I have taught A Level Economics at a range of schools using different pedagogical techniques. I want to make my lessons as interesting and engaging as possible and so create all my own content from scratch, which I am keen to share with you. I try to push boundaries, be creative in my approach and give students a learning experience that goes beyond simply passing their exams.
I have taught A Level Economics at a range of schools using different pedagogical techniques. I want to make my lessons as interesting and engaging as possible and so create all my own content from scratch, which I am keen to share with you. I try to push boundaries, be creative in my approach and give students a learning experience that goes beyond simply passing their exams.
An economic cycle worksheet where students have to decide what stage of the business cycle each characteristic is at and calculate an interpret an output index. Includes suggested teacher answers.
An income elasticity of demand lesson starter activity where students have to guess why demand fell for these goods during the 2008 recession. I have also included some potential answers on a second worksheet.
An activity that stretches and challenges more capable students by getting them to apply their knowledge of demand and supply shifts and price elasticity of demand and supply. Ask them to read the attached article then answer the following questions:
Read the BBC news article from March 2016 detailing Britain's biscuit shortage and answer the following questions:
1. How have the demand and supply curves for biscuits been affected?
2. Why haven't the price of biscuits increased rapidly?
3. What impacts might there be in related markets?
4. How has Asda's experience of the crisis been different? How might this affect their elasticity?
5. Do all biscuits have the same elasticities? Justify your answer using the information from the article
A review worksheet - gets students to compare features of different market structures (monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition and perfect competition).
Students must identify each market failure whose key term has been destroyed by an asteroid and removed all of the vowels. Follow up questions may include:
- Giving an example of a type of good or situation that fits this market failure
- Explaining why this is a market failure
- Suggesting how the government could correct it
This is a short handout I give to students who want to understand why sometimes the PPF curve is curved and at other times it is straight. As an extension task they are asked to show why the opportunity cost increases when approaching specialisation.
A worksheet for an economics scattergories game. Pick a letter at random and students have to come up with an economics word that fits in each of the categories. A fun starter to get their minds working.
Students have to match the command words to their explanation. This should help students understand what is required of them in each question. Cut along the rows not the columns.
Economics scategories for AS microeconomics. Students are given a trigger word and they have to write down as many words or statements that go with this word as they can think of in three minutes, this can either be done in teams or individually. There is an macro economic example to start off to demonstrate the game to the students.
To win students must come up with as many words as they can think of that are related to the trigger word and that no one else has thought of. You score as you would do in scategories, for example if both students write down PED for example, neither of them can get a point for it. This encourages students to think outside of the box.
After each trigger word there is a slide with suggestions of what students could have put, but there will be far more than just these and ultimately it will be up to the teacher to decide whether a phrase is related or not.
A worksheet (and extension task) for students to act as the ONS and calculate price indexes, convert nominal GDP to real GDP, calculate GDP growth and GDP per capita.
Includes questions designed to prompt students to work out why there is a difference in these measurements and useful formulas.
Also includes a teacher answer sheet with the figures students should have calculated and brief answers to the questions.
A powerpoint presentation with videos, empirical research, website hyperlinks and activity ideas that answer the following questions:
1. How can we measure national happiness?
2. What is the relationship between income and happiness? (can money buy happiness?)
These questions are new to the Edexcel A Level Economics specification for 2015.
After the success of my first higher or lower game I thought I would make a second one for the labour market which often is a dull topic. Students must use their knowledge to decide whether the next occupation will have higher or lower wages than the previous job. They can then be asked to explain their reasoning by drawing on concepts such as MRP, wage elasticity and non-pecuniary benefits.
There are two sets of 10 occupations so the students can be divided into two groups and compete against one another.
An activity that gets students to sort steps to explain how the economy moves from one equilibrium position to another. This scenario discusses excess demand. Includes answers.
The fundamental economic problem worksheet with questions on opportunity cost, ceteris paribus, assumptions, infinite wants and finite resources and positive and normative statements. This is the first worksheet I give my students once we have covered some basic concepts.
