Michigan Financial Literacy Standards: Helpful Teacher Resource

Michigan Social Studies Standards Alignment

Find out which of our lessons or games reinforce the individual
knowledge statements from the Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards.

Legend:

Long-Term Game
Comprehensive Chapter
Short Lesson
Interactive Calculator
Includes Automatically-Graded Assessment

Standard	Activity	Long-Term Game	Comprehensive Chapter	Short Lesson	Interactive Calculator	Graded Assessment
The Market Economy
Scarcity, Choice, Opportunity Costs, Incentives – using examples, explain how scarcity, choice, opportunity costs, and incentives affect decisions made by households, businesses, and governments.	Lesson – Why Is There Scarcity? Lesson – Opportunity Cost Lesson – Carrots, Sticks, and Your Wallet – All About Incentives Lesson – Government impact on the economy
Entrepreneurship – analyze the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship and associate the functions of entrepreneurs with alleviating problems associated with scarcity.	Lesson – Starting a Business 101 101 Lesson – What is Entrepreneurship? Lesson – Why Is There Scarcity?
Marginal Analysis – weigh marginal benefits and marginal costs in decision making.	Lesson – Marginal Benefit and Cost
Institutions – describe the roles of various economic institutions and purposes they serve in a market economy. Examples may include but are not limited to: banks, labor unions, markets, corporations, co-operatives, sole proprietorships, partnerships, and not-for-profit organizations.	Lesson – Choosing the Best Banking Option for You Lesson – Types of Companies Lesson – What is Cottage Industry
Market Structures – identify the characteristics of perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly market structures. Examples may include but are not limited to: number of producers, similarity of products, barriers to entry, control over prices.	Lesson – Benefits of Competition Lesson – Supply and Demand Examples in the Stock Market
Supply And Demand – use the laws of supply and demand to explain household and business behavior. Examples may include but are not limited to: determinants of demand and determinants of supply.	Lesson – Supply and Demand Examples in the Stock Market Lesson – What is Supply? Lesson – What is Demand?
Price, Equilibrium, Elasticity, and Incentives – analyze how prices change through the interaction of buyers and sellers in a market, including the role of supply, demand, equilibrium, and elasticity, and explain how incentives (monetary and non-monetary) affect choices of households and economic organizations.	Lesson – Supply and Demand Examples in the Stock Market Lesson – Carrots, Sticks, and Your Wallet – All About Incentives Lesson – Marginal Benefit and Cost
Public Policy and the Market – analyze the impact of a change in public policy on consumers, producers, workers, savers, and investors. Examples may include but are not limited to: an increase in the minimum wage, a new tax policy, a change in interest rates, or price controls on the quantity of a good or service.	Lesson – Demystifying the Impact of Interest Rates Lesson – The Anatomy of Unemployment Lesson – Why Do Some Jobs Pay More Than Others?
Government and Consumers – analyze the role of government in protecting consumers and enforcing contracts (including property rights), and explain how this role influences the incentives (or disincentives) for people to produce and exchange goods and services.	Lesson – What Are Property Rights? Lesson – Carrots, Sticks, and Your Wallet – All About Incentives Lesson – Protect Yourself as a Consumer
Government Revenue and Services – analyze the ways in which local and state governments generate revenue and use that revenue to supply public services.	Lesson – Tax Basics You Need to Know Lesson – Sales Tax: Who Pays, Collects, and Why? Lesson -Monetary Policy
Market Failure – explain the role for government in addressing both negative and positive externalities. Examples may include but are not limited to: pollution, vaccinations, education, medical research, government/private partnerships.	Lesson – Externalities
Consequences of Governmental Policy – assess the incentives for political leaders to implement policies that disperse costs widely over large groups of people and benefit small and politically powerful groups. Examples may include but are not limited to: subsidies, tariffs, import quotas.	Lesson – Government impact on the economy Lesson – International trade
Price Controls – analyze the impact of price ceilings and price floors on the quantity of a good or service supplied and demanded in a market.	Lesson – What are Price Controls?
The National Economy of the United States of America	Activity	Long-Term Game	Comprehensive Chapter	Short Lesson	Interactive Calculator	Graded Assessment
Circular Flow and the National Economy – using the concept of circular flow, analyze the roles of and relationship between households, business firms, and government in the economy of the United States.	Lesson – What is Economics? Lesson – Government impact on the economy Lesson – Analyzing Consumer Behavior
Economic Indicators – using a number of indicators, such as gross domestic product (GDP), per capita GDP, unemployment rates, and consumer price index, analyze the current and future state of an economy.	Lesson – Major Economic Indicators (GDP, CPI, Jobs) Lesson – Gross Domestic Product
Government Involvement in the Economy – evaluate the three macroeconomic goals of an economic system (stable prices, low unemployment, and economic growth).	Lesson – What is Economic Growth? Lesson – Government impact on the economy Lesson – Why Do Some Jobs Pay More Than Others?
Government Revenue and Services – evaluate the ways in which the federal government generates revenue on consumption, income, and wealth, and uses that revenue to supply government services and public goods, and protect property rights. Examples may include but are not limited to: parks and highways, national defense, social security, Medicaid, Medicar	Lesson – What Does Fiscal Policy Mean? Lesson – Sales Tax: Who Pays, Collects, and Why? Lesson – Government Impact on the Economy
Fiscal Policy and its Consequences – analyze the consequences (intended and unintended) of using various tax and spending policies to achieve macroeconomic goals of stable prices, low unemployment, and economic growth.	Lesson – What Does Fiscal Policy Mean?
Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy – explain the roles and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve system and compare and contrast the consequences (intended and unintended) of different monetary policy actions of the Federal Reserve Board as a means to achieve macroeconomic goals of stable prices, low unemployment, and economic growth.	Lesson – Why You Should Care About the Fed Lesson – What Is Monetary Policy? Lesson – What is Economic Growth? Lesson – The Anatomy of Unemployment
The International Economy	Activity	Long-Term Game	Comprehensive Chapter	Short Lesson	Interactive Calculator	Graded Assessment
Developing Nations – assess how factors such as availability of natural resources, investments in human and physical capital, technical assistance, public attitudes and beliefs, property rights, and free trade can affect economic growth in developing nations.	Lesson – International trade Lesson – What is Specialization? Lesson – Why Do Some Jobs Pay More Than Others?
International Organizations and the World Economy – evaluate the diverse impact of trade policies of the World Trade Organization, World Bank, or International Monetary Fund on developing economies of Africa, Central America, or Asia, and on the developed economies of the United States and Western Europe.	Lesson – International trade
Comparing Economic Systems – compare and contrast the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of traditional, command, market, and mixed economic systems. Examples may include but are not limited to: GDP, inflation, unemployment.	Lesson – Comparative Economic Systems – Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism
Absolute and Comparative Advantage – use the concepts of absolute and comparative advantages to explain why goods and services are produced in one nation or locale versus another.	Lesson – What is Specialization? Lesson – What Is Comparative Advantage?
Domestic Activity and World Trade – assess the impact of trade policies, monetary policy, exchange rates, and interest rates on domestic activity and world trade. Examples may include but are not limited to: tariffs, quotas, export subsidies, product standards, other barriers.	Lesson – How Global Trade Shapes Our Economy
Exchange Rate and World Trade – analyze the effects on trade from a change in an exchange rate between two currencies.	Stock Game – Core Component
The Global Economy and the Marketplace – analyze and describe how the global economy has changed the interaction of buyers and sellers.	Lesson – What is Cottage Industry Lesson – Why Do Some Jobs Pay More Than Others?
Personal Finance	Activity	Long-Term Game	Comprehensive Chapter	Short Lesson	Interactive Calculator	Graded Assessment
Earning Income – conduct research regarding potential income and employee benefit packages, non-income factors that may influence career choice, benefits and costs of obtaining the necessary education or technical skills, taxes a person is likely to pay, and other possible sources of income. Examples may include but are not limited to: interest, dividends, capital appreciation, income support from the government, social security.	Lesson – What’s in Your Compensation Package? Lesson – Planning Your Career Path Lesson – Go to College or Start Working? Lesson – What is Money?
Buying Goods And Services – describe the factors that consumers may consider when purchasing a good or service, including the costs, benefits, and the role of government in obtaining the information.	Budget Game – Core Component Lesson – Researching Purchases Lesson – Planning for Long Term Purchases
Saving – identify the incentives people have to set aside income for future consumption, and evaluate the impact of time, interest rates, and inflation upon the value of savings.	Lesson – Pay Yourself First: A Simple Yet Powerful Way to Build Wealth Lesson – Inflation Lesson – Planning for Retirement Lesson – Break Free From Money Stress with a Budget Lesson – Achieve Financial Goals with a Spending Plan Activity – Model Your Financial Future
Using Credit – evaluate the benefits, costs, and potential impacts of using credit to purchase goods and services.	Budget Game – Core Component Lesson – A Beginner’s Guide to Borrowing Wisely Lesson – Credit Cards: Terms, Fees, and More Activity – Use the Credit Card Payments Calculator
Financial Investing – analyze the risks, expected rate of return, tax benefits, impact of inflation, role of government agencies, and importance of diversification when investing in financial assets.	Investing101 Certification Lesson – How to Develop an Investing Strategy Lesson – What is Diversification & How to Spread Your Risk Lesson – Knowing Your Risks & Risk Tolerance
Protecting and Insuring – assess the financial risk of lost income, assets, health, or identity, and determine if a person should accept the risk exposure, reduce risk, or transfer the risk to others by paying a fee now to avoid the possibility of a larger loss later.	Lesson – What’s Not Covered in Renter’s Insurance? Lesson – What Damage Does Home Insurance Cover? Lesson – Car Insurance: How to Lower Your Rates Lesson – Life Insurance: The Ultimate Safety Net Lesson – Why Health Insurance is So Expensive