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Macroeconomic Targets in the UK - Lesson Plan: 1-2 x 1 hour lessons

A series of 'off the shelf' lesson plans and resources for use in the classroom. These lessons deal with macroeconomic targets in the UK and are relevant to the following specifications:

  • AQA: AS Module 2, 11.1
  • Edexcel: AS Unit 3
  • OCR: AS Unit 2883, 5.3.1

Aim:

These lessons are designed to lead students through a series of activities that encourage them to find out some information on key economic data and also to think about the relationship between the sets of data they access. The data used is available via the Biz/ed Web site and guides are given on how to access and use the data to help avoid wasting valuable time.

The guides incorporated within the Activity are designed to lead students through a series of key questions that should help to build understanding of this complex area. The Presentation linked to the lesson is a lengthy one - 34 slides - and is designed to be used in sections rather than all together. Students can be encouraged to refer back to the slides to help reinforce any points that they have missed. There is also a wealth of information on this topic area within the Virtual Economy and students can be encouraged to look closely at the notes and activities available within this section.

Following the Activity, a sample question is provided to give students the opportunity to use the information they have gained in context and to build key skills in exam technique.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lessons, students should understand the following:

  • The meaning of the key macroeconomic targets set by UK government
  • What has happened to these targets over the past ten years
  • The relationship between these variables

Resources:

Lesson Structure:

The lesson structure is very flexible and will largely be determined by the speed at which the students work. It is a very student-driven activity and the teacher's role should be that of guide, giving students advice on where and how to access infomation and on using the information appropriately.

The Presentation can be used as a starting point for the Activity and interspersed at regular intervals throughout the period of the Activity or used as a means of helping students to reinforce their understanding of key terms and issues. Much of the Activity guides students through using the Biz/ed site and its related links to access key economic data - a valuable skill in itself - so it may be advisable to spend some time working through the Activity prior to the lesson in order to build an understanding of where the relevant links and data are located.