The Economy — Lesson 408
The Value of Money
Students study the Federal Reserve system using cartoon booklets available from the Federal Reserve Bank of NY. Students also break into groups, choose a country and a currency, and then research exchange rates compared to the US$.
What Students Learn
- Who establishes the value of money?
- Why does it fluctuate?
- How do exchange rates impact our everyday lives?
Suggested Time
- Preview and Episode Viewing: 45 minutes
- Activity 1: 30 minutes
- Activity 2: 30 minutes
Credits: Currency Mash-Up
Lessons in The Economy

Lesson
The Value of Money
What Students Learn
-
Considering all the global currencies, what determines the value of money? What are the factors that impact the American Dollar?
Lesson
Money Moves
What Students Learn
-
Follow a dollar bill as it moves from a depositor’s hand, to the bank vault, over to the Federal Reserve, and finally out to a project the bank is financing.
Lesson
The Global Economy
What Students Learn
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Go around the world and follow the flow of imports and exports that make up the interconnected world economy.
Lesson
Economic Cycles
What Students Learn
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Economic cycles go up and down. Learn how to protect yourself against negative effects and plan for the positive trends.
Lesson
The Economics of Economics
What Students Learn
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See how businesses use economic principles to make financial decisions, from micro to macro economics, supply and demand, and economic indicators.