Liz and I reviewed Economics for Everybody Curriculum by Roman Roads Media.
I like the Pinterest-ish, retro chalkboard look of the cover!
This is a Christian worldview economics program.
Liz attempted to begin the series on her own. She was not too successful because the content was unlike what she’s ever done before. I rearranged our school schedule so I could sit with her in the afternoons so we could view the video lessons and work through the questions together. I preview the outline with Liz and then we watch the videos together. We discuss and answer the short answer and discussion questions together. There is an answer key and additional links in the downloadable scope and sequence.
This material is pretty advanced! I took a high school economics course (which was nothing like this!), a great marketing class, and lots of history studies…and I have more life experience. I still find the material pretty dense and awfully quick-moving. The first couple lessons were a great overview and introduction, then lesson three is like, whoa – really meaty, loads of info, and lots of examples not mentioned in the video that we have to read in the outline for full understanding. It moves very quickly from then on and you can’t get distracted or you have to watch it again for comprehension.
I know why Liz was lost. She’s only 13. She doesn’t have the life experience to make the connections and understand a lot of the discussion questions or examples, but she was able to relate to the history mentioned and loves the old movie clips.
I really like the film clips from old movies, newsreels, and historical films that drive home the messages in the lessons.
Since we’re just now beginning year 4 in our history cycle, this program is a great supplement to our studies. And I think it will be a great plan to have Liz repeat this program when she’s older, for reinforcement.
What I love:
- Combining worldview and economics. Academics and theology. Use of Bible verses, doctrines, and principles. This is not some mathematical “dismal and dreary” class. R.C. Sproul, Jr., mentions that successful economics cannot be divorced from God. God is everywhere and in everything.
- Great for several different learning styles. Visual learners get the videos to view fun old movie clips and fast-paced examples to the lecture. Aural learners get the ability to listen to the audio portion of the video. Verbal learners get to read along with the outline (I love the outline!).
- Several different levels of assessment: multiple choice questions, short answer, and discussion. Liz aced the low-level multiple choice, but struggled on her own to answer completely the short answer and discussion questions. I prompted and guided and discussed where he mentioned the answers in the video and outline.
- Extra resources for further study: Christian economics textbooks, Christian materials, and very academic economics books are listed for more information for further study. I doubt Liz will want to explore all these on her own, but they’re a great list for someone who loves economics and history.
What is confusing:
A Christian worldview economics program, with 12 short video lessons with accompanying outlines, multiple choice questions, several short answer questions, and several discussion questions for each lesson – recommended for 1/2 credit of high school economics.
From FAQs on the high school credit: “by itself as a lighter study to introduce basic economics concepts (9th/10th graders), or used together with another economics textbook as a more in-depth study for students with worldview training (10th/11th/12th graders).”
I do not feel comfortable counting this video as high school credit at all. Suggested resources include three texts: the advanced Foundations of Economics by Shawn Ritenour, the highly recommended Basic Economics by Carson and Cleveland, and Prosperity and Poverty by E. Calvin Beisner which is very similar to the concepts presented by R.C. Sproul, Jr., I plan to purchase Basic Economics and review the material so my kids can get high school credit.
Is it a Bible study or an economics course? Perhaps I was expecting more of the economics. The short lessons move so quickly that most of the vocabulary is barely skimmed, certainly not learned. The concepts are so complex, yet the program glosses over the history and explanation to drive home the anti-socialist beliefs of the speaker. I would prefer more comprehensive lesson plans that dig deeper with the economics. This is more a worldview study than economics. There is little practical here.
Liz loved the mother-daughter time with the viewing and discussion.
Lessons 1 to 5 introduce key economic principles. Lessons 6 and 7 explain the relationships between theology, philosophy, and economics. Lessons 9 to 12 examine the application of economics in real-life systems.
2 DVDs, Spiral-bound guide, 236 ages is $45.00 (download coming soon!)
The recommendation is for 6th grade and up.
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