skills,” added Cuff. “By embracing esports as an official activity, we hope to provide students with opportunities for growth and personal development both on and off the virtual battlefield.”

The Utah High School Activities Association looks forward to the positive impact that esports will have on high school communities across the state and invites students, educators, and parents to join in this exciting new venture.

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High School

Getting in rhythm: American Fork boys lacrosse gets fourth straight win at Salem Hills

Knecht-ing the dots: American Fork junior leads Cavemen to big home win over Skyridge