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Bringing E4E into the Classroom
High school economics teachers are very aware they teach a challenging subject. The academic demands, the need for both quantitative and qualitative skills along with the abstract nature of many economic concepts often spells confusion and frustration for many high school students, who are likely getting their first formally paid job and may be more concerned about prom than price theory.
With that in mind, E4E developed additional resources specifically to support high school economics classrooms:
- 29 practical and engaging lesson plans, created in partnership with two esteemed high school social studies teachers, integrate the E4E videos with thoughtfully paired classroom activities.
- All E4E videos, featuring UChicago experts bringing theoretical concepts to life, can be integrated into a variety of learning management systems.
Methodology
E4E’s microeconomics curriculum is built on a foundation of rigorous academic research and real-world relevance. E4E lessons connect abstract concepts to tangible experiences, helping students see economics not just as a subject—but as a powerful tool for understanding the world around them.
While the curriculum is presented in a structured sequence and could be used as a stand-alone economics course, these lesson plans were written with flexibility in mind. Teachers may prefer to select individual videos, lessons, or activities into their existing lesson plans. Each component is crafted to spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and build confidence in economic thinking.
E4E lessons are:
- Anchored by authoritative, engaging videos featuring University of Chicago professors and researchers who bring clarity and energy to complex economic ideas.
- Paired with classroom activities, including simulations, case studies, data exploration, and discussions that encourage students to apply economic reasoning to everyday situations. Examples include:
- A factory contest to illustrate production and productivity
- An auto insurance simulation to emphasize the challenges of information asymmetry in the car insurance market
- Understanding empiricism through Pirate Attacks and sales of baseball tickets
- Opening a muffin store to learn about monopolistic competition
- Playing a high-five game to explore oligopoly pricing
- Operating a smoothie cart simulation to experience short-run vs. long-run pricing decisions
- Focused on fundamentals, while offering deeper dives into the math and graphs behind the key concepts. These optional explainer videos and classroom activities can be particularly helpful for economics classes that want to introduce more data literacy opportunities or as introduction to more math focused lessons in the AP curriculum.
Topics
The E4E digital microeconomics curriculum is divided into eleven units:
- The Three Principles of Economics
- Why Markets are Great
- Supply and Demand
- The Buyer’s Problem
- The Sellers Problem
- Market Structure
- Market Failures
- Trade
- Game Theory
- The Economics of Discrimination & Diversity
- Special Topics in Economics
Units 10 & 11 feature many stand alone lessons that can be used as special topics or “Friday lessons.” Covering topics like charity, the environment, gender discrimination, scaling, and education, these lesson plans often feature University of Chicago research, expanding students’ understanding of the power and potential of economics.
Don’t have time for all 29 lesson plans or the whole suite of videos? Our teachers recommend the following “greatest hits” lesson plans:
- What is Economics & The First Principle of Economics: Optimization
- The Second Principle of Economics: Equilibrium
- Thinking on the Margin
- The Third Principle of Economics: Empiricism
- Supply & Demand
- Why Markets Are Great
- Buyer’s Problem
- Production & Productivity
- Trade
- Externalities
- Public Goods
See a full index of our units, lesson plans, videos, and embeddable links.