Connections Across Units: Part 2
Unit 2 · Lesson 2.19 · Last updated June 2026
A 45-minute lesson where students finish their economic issue analysis, present their Unit 1 and Unit 2 connections to a small group, and identify concepts to review before the summative assessment.
Overview
Students review concepts from Units 1 and 2 (Economic Foundations and Microeconomics) by linking them to an economic issue of their choice and presenting their findings to a small group. This prepares them for the upcoming summative assessment and helps them identify what concepts they need to review. This lesson is a continuation of Lesson 2.18.
Learning Objective
- Think like an economist to analyze connections between current issues and economic concepts.
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Materials
- Instruction Slides (display during class period)
- Presentation Notes pp. 4–5 (1 copy per student)
- Lesson 2.18 Materials (previously distributed — students bring their Student Handout, source, and Unit Overviews)
Lesson Sequence
Slides 2–5
- Before class: organize seats into groups of 4 (groups of 5 if needed). To the greatest extent possible, form heterogeneous groups by issue. Note: Repetition of issues within a group is not a problem — it is unlikely that students with the same issue will have chosen the same big idea, essential question, or learning objectives.
- Display Slide 2. Students follow the instructions on the slide. (Additional educator tips and suggested answers are in the notes section throughout Instruction Slides.) Note: The activator references the task introduced in Lesson 2.18 that students will complete in this lesson.
- Proceed to Slide 3 and introduce the learning objective. Reinforce that the purpose of the task is to help students make connections between economic concepts from Units 1 and 2 and real-world issues.
- Use Slides 4–5 to remind students of the timeline and goals. Tell students they will have 20 minutes to complete Steps 1–3 under the "Instructions" section of Student Handout, after which presentations will begin.
Slides 6–10
- Progress through Slides 6–7. Allow students 20 minutes of individual work time. Circulate to provide clarification and help tease out connections.
- Advance through Slides 8–9. Have students turn their desks to face the others in their group — these are the presentation groups. Pro Tip: Alert students that some issues will be repeated. This is not a problem: even when students share the same issue it is unlikely they will have made the same connections.
- Direct students to have their Unit 1 Overview, Unit 2 Overview, and Student Handout on their desks throughout the presentations. If students have misplaced either overview document, provide a new copy or have them reference a classmate's.
- Proceed to Slide 10. Distribute 1 copy of Presentation Notes to each student. Click to introduce the mini-presentation instructions. Reinforce the purpose: to recognize and make connections between real-world issues and economic concepts from Units 1 and 2. Note: After each presenter finishes, audience members must complete the 3 components on Presentation Notes for that presentation. Students should identify an additional learning objective not mentioned by the presenter, and should not repeat any learning objectives across presentations.
- Tell students to begin their presentations. Circulate to offer clarification, keep groups moving through presentations, and ensure audience members add to Presentation Notes after each turn.
Slides 11–12
- Advance through Slides 11–12. Instruct students to complete the instructions on Slide 12. This coding exercise alerts students to the concepts they need to review prior to the end-of-unit assessment in Lesson 2.20.
Aligned Standards
Relevant standards will vary based on student issue selection and identified connections. Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics
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