Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Economics
Lesson Topic: nature and meaning of a production possibility curve (PPC)
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the purpose and core assumptions of the Production Possibility Curve.
  • Explain how the shape of the PPC reflects constant or increasing opportunity cost.
  • Identify points of efficiency, inefficiency and unattainable output on a PPC diagram.
  • Analyse how changes in resources or technology shift the PPC outward or inward.
  • Calculate opportunity cost from a PPC data table and interpret the marginal rate of transformation.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Printed PPC worksheets (including data tables)
  • Graph paper or digital graphing tool
  • Calculator
  • Sticky notes for exit tickets
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick poll: “If you could only produce either smartphones or shoes, which would you choose and why?” Connect this to prior learning about scarcity and trade‑offs, then state that today students will learn how the PPC visualises these choices and the success criteria: drawing, interpreting and explaining shifts in the curve.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5'): Students write their poll answers on sticky notes and share brief trade‑off reasoning.
  2. Mini‑lecture (10'): Define the PPC, list its assumptions, and compare straight‑line vs. concave shapes.
  3. Guided practice (12'): Using the example table, calculate opportunity cost and plot the five points on graph paper.
  4. Group activity (15'): Teams receive factor cards (e.g., “technological improvement”, “natural disaster”) and shift the PPC accordingly, justifying the direction of the shift.
  5. Check for understanding (8'): Quick quiz (Kahoot or handout) asking students to label efficiency, inefficiency and unattainable points on a diagram.
  6. Summary discussion (5'): Recap key concepts, answer lingering questions, and preview the next lesson.
Conclusion:
Re‑emphasise that the PPC illustrates maximum output, efficiency and opportunity cost, and that outward or inward shifts signal economic growth or decline. For the exit ticket, each student writes one real‑world factor that would move the PPC outward and one that would shift it inward. Homework: read a short case study on economic growth and sketch a PPC showing the described shift.