The current financial crisis has been in the news for the last five months and promises to be a major focus of President Obama and his new administration during their first few years. Financial illiteracy by the average citizen is often cited as one contributing cause to the creation of unsustainable economic bubbles that end in hardship for most Americans.

Many economists indicate that a better understanding of finance and economics is necessary to help eliminate or reduce these bubbles in the future--21st-century financial literacy.

Unfortunately, most schools today, and in the past, place little or no emphasis on economics and finance in the required curriculum. So, most people have to learn important concepts by trial and error that reduce their opportunities for personal financial success and the nation's economic success overall.

Many new TV shows have begun to deliver more financial and economic information to adults who watch; but the schools still don't consider this a required curriculum course at any level--including colleges.

You can begin making a difference with your students by creating activities that give students a chance to learn more about economics and finance. This would be especially motivating because it addresses real-life issues that affect most students.

Assign students to select one of these financial topics to research: mortgages, credit cards, banking, bailouts, taxes, and deficits (you can add others).

Students should create a report of at least 100 words or a PowerPoint of at least two minutes that cites at least two resources. These reports/presentations should address the following examples of essential questions for critical thinking (you can create or substitute others):

• Why did you select this problem and how does it affect your family?
• What is the problem that exists with this financial system topic in our current economy?
• What is the current proposed solution by government to solve this problem?
• Do you think that this will work and why/why not?

Use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.

On January 3, 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the proclamation admitting Alaska as the 49th state in the Union. The recent presidential campaign gave Alaskans an opportunity to showcase their popular governor, Sarah Palin, as the Republican candidate for Vice President.

Americans also had an opportunity to learn more about Alaska's oil and its potential to help wean us off our reliance on foreign oil--“Drill baby, drill.” It also gave us an opportunity to learn more about the corrupt politics of Alaska in the defeats of former Governor Frank Murkowski to Sarah Palin, and Republican Senator Ted Stevens to Democrat Mark Begich. But there's a lot of positives that help Alaska contribute to the overall economy and culture of the United States.

eLibrary Elementary BookCarts are flexible lesson plans for inquiry-based learning activities. Instead of wasting time searching for and selecting appropriate topics in eLibrary Elementary, assign students to open a BookCart that minimizes searching and maximizes learning. BookCarts can include all the information and resources that students need to complete the learning activity:

• Essential Questions for Critical Thinking that guide and motivate students
• Student Directions that list what students are expected to do with the resources
• Correlated Print Resources provide call numbers for students to include in their research
• Quizzes when appropriate to assess student knowledge of content

ProQuest has created a BookCart learning activity for your students to use: Alaska History and Resources.

It includes three models of essential questions for critical thinking that you can assign to your students. You can even create more of these or substitute others that challenge your students. Here are the instructions for you to copy this BookCart into your local collection for students to use:

• Logon to the eLibrary Elementary Teacher Edition to access BookCart Editor.
• Click the BookCart Admin link at the top right of the Teacher Edition.
• Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
• Type Alaska History and Resources in the Search box
• Click the Copy icon in the Actions column to the right of this title.
• Click Return to My Local Carts.

This BookCart can easily be edited for most effective use:

• Click the new BookCart Title with the prefix "Copy of."
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your first and last name in the Author boxes.
• Type your email address in the box next to Author.
• Edit the sample of STUDENT DIRECTIONS in the Description box.
• Option: Type call numbers for print resources related to this topic.
• Scroll down and click Save.
• Click My Local Carts tab to see your newly-edited and ready-to use learning activity!

Assign students to learn more about a particular aspect of Alaska history, oil, wildlife, national parks, fishing, and tourism (you can create additional categories). Students should create a report of at least 100 words or a PowerPoint of at least two minutes that cites at least two resources.

These reports/presentations should address the following examples of essential questions for critical thinking (you can create or substitute others):

• What is unique about Alaska and this topic?
• How does this topic affect the rest of the U.S. and you?
• Would you like to visit Alaska--why or why not?
• What are the three things you think are most important about Alaska and why?

Pathfinder # 1: Type the phrase Alaska history in the Search box
Pathfinder # 2: Type the phrase Alaska wildlife in the Search box
Pathfinder # 3: Type the phrase Alaska national parks in the Search box
Additional pathfinders will include the topic selected or assigned.

Remember -- use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.