Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Revolutionary Money
A two-lesson plan unit using the Smithsonian collection of currency to teach students about the first American money. Other resources are given and all materials are downloadable.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: What Is a Gift Economy?
What if, this holiday season, instead of saying "thank you" to your aunt for her gift of a knitted sweater, the polite response expected from you was to show up at her house in a week with a better gift? Or to vote for her in the town...
Other
Roy Davies: Money
Explore the past, present, and future of money. Learn about exchange rates, money forms, banking, and more.
PBS
Nova Online: History of Money
A timeline of money from 9000 B.C. to the present day that explains the types of money being used at various times in history.
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Pennies Make Cents
Students will review the history of trade before money and will investigate the history of money. Students will locate information about the first coin authorized by the United States and will learn about the penny.
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Agent Pincher: P Is for Penny or Where Did Money Come From?
What if we woke up tomorrow and found that there were no more pennies? Or what if we found that money had disappeared altogether -- not only from our pockets but from banks, stores and all the other places where we would expect to find...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: No Funny Money, Honey I Want the Real Thing!
Do you know what funny money is? It's NOT the real thing! Find out how our government tries to make our money hard to copy in this lesson about real and fake money.
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: I Have No Money, Would You Take a Wampum?
This site teaches students about traditional economies and how exchanges of goods and services were made before money. Students learn about a bater economy which predates our traditional economy.
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Why Do We Need Money? Think About Ebay!
The students investigate money--its purpose and functions. They complete an exercise, using the online auction site eBay, to learn why money is critical to an economy.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Definition, Measurement, and Functions of Money
Practice and gain better understanding of the money supply and the purpose of money.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Adventures in Math: Lesson 1: Money Basics
Why do we use money? Learn why we need money and to identify bills and coins.
Digital History
Digital History: The Eve of the Industrial Revolution
A brief review of how the nation changed from 1790 to the 1820s. See how the production of goods moved from the home to factories and read about the change in the way workers were compensated.