Economics is often treated as the ugly stepchild of the Social Studies. Not as glamorous as history or as concrete as geography, it tends to get a passing treatment as it incidentally pops up in the curriculum. Perhaps it is because its concepts tend to be more sophisticated and hard to master. Or maybe it's because it seems as much a kin to Math as it does the humanities. Whatever the reason, economics does not get its due in the classroom. This week's links are offered in the hopes it will make the inclusion of economics in instruction a little less difficult and maybe even a little more fun.

There will not be an IT Newsletter next week as we break for Thanksgiving, but we will resume on December 2nd with an edition dedicated to virtual science museums - can't wait! Enjoy this week's newsletter - there were so many good sites I couldn't limit it to a digital dozen!

• Economic Education Web - http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/home.htm
  This Nebraska-based site is part of the National Campaign for Economic Literacy movement, and the K-12 resources alone make it worth your while. There's lessons, Web-based activities, virtual economics, and all kinds of resources on standards and methods that promote best practices in this field. The Web Teach section is also excellent, although geared for middle school on up. Definitely worth your time no matter where you're located.
• Economics K-12 - http://merlin.bethune.yorku.ca/trek/iclass/bus.html
  This modest site from York University offers some wonderful links for elementary, middle and high school students, including Fleet Kids, Lemonade Stand, Rags to Riches, EduStock and a National U.S. Budget Simulation. Broken down by grade levels, it is a quick-click to any of these sites.
• Economics for Tomorrow - http://eft.merit.edu/index.html
  The state of Michigan boasts this wonderful site that is suitable for upper elementary children and beyond. Beginning with choices, resources and production there is a succinct explanation of the free market system that builds up to markets, prices and economic systems. The ten mini-quests are classroom ready and come complete with teacher support ideas. A glossary of important terms is available by links embedded right in the text.
• Economics Teacher Resources - http://www.econ.org/teacherresfr.html
  Presented by the Kentucky Council on Economic Education, this site houses some 100 K-12 lessons which can be sorted by standard, title, grade level, or concept. Economics Minute and Net News Line help bring out the economic angle of current events, and Cyber Teach is "a comprehensive guide to teaching economics using the Internet, including basic web skills, and templates for creating effective lessons."
• Econopolis - http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3901/
  This veteran Internet site offers a simulation for elementary students that takes them through an interactive journey with the characters Mega Money, his horse, Bill and his dog Dollar. There's an Opportunity Cost shop, a Goods and Services farm and even a Free Enterprise lemonade stand. There are printable worksheets for each leg of the journey, and even a place where students can create their own economics word problems to post to the site.
• Electric Money - http://www.pbs.org/opb/electricmoney//
  Robert Cringely hosts this PBS show that covers the history of money from coins through bills with lots of interesting visuals of historic currency. The clickable timeline runs from 1600 to the present and offers pop-up windows for each increment of progress along the way. The five teaching guides correspond with the program but can be adapted for classroom use even if you don't have access to the show. Guides are in .pdf format so be sure you have the Acrobat Reader installed before you jump in.
• Investing for Kids - http://library.thinkquest.org/3096/
  This first class site offers some of the most well-designed economics activities for students on the Web. There's the ThinkQuest Stock Game which you may already be familiar with, as well as the new more sophisticated StockQuest game which you can access from this site. The Stock Game for educators is a great staff development opportunity, and the Stock Learning Center is a digital tutorial of all the vocabulary and concepts needed to study the market.
• Junior Achievement - http://www.ja.org/
  I've included this site because of the programs offered here - the kinds of programs that JA has been known for for years as it has worked with young people everywhere. Divided up by age groups, the themes presented here are easy to integrate into existing curricula and is correlated to most state standards. While you can't access everything online, there's enough here to get you started. Also, there are Titan and Personal Finance online simulations you can use with students too - just contact your local JA office for access info.
• Kids $ense - http://www.kids.sco.ca.gov/default.asp
  Kathleen Connell, the State Controller for California, presents this website designed to teach children more about economics. It's got a kid-friendly graphic design with interactive lessons on saving, budgeting, revenue and spending. The games and links help round out the site, along with the chance to join the club and print out a personal membership certificate.
• Kids Bank - http://www.kidsbank.com/
  Sovereign Bank offers this kid-centered look at money and finance with JAVA and non-JAVA versions of their site. There are sections on money, savings, checking, interest, and even a discussion of how technology today makes electronic funds transfers possible. Nicely done for elementary students, the graphics are cute and quick-loading and the explanations are very well-done. The Professor icons all over the site offer lots of extra activities to reinforce learning.
• The Money Factory - http://www.moneyfactory.com/
  OK so it's really just the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, but it's the closest thing we have to a money factory! There's fascinating topics older students will enjoy, like the Anti-Counterfeiting link. And the Kid's section is chocked full of information and activities for younger students looking to learn more about money. All the worthwhile sections of the site require the Flash plug-in, so be sure you have yours installed before visiting.
• Peanuts and Crackerjacks - http://www.bos.frb.org/peanuts/leadpgs/intro.htm
  This Federal Reserve Bank of Boston presents a look at the economics of professional team sports through this fun site. There's a baseball simulation that tests student knowledge of economics and trivia, and a sports page section that covers all the fundamentals of economics. The teacher section has approximately fifty activities and lesson ideas in .pdf format, and they are all correlated to state standards.
• Practical Money Skills for Life - http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/index.php
  Ranging from preschool through college, there's some three dozen lessons here complete with teacher guides and Internet resources. Corresponding parent topics are well-written and a great way to make that home-school connection while teaching your unit. There's also online calculators, five great games and a banking tutor that helps fill in all the basic content needed to be successful on the site.
• Secrets of Making Money - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/moolah/
  Based on a NOVA episode, this site is actually about making money - not earning it. There are some enticing features including the anatomy of a dollar bill, how to identify counterfeit bills, and a money timeline from 9,000 BC to the present. Nice visual detail and challenging tasks make this worth your consideration for upper elementary and beyond.

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There will not be a newsletter next week in observance of the Thanksgiving break. Topic for Sunday, December 2nd: "Virtual Science Museums"

Please send in URL's of high quality sites which may be of interest to our readers to walter@surfaquarium.com! Also, I'm always looking for new topic ideas and input!

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