Browse lesson plans, videos, activities, and more by grade level

Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: More part-time workers suffer instability, long hours to make ends meet

As employers seek more control over labor costs, the number of part-time jobs has soared in the post-great recession period....

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment, Income Distribution…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Women's fund seeks share of prosperity for female-focused firms

One of the major causes of the financial crash of 2008 was the insularity of the "good old boys" network...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Economic Systems, Financial Markets…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Top-down or middle-out? Debating the key to economic growth

What's the best engine to drive the economy? More money for the rich, or better wages for the working class?...

Key Concepts: Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments, Distribution of Income, Entrepreneurs…

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Grades 9-12

Could Brooklyn hipsters help save the middle class?

Frozen ginger slushies, tea-based pro-biotic drinks, a bed bug-killing steam machine -- these are just a few of the locally-grown...

Key Concepts: Decision Making/Cost-Benefit Analysis, Division of Labor/Specialization, Entrepreneurs…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: What's driving the good jobs news for the month of June?

The unemployment rate in the U.S. dropped to 6.1 percent in June, its lowest point since just before the financial...

Key Concepts: Budgeting, Employment and Unemployment, Income Distribution

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Year Up raises employment odds for young adults by teaching job-ready skills

Year Up, a career development program for urban young adults, starts with a six-month crash course in job skills like...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Income Distribution

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Budding recreational pot industry sparks innovation and investment

Recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado and Washington state, and though it's still illegal under federal law, more states are...

Key Concepts: Decision Making/Cost-Benefit Analysis, Entrepreneurs, Financial Investments…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Low-wage jobs drive gains in U.S. employment

The BMW factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is luring workers with a program that offers part-time work, an all-expenses paid...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment, Income Distribution

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: What quality of life can workers earning nation's highest minimum wage afford?

Washington state has the highest minimum wage in the nation at $9.32. Can the stateâ€™s low-wage workers can meet their...

Key Concepts: Budgeting, Business Costs and Revenues, Demand…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Why do the rich get richer? French economist Piketty takes on inequality in 'Capital'

On a recent U.S. press tour for his bestselling book "Capital," French economist Thomas Piketty spoke to standing-room-only crowds about...

Key Concepts: Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments, Distribution of Income, Income Distribution…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Hefty child care costs present catch-22 for working parents

In most of the country, child care is the most expensive part of the family budget. Infant care now costs...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Economic Development, Market Structures…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Good news in jobs report bolstered by shrinking workforce

The jobs report released Friday finds that employers added 288,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate fell to 6.3...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment, Income Distribution

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Seattle restaurant industry caught in the middle of $15 minimum wage debate

Seattleâ€™s push to raise the minimum wage to $15 has left owners and workers in the cityâ€™s restaurant industry conflicted....

Key Concepts: Budgeting, Division of Labor/Specialization, Income Distribution…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Idea of paying citizens a yearly stipend is gaining support in Switzerland

In Switzerland, an idea to guarantee every citizen a yearly income of 30,000 Swiss francs, regardless of other wealth or...

Key Concepts: Budgeting, Income Distribution, Roles of Government

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: March jobs report offers bright spot, but long-term unemployment continues stubborn streak

The Labor Departmentâ€™s reported boost of 192,000 jobs in March marks a milestone in the economic recovery: all of the...

Key Concepts: Employment and Unemployment, Income Distribution

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Why obsessing over economic indicators may hinder economic improvement

The monthly jobs report is big news on the first Friday of every month, swaying the financial markets and prompting...

Key Concepts: Business Cycles, Coincident Indicators, Division of Labor/Specialization…

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