Economics in Plain Sight
Unit 2 · Lesson 2.20 · Last updated June 2026
A 45-minute summative assessment where students identify economic concepts in real-world sources and demonstrate deeper analysis by responding to a prompt of their choice. The culminating lesson of Unit 2.
Overview
Students complete a two-part in-class assessment. In Part 1, they identify which source best illustrates each economic concept and explain the connection. In Part 2, they demonstrate deeper understanding by responding to a prompt of their choice. Scoring note: Because the assessment is designed to give students flexibility, no answer key is included. Students may identify valid concept-source connections that weren't anticipated — be open to unexpected connections, especially from students with a strong grasp of the material. Reference Sample Responses for illustrative examples.
Video Tutorial
Learning Objectives
- Identify economic concepts in real-world sources.
- Explain how real-world developments connect to economic concepts using specific details.
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Materials
- Instruction Slides (display during class period)
- Economics in Plain Sight pp. 3–6 (1 copy per student)
- Sources pp. 7–8 (1 copy per student)
- Sample Responses p. 9 (1 copy for educator reference)
Optional
- Alternative Prompts and Sources (for make-up exams, different class periods, or future semesters)
Lesson Sequence
Slides 2–8
- Display Slide 2 and introduce the learning objectives. (Additional educator tips and suggested answers are in the notes section throughout Instruction Slides.)
- Proceed to Slide 3. Explain the agenda. Note: Remind students to read the rubric carefully on Economics in Plain Sight before beginning, as they work, and before submitting.
- Advance to Slide 4. Distribute 1 copy of Economics in Plain Sight to each student. Read aloud the task and criteria for success. Tell students they will receive the sources momentarily.
- Progress through Slides 5–6. Clarify the instructions for Part 1. Use the text on Slide 6 to explain that while multiple sources may illustrate the same concept, students should choose the one source they feel most confident analyzing. Responses are scored on the quality of the explanation. Note: It is possible that students will not use all sources.
- Proceed to Slide 7. Clarify the instructions for Part 2.
- Display Slide 8. Pause for student questions.
Slides 9–13
- Advance through Slides 9–10 and distribute 1 copy of Sources to each student.
- If you choose to show the video accompanying Source A, proceed to Slide 11 and do so now.
- Proceed to Slide 12. Instruct students to complete the assessment individually. Circulate to supervise and clarify instructions as needed.
- Display Slide 13 when 5 minutes remain. Announce that students should be getting ready to submit.
- Collect Economics in Plain Sight, Sources, and any additional notebook paper students used.
Aligned Standards
Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics
What Educators Are Saying
Assessment was easy to implement and fit with the flow of the curriculum. For lower-level students, it can be easily modified to meet the needs of students with IEPs or ELL students — reduce the number of readings and/or provide word banks and sentence stems.
This lesson does a great job summarizing the three Unit Big Ideas. The real-life application forces students to think outside of memorizing content — they must know what the concept is and then apply it to the article, which creates a place for higher-level thinking.
I really liked this assessment as a way to wrap up the Micro unit. It really required students to think through the concepts we covered rather than just selecting from multiple choice options.