01-Lindsay LaPointe Economic Mysteries

Economic Mysteries (Template- See rubric for details)

Part A: Number and Title of Mystery from NCEE Booklet:
Chapter 3, Lesson 6: Activity 6- What Genius Figured Out How to Get Food
from the Farms to the Markets
Handy Dandy Guide (Economic Principles used to solve the Mystery)
1. People choose to do the things they think are best for them.
2. Peoples choices have costs.
3. People choose to do things for which they are rewarded.
4. People create rules that affect our choices and how we act.
5. People gain when they freely decide to trade with one another.
6. Peoples choices today have future results.
True False Questions (Clue/cues to
1. People in our community choose to
solving the mystery type out and
buy food. True
answer):
2. Farmers can use their land for many
things. True
3. Farmers are not allowed to keep the
money they earn by selling food. False
4. Keeping money that you earn is a
reward. True
5. People who own businesses in which
food from farms is processed (Dairies,
for example) can keep the money they
earn. True
6. Farmers keep all the food they
grow; they cannot trade it. False
Solution to the Mystery (Use
relevant Economic Vocabulary see
Principles and handouts):

Farmers produce food because they

can sell their products and receive
money for it. No one specifically tells
farmers how to get their products to
the markets but there are rules that do
this. One rule that helps farmers is that
in the United States people are allowed
to keep the profits earned after
expenses have been paid. Farmers get
rewards by growing and selling food in
markets, which would mean they earn
a profit. In order for a farmer to earn a
decent reward (profit), they need to
trade efficiently to others who end up
selling the product. If the product they

are making does not earn a high

enough profit, farmers have the choice
to put their farmland to other uses in
the future.
Part B: Write and Solve your own Economic Mystery
Title of your own mystery: Work and School: The Fine Line
Handy Dandy Guide (Economic Principles used to solve the Mystery)
1. People choose to do the things they think are best for them.
2. Peoples choices have costs.
3. People choose to do things for which they are rewarded.
4. People create rules that affect our choices and how we act.
5. People gain when they freely decide to trade with one another.
6. Peoples choices today have future results.
Your original economic mystery
Many college student must have a job
scenario:
while also taking classes. Students
need to be able to afford tuition, living
expenses and groceries. On average,
students are in class about 15
hours/week and then must work as
well. Squeezing in time for homework
and sleep can be difficult. To do well in
school, homework, papers, and
projects must get done, but having a
job does not always leave enough
time. Sometimes, students must lose
sleep to finish school work, but that
just makes them tired in classes and at
work the next day.
Focus Question:
Are college students working too
much?
True False Questions (Clue/cues to
1. Some college students need to work
solving the mystery create your
to afford school. True
own and answer):
2. Work can take over time needed for
homework. True
3. College students use work as an
excuse to not do well in school. False
4. Choosing to take a day off work will
have no negative effects for the
student. False
Solution to the Mystery (Use
Some students must work to afford
relevant Economic Vocabulary see college. College is something needed
Principles and handouts):
to get the career they want, and to be
able to live and take classes, a job is
necessary. Choosing to have a job
takes away time that students can be
spending on homework. Money is a

reward though, and an important one,

so a job is needed. Having a job
required that the worker shows up
when they are scheduled to and
preforms the tasks needed. The
students are trading their time to work
and make money. Choosing to work
may involve students losing sleep and
time to work on assignments, but it
also allows them to pay for groceries
and rent.

NCEEMysteriesAssignmentandRubric
A. NCEE Economic Mysteries Assignment, part I
Choose a mystery to do on your own. Print out the pages of the
Activity.
Answer the T/F questions;writeyourrationale,citingprinciplesfromHDG

A. NCEE Economic Mysteries

Visualand
Pagesareprinted,
Activitysheets
replicatedor
scannedandworkis
doneonthe
template(3points)
T/Fquestions
AnswersALLT/F
questionscorrectly
(3points)
Rationale
Writesacredible
andreasonable
Explainsthe
MysteryandUses rationaleforthe
answertothe
Relevant
economicquestion,
Economic
usingrelevant
principlesfrom
economic
theHDG
vocabularyand
principles(6points)
Ontimebrings
Bringscompleted
toclassin
assignmenttoclass
hardcopywithall ontheassigneddate
partsconnected
withname,date,
andname,date,
sectionnoted
sectionareon
(3points)
assignment

Assignment, part I
N/A

Pagesnotprintedor
replicatedortemplatenot
used
(0points)

1ormoreT/Fquestions
incorrect
(1point)
Writesareasonable
rationalefortheanswer
totheeconomicquestion
withoutusingeconomic
vocabulary;doesnotcite
principlesfromHDG
(4points)

DoesnotanswerT/F
questions
(0points)
Neglectstowriteacredible
and/orreasonablerationale
fortheanswertothe
economicquestion;doesnot
citeprinciplesfromHDG
(0points)

N/A

Neglectsbringingcompleted
assignmenttoclass
(0points)

B. NCEE Economic Mysteries Assignment, part II

Write your own mystery (application level):
o The world is filled with economic mysteries ready to be noticed and
used.
o Pay attention to the news, your own financial life and choices you
must make.
o Look for discrepancies, anomalies, oddities, curiosities (shortages,
overages, lack, surplus) - these become your focal points.
o Describe the problem, ask a focus question, provide some clues,
explain the mystery using the principles in the HDG. Use the format
weve just studied.
Bring it in to share and hand in during due date class period attached to the
rubric. Post on your Weebly in Sample lessons.
Describeanew
Problemisdirectlyand Problemiseither
Problemisnotrelatedtoa
problem(Write
clearlyrelatedtoa
confusingoronly
discrepancy,anomaly,oddity,
discrepancy,anomaly,
somewhatrelatedtoa
orcuriosityinhuman
yourownoriginal
oddity,orcuriosityin discrepancy,anomaly, economicbehaviororisnot
mystery.)
humaneconomic
oddity,orcuriosityin originalcreation.
behavior
humaneconomic
(0points)
(6points)
behavior(4points)
Writeafocus
Focusquestionclearly Focusquestionis
Nofocusquestionisprovided
question
statestheproblemto
written,butneeds
ormisleadsthelearner
besolved
moreclaritytodefine regardingtheproblemtobe
(4points)
theproblemtobe
solved.(0points)
solved.
(2points)
ProvideT/Fclues 4clues(T/F
23clues(T/F
Lessthan2cluesdirectlyor
(1pointperclue)
statements)directly
statements)directlyor clearlyleadstudentstothe
clearlyleadsstudents principlesintheHDGrelated
PLUSanswersto andclearlylead
studentstothe
totheprinciplesinthe tothisproblem.
yourown
principlesintheHDG HDGrelatedtothis
(0points)
questions.
relatedtothisproblem problemornoanswers
(4points)
(2points)
Rationale
Explanationofthe
Explanationofthe
Explanationoftheeconomic
(Explainthe
economicmystery
economicmystery
mysterydoesnotrelatethe
mystery)useas clearlyrelatesthe
attemptstorelatethe
principlesintheHDGtothe
manyofthesix
principlesintheHDG principlesintheHDG problem,isunclear,doesnt
economic
tothesolutionofthe
totheproblem,using userelatedeconomic
principlesasrelate problem,using
vocabularyorismissing
relatedeconomic
tothesolution
economicvocabulary vocabularybutneeds (0points)
(6points)
revision,clarification,
and
(4points)
Grammar,
Errorsingrammar,spelling
Noerrorsingrammar, Minimalerrorsin

spelling,
mechanicsreflect
collegelevelwork
andattentionto
quality
Ontimeinclass
grouppresentation
(1point)

spellingormechanics
(4points)

Economicmysteryis
ontimeandreadyto
sharewithclass
(1point)

grammar,spellingor
mechanicsdonot
interferewith
understanding
(2points)
N/A

Totalpointsavailable:40points
Totalpointsearned:Studentevaluation:______________
Instructorevaluation:______________

and/ormechanicsinterfere
withreadingand
understandingofthemessage
(0points)
Economicmysteryislateor
notprovided(80%oftotal
earnedifturnedintheweek
due,50%afterthat)