Simulation Central

Transform Your Classroom into Lincoln’s Cabinet Chamber!It is Christmas Day, 1861. The Civil War is eight months old and going badly for the Union. A rogue U.S. warship has just seized two Confederate diplomats from a British ship on the open sea. The Northern public is celebrating, but Great Britain is furious and mobilizing for war.Your students step into the shoes of President Abraham Lincoln and his top advisers. They face a brutal strategic bind: Hand the prisoners back and face national hu

The Bailout Decision: Gerald Ford and the Rescue of New York City (1975)An Immersive Presidential Decision-Making Simulation for High School StudentsBring fiscal policy, federalism, and modern American history to life with this high-stakes, student-driven simulation! Transport your classroom to the autumn of 1975—a moment of unprecedented domestic financial panic. Your students won’t just read about the near-collapse of America’s largest city; they will step directly into the Cabinet Room to deb

The Volcker Decision: Carter and the Question of Restraint (1979)An Immersive Presidential Decision-Making Simulation for High School StudentsBring macroeconomics, political strategy, and modern American history to life with this high-stakes, student-driven simulation! Transport your classroom to late July 1979—a moment of severe economic crisis. Your students won’t just read about Jimmy Carter’s historic appointment of Paul Volcker to the Federal Reserve; they will step directly into the Oval O

Reagan and the Air Traffic Controllers (1981): An Immersive Presidential Decision-Making Simulation for High School StudentsBring history, government, and economics to life with this high-stakes, student-driven simulation! Transport your classroom to August 3, 1981—the chaotic morning of the illegal air traffic controllers' strike. Your students won’t just read about Ronald Reagan's historic decision to terminate 11,000 federal workers; they will step directly into the West Wing to deliberate, d

The Decision at a GlanceIt is December 7, 1985. President Ronald Reagan has gathered a handful of his most senior advisers in the family quarters of the White House—away from the staff and the note-takers. The subject is a secret so closely held that most of the government does not know it exists. American hostages are being held captive in Beirut by terrorist-linked groups. A secret channel to the Islamic Republic of Iran promises their release—in exchange for American anti-tank missiles.The di

The Decision at a GlanceIt is Christmas Eve, 1992. President George H.W. Bush has been defeated in the election and is just seven weeks away from leaving office. On his desk at Camp David sits a three-page grant of executive clemency that would pardon six men caught up in the Iran-Contra affair—the scandal that has shadowed the administration for six years.One name on the list changes everything: Caspar Weinberger, the former Secretary of Defense, who is scheduled to stand trial in twelve days.

The Decision at a GlanceIt is the night of September 11, 2001. Nearly three thousand Americans are dead after the deadliest attack ever carried out on American soil. The television lights are off, the staff has been sent home, and President George W. Bush gathers his National Security Council in a bunker beneath the White House. Hours earlier, he drew a line: the United States will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them.But what does that mean in practice? Is this a

The Decision at a GlanceIt is the late summer of 1993. On President Bill Clinton’s desk sits a finished trade agreement he did not negotiate and did not sign—the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Ratifying it will create the largest free-trade zone in the world, but opponents warn it will send factory jobs streaming south to Mexico. The loudest opposition isn't from across the aisle; it’s from the heart of the Democratic coalition, organized labor, and top leaders in Congress.Your stu

The Decision at a GlanceIt is Christmas Day, 1861. A United States warship has seized two Confederate diplomats from a British ship on the open sea. The North is celebrating. Britain is furious and is moving toward war. The President must choose: hand the prisoners back and look weak to his own people, or keep them and risk a second war against the world’s strongest navy while the first war is going badly. There is no costless option.This evidence-based classroom simulation stops at the exact mo

Bring history to life with The Emancipation Decision, a high-stakes presidential simulation that challenges your high school students to step directly into Lincoln’s cabinet! Over 75 to 90 minutes, a student-led Abraham Lincoln must navigate intense, competing pressures from four iconic advisers regarding the timing and scope of the Emancipation Proclamation. But the real magic happens in Phase 3, where the teacher steps in to rigorously "stress-test" the president's decision, turning a classic

This final exam review has 34 terms that are key government concepts and are likely on most government final exams.

This article with an activity from Planet Money looks at the impacts of government policy and its unintended consequences. The activity will allow students to compare and contrast the benefits and drawbacks of the plastic bag ban policy.

This is a 50 term cross work puzzle to help students review for their economics final exam.

This project is a research based campaign planning document. Students put themselves in the drivers seat as they decide what office they want to seek and then research the keep concepts of that race. Students will do everything from figure out how many votes they need to win the race based on prior elections, plan a platform, plan for fundraising, marketing, and plan to target voters in different geographic areas. It is designed for Indiana but can be adapted to any state or region with ease.

This is a list of all of the resources I have ever used to teach every Indiana academic content standard for 12th grade economics. It has on average between 5 and 10 different examples of EACH standard, meaning there are over 500 resources to use in your classroom.

This is two page case study on the concept of an oligopoly in economics with real work examples like EpiPen and Google. The case study, with text from Planet Money, also comes with with an assignment.

This activity teaches the value of trade and free trade in the economy. It is highly interactive and students always love this activity in the classroom.

This is a worksheet with answers that goes along with NPR Planet Money Podcast #425. It is about negotiations. It can be used as homework or could be used as an in class activity for the students and discussed with students after they listen to the podcast.

This is the Planet Money story about how GDP in Ghana was calculated until recently and why the change in the process changed the Ghana GDP so dramatically. It is also the story of how how the World Bank loans money to poor countries and how the world might now start to invest in the nation now that it is seen as more wealthy.

Economics, Social Studies, High School, Taxes, Tariffs, Price Controls, Free Market, Government, Farming, Jobs, Free Trade