UNIT 1: COMMUNITY & ECONOMY
Lesson 1: What Is a Community?
This lesson introduces students to The McGrath Family JA BizTown and explains how JA BizTown is a community. Students will be able to: (1) define citizen, community, trade, business, rights and responsibilities and (2) explain responsibilities associated with citizen rights.
Lesson 2: What Is an Economy?
This lesson introduces The McGrath Family JA BizTown citizens to the circular flow of economic activity that serves as a basic model of an economy. Citizens will be able to: (1) define goods, services, resources (human, natural, and capital), and economy and (2) describe the circular flow of economic activity.
Lesson 3: What Is Free Enterprise?
This lesson introduces The McGrath Family JA BizTown citizens to the concept of free enterprise and decision making in a market economy. Citizens examine four economic freedoms in a free enterprise system. Citizens will be able to: (1) define scarcity and free enterprise, (2) identify the three basic economic questions (what, how, for whom to produce?) and (3) describe economic freedoms under free enterprise.
Lesson 4: Why Do I Pay Taxes?
This lesson introduces The McGrath Family JA BizTown citizens to the role of government in a market economy. Citizens learn how governments provide public goods and services. Such goods and services must be paid for with taxes. Citizens will be able to: (1) define public goods and services as well as taxes, (2) describe characteristics of public goods and services and (3) explain why people pay taxes.
Lesson 5: What Is Philanthropy?
This lesson introduces The McGrath Family JA BizTown citizens to the role of philanthropy in a community. Citizens learn how markets don't always provide things that communities need. Therefore, citizens and businesses engage in philanthropy (charitable giving) to support nonprofit organizations that work to make the community better. Citizens also learn about opportunity cost. Citizens will be able to: (1) define philanthropy and opportunity cost, (2) describe the role of nonprofit organizations and (3) explain the opportunity cost of decisions.