Teachers will be able to:
How do we help students make sense of rising prices, shrinking paychecks, and tough financial choices? In this session, we’ll dive into practical strategies for teaching inflation, purchasing power, and the cost of living in ways that connect directly to students’ real-world experiences. Explore how economic crises shape personal decisions and societal outcomes, and gain tools to guide students in analyzing current events, evaluating trade-offs, and understanding the long-term impact of financial realities. Bring relevance and empathy into your econ or social studies classroom by anchoring instruction in the economic challenges students see and feel every day.
Compound Interest Calculator – interactive that shows the amazing power of compounding
Let’s Talk Turkey: Inflation and the Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner – Great lesson to talk about what a market basket is and comparing prices/doing the math. Updated every year about a week before Thanksgiving with the current year’s prices.
Was Babe Ruth Underpaid? – Use an inflation calculator to compare salaries from the past to today’s athletes.
Inflation Auction simulation lesson plan
Inflation vs Deflation lesson from Federal Reserve Education. It’s a long lesson, but there is a really good sorting activity for students to help them understand the difference between inflation and deflation. “Could It Happen Again?”
Grades 6-8, 9-12
Grades 9-12
Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
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