Do I have the Resources I Need to Make My Product?

This task is for use in the context of a classroom Mini-Economy, in which students create their own businesses. Resources for starting this project can be found at www.vaminieconomy.org.

Students brainstorm and list all the productive resources—natural, human, and capital—they will need for making goods or services in their Mini-Economy business. They then brainstorm alternative uses for those resources. Students then complete a writing assignment in which they justify the use of the resources and explain how the fundamental concepts of scarcity and opportunity cost affect their business.