Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Economics
Lesson Topic: The macroeconomic aims of government: full employment/low unemployment
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the concept of full employment and differentiate between cyclical, frictional, structural, and classical unemployment.
  • Explain how demand‑side and supply‑side policies can be used to reduce unemployment.
  • Analyse the potential trade‑offs (inflation, budget deficit, crowding‑out) associated with policies aimed at achieving full employment.
  • Evaluate the short‑run and long‑run impacts of fiscal and monetary measures on the labour market.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen for slides/diagrams
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Printed handout with unemployment table and AD‑AS diagram
  • Calculator worksheets for unemployment‑rate calculations
  • Sticky notes for quick polls
  • Laptop with internet access for optional video clip
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick poll: “If you were looking for a job today, how confident would you feel?” Use responses to highlight why full employment matters. Review the previous lesson on aggregate demand and supply. State today’s success criteria: students will define full employment, identify policy tools, and discuss their trade‑offs.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5’) – Calculate the unemployment rate from a short data set on a worksheet.
  2. Mini‑lecture (10’) – Define full employment, outline types of unemployment, and explain why low unemployment is a macro‑economic aim.
  3. Interactive activity (12’) – In groups, match each type of unemployment with its typical policy response using the table; groups share findings.
  4. Demonstration (8’) – Show an AD‑AS diagram on the projector illustrating how expansionary fiscal policy shifts AD rightward toward full employment.
  5. Guided practice (10’) – Students work on a scenario, choose either fiscal or monetary policy to tackle cyclical unemployment, and predict associated side effects.
  6. Quick check (5’) – Exit ticket: write one sentence stating the main trade‑off of the chosen policy.
Conclusion:
Summarise that full employment is pursued through demand‑side and supply‑side measures, each bringing benefits and risks. Collect exit tickets noting one policy and its key trade‑off. For homework, assign a short essay comparing fiscal and monetary approaches to reducing cyclical unemployment.