One of the great aspects of having grades 7-12 on one campus is the opportunity for Middle School students to have mentors and role models in the Upper School. On October 28, 7th Grade students in Introduction to United States Government teamed up with Seniors in Honors Global Economics for a special joint lesson.
While Kevin Newman’s Honors Global Economics was studying a unit on Supply and Demand, Inflation, and Recession, Eric Mandel’s 7th Grade history course was studying the different economic indicators and the economic impacts of decisions governments make.
To kick off the collaboration, Middle Schoolers were instructed to answer the following questions:
- What are supply and demand and how do they impact prices?
- What are some of the reasons that inflation has become problematic during 2022?
- Why is inflation problematic? For whom does it cause the most problems? Why?
- How might the government use taxes, government spending, and interest rates to try to address inflation?
- What problems might the government create by taking steps to address inflation?
Following the 7th Graders presentations, the class then broke into groups of four with two 7th Graders and two Seniors. The Seniors were then responsible for adding to the 7th graders' understanding of inflation and clarifying any misconceptions they might have. The lesson concluded with a discussion on the different ways that Essential Goods and Non-Essential Goods might be impacted by inflation and what recommendations students would make to the US Government with the information they had at hand.
“The lesson went very well,” said Eric. “Our 7th Graders impressed the Seniors with their command of the topic and enjoyed the opportunity to enhance their understanding of inflation. The opportunity to present to an audience beyond the classroom helped motivate them to develop their knowledge. All in all, it was a big success!”
