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Sixth Grade - Social Studies
Activities
Supply & Demand at the Gold Rush
Financial and Economic Concepts: Supply and Demand
Sixth Grade – Social Studies
Standard 3: Students will understand the principles of civic responsibility in classroom, community, and country.
Objective 1: Describe the rights and responsibilities inherent in being a contributing member of a community.
You are an economic spotter! An economic spotter is someone who can spot examples of economic concepts in historical places. This lesson sends you in a time machine back to the Gold Rush! Yep, you are about to become a Forty-Niner! These Forty-Niners use picks and shovels instead of footballs. See which economic nuggets you can find hidden in them thar' hills!
Lots of people got rich during the Gold Rush, but amazingly some of the richest were the merchants who knew their laws of supply and demand! Those merchants who did not leave their stores to go and find gold actually ended up with the largest piles of gold. If you know your laws of supply and demand, it all "pans" out in the end!
Student Lesson Plan with Interactive Quiz
Transportation: They Say We Had a Revolution
Financial and Economic Concepts: Productivity Sixth Grade – Social Studies
Standard 3: Students will understand how revolutions have had an impact on the modern world.
Objective 1: Understand processes of revolution
Objective 2: Analyze the impact of selected revolutions.
Materials: computer, projector, any resources (visuals) desired to show students from lesson plan. These are found under the titles “visuals” and “resources”.
Time: 60-80 Minutes (Time given is for full lesson – there are many neat ideas and sections that could be used for shorter time intervals.)
Advancements in transportation have played a key role in the growth of our nation. U.S. government policies have also had a considerable impact on the development of transport as we know it today. In this series of three lessons, the students examine the advancements in automobiles, roads, airlines and airports.
- Distinguish between invention, innovation, and investments in infrastructure.
- Explain how economic incentives encouraged technological change and the capital investments that led to the Transportation Revolution.
- Explore how advancements in transportation dramatically transformed trade and promoted economic growth in the United States.
- Create a timeline illustrating advancements in transportation technology that have occurred since the U.S. declared its independence in 1776.
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT - Lower Opportunity Costs
When people travel, they consider the amount of time it will take to get from point A to point B. Time is considered a cost; travelers could be using time spent traveling doing something else. This chart offers a glimpse at how aviation reduced the opportunity cost of transatlantic travel for passengers during the 1900s.
| Time to Cross the Atlantic (New York – London) |
||
|
Ship |
Air |
1910 |
6 days |
|
1925 |
|
81 hours (Dirigible) |
1940 |
|
14 hours (Sea Plane) |
1950 |
3.5 days |
11 hours (Propeller Plane) |
1960 |
|
9 hours (Jet) |
1980 |
|
8 hours (Jet) |
A similar impact occurred with travel across the nation. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, it was possible to travel from New York to California in five or six days. Today, the trip can be made by plane in 6 hours.
Washington Street Scenes 1900s
Transportation Infrastructure 1800-1900
Banking on Inflation
Financial and Economic Concepts: Free Markets and Prices Sixth Grade – Social Studies
Standard 4: Students will understand current global issues and their rights and responsibilities in the interconnected world.
Objective 2: Explore current global issues facing the modern world and identify potential solutions.
Objective 3: Determine human rights and responsibilities in the world.
Materials: Mixed Economy PPT, writing materials for each pair of students
Time: 45 Minutes
Inflation affects more than the cost of insurance—it affects the prices of items you buy every day. This worksheet helps students compare prices of the past and anticipate prices rising in the future.
Note to Teachers: The answers are on the worksheet so be sure to mark them out!
Student Worksheet (pdf)
