DAILY LESSONS AND ASSESSMENTS
LEARNING ASPIRATIONS: The focus of these lessons is content knowledge and critical thinking.
This summary of 20th Century macroeconomic theory is good background for everything we do this semester. It was written by Paul Krugman, a Nobel Laureate. Give it a read if you have time.
Business Cycles and GDP (Plus Circular Flow Review) (Topics 2.1-2.2 and 2.6-2.7)
Unemployment (Topic 2.3)
Price Indexes and Inflation (Topics 2.4-2.5)
RTI Day: Extra practice docs (Calculating GDP, Unemployment, and Inflation)
INQUIRY
LEARNING ASPIRATIONS: The focus of these assessments is cultural competence, content knowledge, critical thinking, and creativity. The extension is specially designed for students interested in emphasizing growth in cultural competence.
INSTRUCTIONS: Go to Schoology and open the "Macro Unit 2 Inquiry Folder." Follow the instructions there about how to participate in today's discussion.
INQUIRY QUESTION: WHY IS THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, ESPECIALLY FOR MEN, PERSISTENTLY HIGHER FOR BLACK AMERICANS THAN FOR WHITE AMERICANS?
INQUIRY TEXTS
Listen: Unemployment and the Racial Divide (NPR)
Read
BLS unemployment data for 2021 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The Gaps Between White and Black America, In Charts (New York Times)
Black Unemployment Matters Just as Much as White Unemployment (New York Times)
Black Workers Stopped Making Progress On Pay. Is it Racism? (New York Times)
EXTENSION (OPTIONAL)
Read the linked article and watch the linked video on "ghost cities" in China
Listen to this podcast (Freakonomics Podcast on the Shadow Economy).
Official measures of GDP do not capture much of the activity that goes on in the economy. Much of what is missed takes place in black (illegal) markets or is just never reported to the government. This Freakonomics podcast discusses these activities.