Access this year's Teacher Talk tip resources, linked below.
AUGUST - COLORADO
In Colorado, part of the Rocky Mountain region, key economic factors include energy, mining, manufacturing, transportation, wholesale trade, professional and business services, as well as tourism. Denver also has a branch office of the Kansas City Fed.
- External LinkCounterfeit Currency (K-5)
- External LinkColorado State Quarter (K-5)
- External LinkDenver Mint video (K-5)
- External LinkDebt Study by Experian (6-8)
- External LinkColorado Manufacturing (6-8)
- External LinkColorado Trade (9-12)
- External LinkBureau of Labor Statistics (9-12)
- External LinkLocation, Location, Location: Let's Start a Business lesson (9-12)
SEPTEMBER - KANSAS
Kansas' economic activity is geared toward agriculture, construction, tourism, and information.
- External LinkLife Cycle of Money (K-5)
- External LinkSweet Potato Pie lesson (K-5)
- External LinkTen Mile Day lesson (6-8)
- External LinkExoduster(6-8)
- External LinkWomen's Suffrage Sunflower(6-8)
- External LinkKansas Agriculture (6-8, 9-12)
- External LinkFollow the Yellow Brick Road booklet (9-12)
- External LinkTenth District Databook (9-12)
OCTOBER - MISSOURI
Western Missouri falls within the Kansas City Fed district and its key economic industries are mining, construction, tourism, and professional and business services. It is also home to our head office in Kansas City and the other part of Missouri is shared with the St. Louis Fed, making it the only state with two Federal Reserve head offices.
- External LinkFed Structure video (K-5)
- External LinkInventor's Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford lesson (K-5)
- External LinkNegro Leagues Baseball video (6-8)
- External LinkProgress Through Parity lesson (9-12)
- External LinkMissouri Crops (9-12)
- External LinkMissouri Minimum Wage (9-12)
- External LinkMissouri Manufacturing (9-12)
NOVEMBER - NEBRASKA
Nebraska's key economic industries include agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, and information. It also has one of the Kansas City Fed's three branch offices in Omaha.
- External LinkSaving Strawberry Farm lesson (K-5)
- External LinkScraps of Time: Abby Takes a Stand (6-8)
- External LinkNebraska Crops (9-12)
DECEMBER - NEW MEXICO
The Kansas City Fed serves northern New Mexico, part of the Rocky Mountain area, where key industries include energy, mining, construction, retail and wholesale trade, tourism, and manufacturing. The other part of New Mexico is shared with the Dallas Fed.
- Community Banks (9-12)
JANUARY - OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma's key economic drivers include agriculture, energy, mining, wholesale trade, transportation, financial activities, tourism, and Oklahoma City is home to a branch office of the Kansas City Fed.
- External LinkGlo Goes Shopping lesson (K-5)
- External LinkEarly Forms of Money lesson (6-8)
- External LinkWhat Makes a Senator lesson (9-12)
- External LinkRed Cross Disaster Relief (9-12)
FEBRUARY - WYOMING
The Rocky Mountains include Wyoming, where key industries include energy, mining, construction, manufacturing, retail trade, tourism, and professional and business services.
- External LinkMy Side of the Mountain lesson (6-8)
- External Link19th Amendment (9-12)
- External LinkJackson Hole Economic Symposium (9-12)
MARCH - AGRICULTURE
The Kansas City Fed is a leader within the Federal Reserve System on topics related to the agricultural economy. Our work provides insights on agricultural and rural economies for our seven-state region and beyond.
- External LinkTime for Cranberries lesson (K-5)
- External LinkThe Lorax lesson (K-5)
- External LinkWorth lesson (6-8)
- External LinkHomestead Act of 1862 (9-12)
- Russia-Ukraine Conflict article (9-12)
APRIL - ENERGY
The Kansas City Fed actively focuses on energy-related economic research. Our work provides insights on the energy industry within our district, as well as nationally and globally.
- External LinkThe Ox Cart Man lesson (K-5)
- External LinkVehicle Fuel (6-8)
- External LinkOne Plastic Bag lesson (6-8)
MAY - MANUFACTURING
The Kansas City Fed regularly monitors the economic impact of manufacturing plants and their activity, including production, shipments, and price changes of raw materials and finished products.
- External LinkConsumers and Producers video (K-5)
- External LinkSky Boys lesson (K-5)
- External LinkTeaching Tips: Rebuilding Rural Manufacturing (9-12)
- Manufacturing Survey (9-12)
Join our mail list to receive the Teacher Talk Planner!
Educators in the Kansas City Fed district are welcome to sign up to receive a complimentary copy of the current Teacher Talk Planner. Let us know if you're interested by emailing your contact information and physical mailing address. New planners are distributed in the fall.
Access more Teacher Talk Planner tips!
Tips compiled from previous Teacher Talk Planners have been consolidated into Bite-Size Economics, which can easily be integrated into K-12 classrooms through reading, problem solving, social studies, and language arts, as well as economics, personal finance and career prep courses. Check out Bite-Size Economics linked below.
- External Link2010-2011 Bite-Size Economics: These tips were taken from the 2010-2011 Teacher Talk Planner and can help students understand fundamental economic concepts such as scarcity, opportunity cost, incentive, market, entrepreneur, and more.
- External Link2012-2013 Bite-Size Economics: These tips were pulled from the 2012-2013 Teacher Talk Planner and focus on activities related to economic concepts and their opposites like wants vs. needs, costs vs. benefits, profit vs. loss, shortage vs. surplus, asset vs. liability, and so on.