Civics Today Citizenship, Economics, & You

Chapter 19: The American Economy

Web Activity Lesson Plans

Introduction
In this chapter students read about the American economy. By studying economic indicators the government determines whether the economy is in a period of expansion or recession. Some of the economic indicators are the consumer price index, the unemployment rate, and gross domestic product. In the activity students will take a closer look at how the government measures GDP.

Lesson Description
Students will visit the EconEdLink Web site's lesson on Gross Domestic Product. The complete lesson includes graphs, statistics, and other activities. Students will read the definition and explanation of GDP and answer several questions. By using the rate changes for the current year, they will create a spreadsheet and a graph.

1. The learner will be able to define gross domestic product.
2. The learner will be able to explain the components of gross domestic product.
3. The learner will be able to create a spreadsheet and graph using current rates of change for GDP.

1. It is called "gross" because it includes the total amount of goods and services produced. It is called "domestic" because it only includes goods and services produced within the U.S. It is called "product" because it only includes what was produced during the year.

2-5. Student answers will vary depending on data in the report for the quarter they choose.