Unit 4: Economics

Grade Level: 6th

Unit Length: 3 weeks or so (15-17 days)

Compelling Question: How do economic decisions influenced by geographic conditions and connections have
societal and political impacts?

Supporting Questions:

1 -- How do economic principles directly impact the lives of people and governments both national and local?

2 -- How does a nation’s geographic conditions and connections influence their economic interactions
globally?

3 -- How can the economy indirectly impact the environment, society and politics negatively?

C3 indicators incorporated:

- D2.Eco.1.6-8. Explain how economic decisions affect the well-being of individuals, businesses, and
society.
- D2.Eco.3.6-8. Explain the roles of buyers and sellers in product, labor, and financial markets.
- d2.Eco.4.6-8. Describe the role of competition in the determination of prices and wages in a market
economy.
- D2.Eco.14.6-8. Explain barriers to trade and how those barriers influence trade among nations.
- D2.Eco.15.6-8. Explain the benefits and the costs of trade policies to individuals, businesses, and
society.
- D2.Eco.13.6-8. Explain why standards of living increase as productivity improves.

Assessment:

- 1 Quiz (after Part 1 before Part 2)

- 1 Summative Test (both vocab and skills) at the end of the unit
- Heavier on Part 2 and 3, tests on enduring content of part 1 (these build upon each other as
well)
- Vocab Examples, due the day of the quiz (to exemplify these ideas → demonstrates application)
- Introduce on Monday
- Journal entries
- Assessed on students ability to incorporate the feedback they receive. Is a place to informally
assess and provide students practice at claim and evidence writing.
- Literacy Assignment
- Assigned the day of the quiz, to exemplify class topics and encourage close reading skills
 Supporting Question 1
How do economic principles directly impact the lives of people and governments both national and local?

What is to be taught:

- Basic economic principles: production, consumption, distribution

- Scarcity, surplus
- How government structure impacts the economy
- GDP

Vocab:

- Economics
- Economic system
- Consumption
- Distribution
- Production
- Goods
- Services
- Natural (land) resources
- Human (labor) resources
- Capital resources
- Economic globalization
- Command economy
- Market economy
- Circular flow
- Mixed economy
- Monopoly
- Regulation
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Supporting Question 1: Learning Targets and Standards

Content standards: C3 Indicators:

E1.1.1 -- Explain how incentives and disincentives in
the market economy can change the decision-making
process (examples: acquiring money, profit and goods;
wanting to avoid loss of position in society; job
placement, etc).
E3.1.1 -- Explain and compare how economic systems
(traditional, command, market) answer the three basic
economic questions: What goods and services will be
produced? How will they be produced? For whom will
- D2.Eco.1.6-8. Explain how economic decisions
affect the well-being of individuals, businesses,
and society.
- D2.Eco.3.6-8. Explain the roles of buyers and
sellers in product, labor, and financial markets.
- D2.Eco.4.6-8. Describe the role of competition in
the determination of prices and wages in a
market economy.
they be produced? Also, who will receive the benefits
and bears the costs of production?
E3.3.2 -- Diagram or map the flow of materials, labor
and capital used to produce a consumer product.
E3.3.3 -- Explain how communication innovations
have affected economic interactions and where and how
people work.
Learning Targets (DoK 1 )
● I can differentiate between human capital,
physical capital and natural resources.
○ (D2.Eco.3.3-5)
● I can identify and define the role of both buyers
and sellers.
○ (D2.Eco.3.6-8)
● I can identify the key economic questions that
must be asked before an economic decision is
made (What goods and services get produced?
How do those goods and services get produced?
For whom do those goods and services get
produced for?)
○ (D2.Eco.1.6-8)
● I can explain how technology can impact
economic decisions made by consumers.
○ (D2.Eco.1.6-8)
● I can define a “monopoly”
○ (D2.Eco.4.6-8)
● I can define supply and demand.
○ (D2.Eco.4.6-8)
Learning Targets (Dok 2)
● I can demonstrate how human capital, physical
capital and natural resources are used in the
production of a product using a diagram or map.
○ (D2.Eco.3.3-5)
● I can explain how buyers and sellers interact
within the economy.
● I can provide examples of how the economy is
driven by economic incentives and decisions
such as incentives scarcity, price, profit
○ (D2.Eco.3.6-8)
● I can apply the key economic questions to real-
world examples to demonstrate comprehension.
● I can demonstrate how the key economic
questions can impact the lives of people both
positively and negatively
○ (D2.Eco.1.6-8)
● I can provide real-world examples to
demonstrate the interconnectedness of
technology and economic interactions in the
Western Hemisphere.
○ (D2.Eco.1.6-8)
● I can describe how monopolies impact the
decisions made by consumers.
● I can explain the role of the government in
market economies in response to monopolies.
○ (D2.Eco.4.6-8)
● I can illustrate how supply and demand can be
impacted by various incentives/disincentives
such as profit and income.
○ (D2.Eco.4.6-8)
 ● I can describe the various economic systems
(market, traditional, command) and how they
aim to answer the key economic questions.
○ (D2.Eco.1.6-8)
● I can compare and contrast the three different
economic systems.
● I can provide examples demonstrating the
political and social impacts of the various
economic systems.
○ (D2.Eco.1.6-8)

Supporting Question 2

How does a nation’s geographic conditions and connections influence their economic interactions
globally?

What is to be taught:

- Basic understanding of trade both local and global

- Trade agreements
- Limitations on trade
- Restrictions placed on trade
- Historical and contemporary trading

Vocab:
- Trade
- Global trade
- Specialization
- Currency
- Exchange rate
- Interdependence
- Export
- Import
- Free trade
- Tariffs
- Sanction
- Embargo

Content standards: C3 Indicators:

- D2.Eco.1.6-8. Explain how economic
G1.3.2 -- Explain the different ways in which places decisions affect the well-being of individuals,
are connected and how those connections demonstrate businesses, and society.
interdependence and accessibility. - D2.Eco.3.6-8. Explain the roles of buyers and
sellers in product, labor, and financial
C4.3.3 -- Analyze the impact of treaties, agreements, markets.
and international organizations on global issues.
New:
E2.3.1 -- Analyze the impact of sanctions, tariffs,
treaties, quotas and subsidies.
E3.3.1 -- Use charts and graphs to compare imports
and exports of different countries in the world and
propose generalizations about patterns of economic
interdependence.
Learning Targets (Dok 1)
● I can define “trade” and explain why
communities, nations and states trade with
each other.
○ D2.Eco.14.6-8.
● I can define “economic interdependence”.
○ D2.Eco.14.3-5.
● I can identify various barriers to trade.
○ D2.Eco.14.6-8.
● I can define and provide the goals of
NAFTA/USMCA.
○ D2.Eco.15.6-8.
● I can define “sanctions”, “tariffs”, and “treaties”.
○ D2.Eco.14.6-8.
● I can identify information on imports and
exports using charts and graphs.
Supporting Question 3
- D2.Eco.14.6-8. Explain barriers to trade and
how those barriers influence trade among
nations.
- D2.Eco.15.6-8. Explain the benefits and the
costs of trade policies to individuals,
businesses, and society.
Learning Targets (Dok 2)
● I can provide examples of how the
geographical conditions and connections of
various places has resulted in trade.
● I can describe the significance of trade
socially.
○ D2.Eco.14.6-8.
● I can explain how a geographic place’s
conditions and connections can lead to
“economic interdependence”
● I can describe both positive and negative
effects that can be caused as a result of
“economic interdependence”.
○ D2.Eco.14.6-8.
● I can provide examples of potential barriers to
trade.
○ D2.Eco.14.6-8.
● I can compare and contrast NAFTA to other
trade policies both global and local
○ D2.Eco.15.6-8.
● I can describe how sanctions, tariffs and
treaties have consequences for individuals,
businesses and society.
○ D2.Eco.14.6-8.
● I can draw conclusions on global
interdependence and trading patterns using
charts and graphs.
○ D2.Eco.14.6-8.
How can the economy indirectly impact the environment, society and politics negatively?

What is to be taught:

- Economic inequality
- Why some countries are poor and others are rich
- Unemployment
- How economics can lead to conflict and can negatively impact the environment (segway to the
next unit -- Human-Environment Interaction)

Vocab:

- Inequality
- Quality of life
- Standard of living
- Development

Content standards: C3 Indicators:

G.2.2.2 -- Explain how communities are affected
positively or negatively by changes in technology.
G2.2.5 -- Generalize about how human and natural
factors have influenced how people make a living and
perform other activities in a place.
G5.1.1 -- Describe examples of how humans have
impacted and are continuing to impact the
environment in different places as a consequence of
population size, resource use, level of consumption
and technology.
- D2.Eco.1.6-8. Explain how economic
decisions affect the well-being of individuals,
businesses, and society.
- D2.Eco.15.6-8. Explain the benefits and the
costs of trade policies to individuals,
businesses, and society.
New:
- D2.Eco.13.6-8. Explain why standards of
living increase as productivity improves.

Learning Targets (DoK 1) Learning Targets (DoK 2)

● I can identify examples of when economic
decisions create a negative impact on
individuals, businesses and society,
○ D2. Eco. 1.6-8
● I can explain how economic decisions can
cause negative impacts socially, politically
and environmentally.
● I can provide examples of economic
decisions that have created a negative
impact on individuals, society and/or the

● I can define “inequality” and “quality of life”
● I can define “standards of living”
○ D2. Eco. 13.6-8.
● I can explain how economic decisions based
on geographic conditions and connections can
have indirect consequences
● I can define “indirect”
environment.
○ D2. Eco. 1.6-8
● I can describe how economic decisions can
impact one’s quality of life
● I can explain how economic decisions can
negatively impact economic inequality
nationally and internationally.
○ . D2. Eco. 1.6-8.
● I can explain how “standards of living”are
connected to levels of productivity (industry)
● I can utilize various charts, maps and texts to
compare and contrast various standards of
living.
○ D2. Eco. 13.6-8.
● I can provide examples and explanations of
how some economic decisions create
negative impacts as a result of consumption
levels and technology.