Economics is grounded in the concept of scarcity, which ultimately means there is not enough stuff (e.g., food, movie theaters, healthcare) to go around. As a result, economic reasoning emphasizes making informed decisions about how to distribute goods and services efficiently and in ways that yield the best outcomes. It seems like a straightforward process, but this process is value laden — What do individuals value? How should we reconcile different values? This inquiry lesson sets the stage for wrestling with competing priorities at both the macro and personal levels.
Login to add Inquiry to Stack
About the inquiry
Compelling Question
What Should the U.S. Spend Its Money On?
Standards
Instructional Snapshot
Class begins with students ranking 10 cards representing competing budget priorities, such as military, healthcare, education, and the environment. In small groups, they deliberate and decide on an order of spending, then submit their rankings through a Google Form to compare class results. The lesson concludes with students examining a pie chart of actual U.S. budget spending, often revealing surprises like the relatively small share spent on education. (For more download the PDF or Word document linked above.)
Formative Tasks
DELIBERATE: Rank order the Budget Priority cards from #1-10 based on how you think the government should spend its money.
COLLABORATE: Pair up with a classmate and compare rank orders noting differences between each other’s ranking. Input rankings in a google form.
PRODUCE: Compare your rankings with the actual US budget and note the difference/s between student priorities and national priorities.
Sources
Source A: Budget Priority Cards
Source B: “Policy Basics: Where do our federal tax dollars go?” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2023
Summative Performance Task
Argument:
Extension:
Taking Informed Action
Understand:
Assess:
Act: