From the structure and planning of the United States Budget, how
do a huge deficit and debt develop?
…It’s the citizen’s money…how are they affected by the
government’s monetary policy?
A WebQuest for 12th
Grade Economics
Ms.Choma
Social Studies Department
Sales Tax, Real Estate Tax, Income Tax, Sin Tax…
We all pay taxes for most of our lives and the more we earn the more we pay… All of that money is collected, but all the bills are not paid and more money is spent than is collected. That is a DEFICIT. And we are in debt… so why shouldn’t we know and understand how our money is spent?
The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921emphatically requires
the President of the
The
What is the
Your teacher has asked you
to help her prepare a formal evaluation and informative discussion of how this
public policy can affect every citizen in our country on the national, state
and local levels.
She wants you to prepare a
PowerPoint presentation that you will present to the entire student body in an
assembly at the end of the month. In
preparation for this presentation, she wants you to first write a mini-paper
explaining the monetary policy, the budget and the deficit and debt arising
from that process.
You are high school
students who have access to money and spending, as a matter of fact, teenagers
spend a whopping $$$13 billion a year.
That being the case, you can relate to the concept of “budget”.
·
You are
required to retrieve and study the
Investigate how exactly
the budget monies are allocated.
Essential questions to be answered in this paper are:
·
Explain what
the national debt is and why it has been increasing over the years.
·
Investigate
how deficits can affect the economy.
Explain if deficits will punish future generations.
·
Object to or
agree with the different aspects of the budget.
·
Create your
own budget for the
Second, she wants to
prepare a 10-slide PowerPoint presentation, with information taken from this
mini-report, and focus on motivating students and citizens to understand the
budget. Vote when legislation asks your
opinion about how your tax money should be spent. Write your congressman, state legislator or
councilman if you have objections to policy.
The PowerPoint presentation is not only for the students but could be
used in community settings, such as churches, at retirement homes, community
centers and in personal homes. What new
policies should the lawmaking leaders consider?
You will present your
final PowerPoint presentation to the class where you hope to get the message
out about the federal budget and hopefully people will also understand how
their tax--$$$$--dollars are spent.
Follow
these specific steps:
1.
You will
work in groups of four. Your teacher
will assist group members in determining each person’s role. Each person in the group will play a role as
follows:
·
· Researcher who will compile all the research
·
· Oral presenter who will present the findings of the group
·
· PowerPoint Designer who will be responsible for putting together the
presentation
·
· Mini Report Writer who will write/edit Mini Report of the group.
2.
You will
complete the worksheets on the six components of the PPA:
Worksheet #1 –
Identifying the Problem
Worksheet #2 –
Gathering Evidence
Worksheet #3 –
Determining Causes
Worksheet #4 –
Evaluate Present Policies
Worksheet #5 –
Developing New Policies
Worksheet #6 –
Choose the Best Solution
3.
You will
read the information explaining each component of the PPA so that you will
understand each part of what you need to do.
Use the Public Policy Analyst to assist you in
researching for your presentation.
4.
You will
read and summarize the Internet resources (see resource section below) which
will give you information on this topic and which you will include in your
PowerPoint presentation and written mini-report.
5.
Oral
Presentation and PowerPoint – Based on your research, your group will present
its findings to the class discussing how you came to choose the policy you
finally chose and why. As part of your
oral presentation, you will include an audio-visual component in the form of a
brochure, display board, power point presentation, or role-playing scene
related to your topic. Be prepared to
answer any questions your classmates might have on your presentation or the
topic you discussed.
6.
Written
Mini-Report – This should include all the work you have done on your PPA
including the worksheets for each step, the paper itself with your research,
and a listing of your sources (whether those provided by the teacher or any
additional sources you have discovered on your own).
·
· Cover Page – This will
include the name of your topic, the names of the students in your group, the
ECONOMICS class, and the date.
·
· The Mini Report – This will include an outline, the research (set
forth in an organized manner-see resources below), the worksheets, and a page
listing the sources you referred to. The
actual mini-report should include between four to six pages of information.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/about.html
http://www.slate.com/id/2085481/
http://ssdc.ucsd.edu/gpogate/erp98/
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/trade/govdocsi.htm
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040921/nytu122_1.html
This is rubric that will be used to
assess your completed work. Use it to make sure you have completed all the
steps and can receive the full amount of points.
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SOCIAL STUDIES
STANDARDS:
5: Civics, Citizenship, and ECONOMICS
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS
1: Students will
read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
3: Students will
read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Having
conducted all of your research you are now an expert in using the PPA. You have used this information when
conducting research and gathering information.
You have used this information
to determine causes and evaluate current policies. You have developed original ideas that can be
effectively used to realistically address this social problem of getting people
to vote and to understand the