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LESSON PLAN: It’s All Greek to Me: Understanding the Debt Crisis in Europe

Another great lesson plan from the New York Times Learning Network...
May 4, 2010, 3:31 PM

It’s All Greek to Me: Understanding the Debt Crisis in Europe

web of debt graphicBill Marsh/The New York TimesBanks and governments in these five shaky economies owe each other many billions of euros — converted here to dollars — and have even larger debts to Britain, France and Germany. Arrow widths are proportional to debt amounts.Go to related article »

Materials | Copies of handouts, slips of paper with words in envelopes, as detailed on the List/Group/Label instructions (see below), computers with Internet access (optional) and research resources.

Overview | Why is Greece experiencing a major financial crisis? How are its fiscal woes connected to the rest of the European Union, Europe and global financial markets? In this lesson, students complete a List/Group/Label activity to familiarize themselves with key terms, then research a single term further in order to teach their classmates about it. They then create a math or financial problem that demonstrates how the term “works.” They not only become conversant with the European crisis but also develop financial literacy by putting key economic terms in context.

Note to Teacher | The story of what is happening in the European markets and in Greece is fast-developing; you may wish to slot in the latest news when you address these issues with students. Also, please note that done in its entirety, this lesson would likely take multiple class periods.

Read the complete lesson plan here.

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