SOCIAL STUDIES Lesson Plan Format MSSE 570/470/571/471

modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/08

Name: _Wesley Hedgepeth_ Subject/Class: U.S. Government

Date: __11/4/08__ Grade Level: 12

Original

45 Minute Period

Topic: Free-Market vs. Command Economies

NCSS Strand #VII: Production, Distribution, and Consumption Substrands: # V: Individuals, Groups & Institutions; # X: Civic Ideals and Practices Essential Questions/Big Ideas: How does the structure of a nations government affect its economic structure? How does an economic structure of a country affect its citizens? General Objective[s]: GOVT.14 The student will demonstrate knowledge of economic systems by a) identifying the basic economic questions encountered by all economic systems; b) comparing the characteristics of free market, command, and mixed economies, as described by Adam Smith and Karl Marx; c) evaluating the impact of the governments role in the economy on individual economic freedoms. Learning Outcomes: The student will understand that: Free-Market Economies are based on consumer need and competition between companies. Command Economies are based on governmental decisions alone. The student will know: Karl Marx and command economies Adam Smith, Laissez Faire, The Invisible Hand, and free-market economies The student will be able to: Contrast command and free-market economies. (Analyzing) Explain views of Marx and Smith. (Understanding) Argue why one economy is better than the other based on factual information. (Evaluating) Compare the costs and benefits to society of allocating goods and services through private and public sectors. (Analyzing) The student will gain value by: Recognizing that our government works for the common good, while also protecting citizen privacy and private ownership of property. Assessment: Methods of Evaluating Student Progress/Performance: Questioning: (Formative) What do we [United States] feel that a command economy is not good for the people? How do Supply and Demand, Competition, and the incentive to make a profit allow a free market economy like the U.S. to work?

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a command economy?

KWL Worksheet (Formative) (see attachment) Homework: (rubric attached) Write an essay (2-3 pages) describing what economy you would prefer to live in (Command or FreeMarket) and why. Describe this economy you chose to live in. Be sure to include reasons why you prefer the economy you choose thinking of some of things that you, your friends, and your family like to buy. Content Outline: Free Market Economy vs. Command Economy I. Free Market Economy A. A free market economy is an economy where the market is free to operate based on peoples wants and needs. B. In a free market, a government practices laissez-faire, rather than controlling its economic policy drives the economy. C. The forces that rule the marketplace are: Supply, Demand, and Competition. i. Supply and Demand decides what items will be produced, who will be making the items and what the prices for the items will be. D. The U. S. has a free-market economy. We produce more consumer goods. E. Adam Smith Laissez Faire Invisible Hand Command Economy A. In a Command Economy, the government controls all means of production. B. Examples of the Command Economy were Stalins 5 Year Plans and Maos The Great Leap Forward C. The government decides what items will be made and at what price. D. The Soviet Union had a Command Economy. E. Industries in the Soviet Union concentrated on large industrial production such as tractors, weapons, electrical generators, etc. They produced very few consumer products. F. Karl Marx cycles of growth. Capitalism replaced Feudalism, Communism will eventually replace Capitalism. Results A. Soviet Unions government didnt allow Soviet industries to produce enough consumer goods. B. This caused the east to suffer from hunger and insufficient amounts of clothing. C. The Soviet Union began to lose the Cold War in the 1980s due to the effects of the Command Economy D. Because of the Free Market economy, the West was able to make great improvements and produced more gods that were available to the public. E. People under communism werent able to experience these new goods. They were either not sold to the public in that area, or the goods were too expensive for them to buy.

II.

III.

F. The West was able to win the Cold War because they spent a lot of their money on developing and providing consumer goods to people. The Soviet Union, however, used their money on military weapons, farm equipment, and tractors. DEAN CHART vocab. word Command Economy

D=define An economic system in which the government regulates all parts. An economic system in which the government does not interfere (hands off). The amount of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at a certain price. The amount of a good or service that producers are willing and able to sell at a certain price.

E=examples Soviet Union, Cuba

Free Market

United States, Great Britain

A=attributes Little or no consumer choice, government run economy and government owned resources Private property, competition, a lot of choice A good or service wanted or needed by the consumer if the cost is reasonable. The amount of a certain good or service a company is willing to sell. Advertisements such as commercials targeting same customer or market.

N=non-examples United States, Great Britain

Soviet Union, Cuba

Demand

Soda from a vending machine for $1.25. People are likely to buy.

Soda from a vending machine for $10. People are not likely to buy. A car for $5,000 if it costs the company $10,000 to manufacture. Two companies with different goods. Bank of America and Express.

Supply

Competition

A car for $25,000. If the car costs less to make, the company makes a profit and is willing to sell. Rivalry between Two companies two or more with similar businesses goods. Clothing: striving for the GAP and same customer or Express. market.

Student and Teacher Activities with Estimated Time Blocks: Time Block Teacher 5-7 minutes HOOK Illustrating a FreeMarket vs. a Command Economy: Gives each student a different type of candy. Students are told they can trade with whomever they want. Then ask them to sit

Students Students get the candy and follow directions. Students hopefully recognize the exercises we did and know we were illustrating free-market trade versus governmentcontrolled trade of a command

7-10 minutes

down. Then tell them they can only trade with a certain person (you tell them the person). After they trade, or dont, have them all sit down. Ask them why we did this exercise. Teacher hands out KWL worksheet on economies and has students fill out the first two columns. Give the students 3-4 minutes to fill them out and then ask them to share what they have written. Lecture with powerpoint. Students will be asked questions periodically. What do we [United States] feel that a command economy is not good for the people? How do Supply and Demand, Competition, and the incentive to make a profit allow a free market economy like the U.S. to work? What are the benefits and drawbacks of a command economy? Ask students to fill out last column of their KWL worksheet. Give them 3 minutes to complete and then call one some students to share. Assign homework essay.

economy.

20-25 minutes

Students fill out the first two columns of the KWL worksheet and then share their knowledge with the class when called upon. Ask students to turn their worksheet over to use it to take notes on the lecture (lines provided). Students take notes from the powerpoint and the lecture. Students also answer questions posed throughout the lecture through TPS and individually.

8 minutes

1-2 minutes

Students turn their KWL worksheet back over and complete the last column. After the complete it, they will be called on to share their knowledge. Students receive instructions for homework essay.

Materials Needed for the Lesson: Candy Powerpoint KWL worksheets

Bibliography/Resources Used: Content Outline borrowed from http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips/t5prod/reiterpp4_files/frame.html and adapted to fit my lecture. Differentiation: ELL/struggling readers ADHD Gifted The KWL worksheet gives students structure in which to place their notes, this will help them organize their thoughts. The candy activity and TPS will allow for these students to move around and release some energy so they can concentrate on the lesson to the best of their abilities. The students will be able to express their knowledge on the KWL worksheet and will be able to share that information. They will also be able to ask or answer questions throughout the lecture.

Subject Matter Integration/Extension: Students and I would have already discussed the basic economic principles and terms (supply, demand, competition, etc.) in our previous class. They will also have the understanding of what an Economy is. After this lesson, students will know the differences between a Free-Market Economy and a Command Economy. Also after this lesson, we will be ready to move into explaining the relationship between economic freedom and political freedom. We will also examine productivity and the standard of living as measured by key economic indicators. Reflections on Lesson Plan I believe this lesson will run smoothly. I have used the KWL worksheets before and believe they are an effective way to pre-assess and post-assess students in a formative manner. It also allows the students to put down anything they know about the two different economies, which allows them to think on their own. I also believe the candy exercise will show the students in a very simple manner the differences between the economies. By starting with simple examples like the candy exercise, students build their background knowledge and prepare themselves to think more critically about the topic at hand. In order for students to truly understand our economy here in the United States, the students must examine both Free-Market and Command Economies. It is important as a United States citizen to understand how your country works, that is why I believe this lesson will be effective.