THE COMMUNITY PUBLISHING COMPANY:
Teacher Resource Manual

From the Introduction

The Community Publishing Company is an economic education unit designed to teach the basic economic principles, skills, and attitudes all children must learn in order to understand the economic system in which they participate. To accomplish these goals, this guide relates the lessons and supporting materials to a child's everyday experience, provides practical examples of how our economic system operates, and incorporates numerous pathways for the instruction of other important subjects and skills including mathematics, language arts, group participation, research skills, art, and social studies. The lessons are designed to demonstrate to students that mastery of the subject taught in school equips them with tools for understanding the real world and taking effective action in it.

The six sections of the guide utilize a concrete approach through experiential learning. Each section provides an opportunity for children to view their community through an economic perspective. The final sections are designed to allow students to become involved in their community in an entrepreneurial enterprise as they produce, market, and sell a book about their town.

Promoting children's awareness that economic factors are an integral part of their lives and the life of their community is an important aspect of each lesson. Through an understanding of the economic reasons for their own actions and others, students develop positive attitudes toward their community and a sense of their capabilities as young citizens and entrepreneurs. This includes developing:

• Decision-making skills to deal with economic alternatives
• Awareness of people's similarities and interdependence
• Appreciation of entrepreneurship
• Enhanced self-esteem
• Feelings of responsibility to self and community