Course Standards
General Course Information and Notes
General Notes
The American Economic Experience: Scarcity and Choice - The grade 9-12 The American Economic Experience: Scarcity and Choice consists of the following content area strands: American History, World History, Economics and Geography. The primary content emphasis for this course pertains to the study of the concepts and processes of economics in the American system. Content should include, but is not limited to, currency, banking, and monetary policy, the fundamental concepts relevant to the development of a market economy, the American mixed-market system, the global market and economy, major economic theories, the role and influence of the government and fiscal policies, economic measurements, tools, and methodology, personal finance, financial and investment markets, and the business cycle.Honors/Advanced courses offer scaffolded learning opportunities for students to develop the critical skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation in a more rigorous and reflective academic setting. Students are empowered to perform at higher levels as they engage in the following: analyzing historical documents and supplementary readings, working in the context of thematically categorized information, becoming proficient in note-taking, participating in Socratic seminars/discussions, emphasizing free-response and document-based writing, contrasting opposing viewpoints, solving problems, etc. Students will develop and demonstrate their skills through participation in a capstone and/or extended research-based paper/project (e.g., history fair, participatory citizenship project, mock congressional hearing, projects for competitive evaluation, investment portfolio contests, or other teacher-directed projects).
Mathematics Benchmark Guidance - Social Studies instruction should include opportunities for students to interpret and create representations of historical events and concepts using mathematical tables, charts, and graphs.
Special Note:Students earning credit in this course may not earn credit in Economics (2102310), Economics Honors (2102320), or The American Economic Experience (2102380).
Instructional Practices
Teaching from well-written, grade-level instructional materials enhances students' content area knowledge and also strengthens their ability to comprehend longer, complex reading passages on any topic for any reason. Using the following instructional practices also helps student learning:
- Reading assignments from longer text passages as well as shorter ones when text is extremely complex.
- Making close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons.
- Asking high-level, text-specific questions and requiring high-level, complex tasks and assignments.
- Requiring students to support answers with evidence from the text.
- Providing extensive text-based research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).
General Information
- Honors
Educator Certifications
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
Learn about differences between direct and indirect taxes, as well as taxes that are progressive, proportional, and regressive. In this interactive tutorial, you will explore how characteristics of taxes can vary by level of government and how different taxes can affect taxpayers differently.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about President Franklin D. Roosevelt's use of the radio to communicate New Deal policies that are still relevant with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the history, purpose, and impact of the National Labor Relations Board with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore the purpose, role, and impact of the Federal Communications Commission (F.C.C.) with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine what it means to be an American by analyzing a speech delivered by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Harold L. Ickes, in 1941. This tutorial is Part Three of a three-part series. In this tutorial, you will read more excerpts from Ickes’ speech, and then you will evaluate the effectiveness of his argument's structure.
Be sure to complete the first two parts before completing Part Three.
Click HERE for Part One. Click HERE for Part Two.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine what it means to be an American by analyzing a speech delivered by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Harold L. Ickes, in 1941. This tutorial is Part Two of a three-part series. In this tutorial, you will read excerpts from Ickes’ speech, and then you will identify his use of rhetorical appeals and analyze the structure of his argument.
Make sure to complete Part One first. Click HERE for Part One.
Click HERE for Part Three.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine what it means to be an American by analyzing a speech delivered by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Harold L. Ickes, in 1941. This tutorial is Part One of a three-part series. In this tutorial, you will read excerpts from the opening sections of Ickes’ speech. Then, you will work on determining his purpose, point of view, and important claims in these sections.
Make sure to complete all three parts! Click HERE to view Part Two. Click HERE to view Part Three.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the famous first hundred days of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. You'll learn how FDR and his fellow New Dealers used government in an attempt to combat the worst economic disaster the U.S. has ever faced: The Great Depression.
CLICK HERE to open Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the famous first hundred days of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. You'll learn how FDR and his fellow New Dealers used government in an attempt to combat the worst economic disaster the U.S. has ever faced: The Great Depression.
CLICK HERE to open Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence. In this interactive tutorial, you'll examine Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" and evaluate the effectiveness of his words by analyzing his use of reasoning and evidence.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, you'll analyze the Pullman Strike of 1894, a dramatic event in the American labor movement. In Part 1, you'll focus on the history of the strike. In Part 2, you'll practice your literary skills while learning more about the same event.
Click HERE to open Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, you'll analyze the Pullman Strike of 1894, a dramatic event in the American labor movement. In Part 1, you'll focus on the history of the strike. In Part 2, you'll practice your literacy skills while learning more about the same event.
Click HERE to open Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice analyzing an informational text using President Abraham Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address. In this interactive tutorial, you'll determine Lincoln's purpose in this historical speech. You'll also analyze how his specific word choice and use of parallel structure help support his purpose.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about the economy of the 1920s, a decade often called the "Roaring Twenties." You'll explore consumerism, advertising, the auto industry, and the stock market, as well as how the 1920s boom contributed to the Great Depression.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Assessments
Test your knowledge of the "Roaring Twenties" with a 9-question multiple choice quiz provided by Khan Academy. Good luck!
Type: Assessment
Test your knowledge of the Great Depression and the New Deal with this 15-question multiple choice quiz provided by Khan Academy. Good luck!
Type: Assessment
Text Resource
Learn more about the 1935 landmark Supreme Court decision Schechter v.U.S. In this Depression-era case, the Court ruled against one of the key parts of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal: the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). Issues of economics, capitalism, and government power were all at stake.
Type: Text Resource
Tutorials
Learn about President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation that transformed the American government during the Great Depression. This short video describes several programs of the New Deal including the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the National Recovery Administration (NRA).
Type: Tutorial
Learn about President Franklin D. Roosevelt's efforts to stimulate the economy and combat unemployment during the Great Depression. This short video describes several programs from Roosevelt's New Deal including the National Youth Administration, the Rural Electrification Administration, and the Works Progress Administration.
Type: Tutorial
View a brief, funny video about our 31st President, Herbert Hoover, a president known as a great organizer but a terrible politician.
Type: Tutorial
View a brief, funny video about the 32nd President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, a man who ushered the U.S. out of the Great Depression and into World War II. Enjoy this quick trip through American history!
Type: Tutorial
In this webisode brought to you by PBS, you will explore key events that took place leading up to and during the Great Depression and World War II. You can explore primary source documents and photographs, a timeline and a glossary, take a quiz, and investigate additional resources to learn more about these eras. Enjoy this journey into American history!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial, you will view a brief video about the purpose and function of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was created by President Roosevelt through the New Deal program to promote economic growth and create jobs across the nation during the Great Depression.
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial video, you will take a whirlwind journey through the New Deal, which was Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to pull the United States out of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The New Deal consisted of a series of programs that were designed to provide relief, recovery, and/or reform. The video briefly describes a number of the New Deal programs, including the Social Security Act, the Public Works Administration, the Works Progress Administration, and the Agricultural Adjustment Act. The video also describes how the New Deal forever changed the relationship between the government and citizens of the United States. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial video, you will take a whirlwind journey through the events that led up to the Great Depression. The video explores the possible causes of the Great Depression, including the economic, social and political changes that may have contributed to this financial crisis. The video also examines what took place after the Great Depression began, including the failure of many banks and massive unemployment across the nation. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!
Type: Tutorial
Video/Audio/Animations
Learn how to "think like a historian" in this brief video from Khan Academy. Your hosts analyze in detail President Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address, in which he told the American people, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Learn how to "think like a historian" in this brief video from Khan Academy. Your hosts explain the difference between primary and secondary sources and analyze the beginning of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation