This is a list of workshops that are available, they can be customized for your school or grade level. They can be scheduled as in-service workshops, or held here at CNU*
The Center will be happy to tailor workshops to your individual needs!
Please, if you sign up for a workshop at CNU please make sure that you attend as no-shows are an critical problem especially as there are NO CHARGES for any of our workshops, and we would like to keep it that way!
From Africa to Ice Cream This workshop introduces a lesson book that helps students and teachers recognize the economics contained in children’s literature. Participants receive a copy of Spotting Economics: From Africa to Ice Cream, which was written in Virginia and is directly related to the revised SOLs in social studies. Grades K-5.
Ancient Civilizations Kill two birds with one stone by blending economics and history to helps our students understand the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome, China and Egypt, as well as the changing face of Mali. This workshop combines hands-on activities and children's literature to help your students master these interesting yet difficult SOL concepts. Grade levels 2-6, with lesson plans included.
Around the World the Econ Way If you're looking for a way to teach and plan across the curriculum - look no further. This brand-new curriculum unit, written by the authors of Chocolate Economics, uses children's literature to teach economics, history, and geography to elementary school students. Teachers will help their students "Book a Trip Around the World" with these hands-on activities designed to help students understand that people all over the world are buyers and sellers, that resources are combined to produce goods and services, that people have been trading to get what they want for centuries.. and much, much more! Featured in the unit is a special student passport to help students keep track of all the faraway places they visit during their study. You'll love these activities and your students will too! K-6 lesson plan included!
The Buck Starts Here! Teachers of grade K-6 will love this curriculum all about money! From the authors of Chocolate Economics.
Are you a "moocher" like Matilda, or are you credit worthy? Can you identify money and safe places to store it or would you keep it in a pouch like Beatrice? If you wanted to buy pepperoni pizza in France, what would it cost you? Follow the money through this exciting new curriculum produced by the authors of Chocolate Economics and Around the world the Econ Way. This journey will show students the importance of understanding money and its history, the importance of saving, ways to be a smart spender, opportunities created trade/exchange, and investing. Wonderful connections to children's literature books are incorporated. Activities are easily adaptable to meet the different age groups.
Chocolate Economics Whet your appetite with this tasty curriculum unit designed to sweeten your economics lessons. Two dynamic Virginia educators designed this program and it directly correlates to our state's SOL. Topics include resources, scarcity, trade/exchange, production, and specialization, etc K-12 lesson plan included!
Dragons Decide Help the Dragon family build their new home, and help your K-3 students learn economics. This primary-level coloring book is the gateway to teaching students about everyday economic concepts; producers, consumers, goods and services are just a few of the new vocabulary words introduced. Each teacher in attendance will receive 30 copies of the Dragons Decide coloring book (Provided by the VA Housing Development Authority and the VA Council on Economic Education) Suitable for grades K-2!
Economics and U.S. History If your SOL scores weren't quite what you thought they should have been give this workshop a shot! This program focuses on understanding the economic forces that made our state and country what they are today. We will explore the economics of colonization, westward expansion, slavery of the 19th century and race in the 20th century. You will learn how to help your students think about how things might have been different had other choices been made. Activities for this workshop are specifically correlated to the Virginia SOL objectives for 4th and 5th grade students. Lesson plans included, of course!
Learning, Earning and Investing Middle and High School teachers will benefit from this workshop. Designed to teach teenagers about, money credit, and investment. Great for teaching teachers those concepts also!
Mini-Economy Start an economic system in your classroom! Teach your students to design their own currency, organize their own economy, learn economic concepts, and decision-making skills. Develop incentives for acceptable behavior and disincentives to make your classroom run like clockwork. Suitable for grades K-8
Play-Dough Economics Ever make a hamburger out of clay? Activities with play dough will provide concrete, hands-on learning, which covers the following economic concepts: goods and services, production, scarcity, opportunity costs, trade, capital, specialization and much more. Your students will have so much fun; they won’t know they are learning. Lesson plans for K-12 included!
Stock Market Game Workshop for new teachers using the game in grades 4-12 or if a teacher needs a refresher course!
Pocket Power/Steps to Financial Fitness Pocket Power is an enhanced learning system for personal finance economics education that appeals to young children at all learning levels. The 16 creative lessons include background information, preparation materials, student activities, and assessments to promote active learning. All lessons are tied to standards for personal finance, economics, literature, and mathematics literacy. An illustrated Student Storybook highlights topics covered in each lesson. K-2. Steps to Financial Fitness contains 15 action-oriented lessons where students make decisions about earning an income, saving and spending, using credit, and budgeting. Lessons include background information, preparation materials, student activities, and assessments to promote active learning. All lessons are tied to standards for personal finance, economics, literature, and mathematics literacy. A student Workbook highlights topics covered in each lesson 3-5
Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economics If you are looking for a creative way to meet multiple SOL objectives, this workshop will encourage a new love for quality children's literature and allow students to apply their new knowledge of basic economic principles. Hands-on activities will address concepts of saving, spending, decision-making, scarcity, Trade-offs, marketing and advertising. A variety of materials and activities are provided so that teachers can easily incorporate this workshop into their lessons. K-3 lesson plan included (activities may be upgraded for grades 4 and 5)
Visual Economics The most useful economics CD you will ever find. Colorful copyright-free clip-art is provided for your use. Do you need flash cards for human, natural, and capital resources, goods and services, or wants and needs? How about a new opportunity cost lesson, or a job matching game? Does scarcity have you stumped? All this and more is covered and completely reproducible for teachers! The CD will, of course, be included.