William Walstad, author of several hundred scholarly works on economic education and director of the National Center for Research in Economic Education, claims that economics should be taught to children because being in a society that relies heavily on informed citizenry and personal economic decision-making, basic economic literacy is just as important as learning science or math. It is, therefore, never too early to start learning economics.

​At PNA, it is our mission to educate students to become independent thinkers and problem solvers. Being an independent thinker means making wise decisions, not just in school, but in life. In the real world, limited resources influence economic decisions. It is essential to help students learn about available resources and to compare the benefits and cost of individual choices. So in third grade, students are currently learning about how Alaskans use resources (natural, human, and capital) to make goods and services. At the end of this unit, students are expected to be able to identify resources in Alaska and how they influence economic development. As an entry event for this joint PBL unit, second and third grade went to the hatchery to learn about one of the biggest Alaskan economic resources.

Stay tuned as third graders take on another PBL unit!