Government decisions game
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Introduction
By playing a game, students develop an understanding of the trade-offs that governments make when they intervene in the economy and the complexities involved in deciding how to allocate limited resources to serve community needs.
Achievement standard
By the end of Year 8, students explain how markets operate and recognise why governments may influence the market’s operation. They explain the rights and responsibilities of consumers and businesses in terms of financial and economic decision-making. They explain why different types of businesses exist and describe the different ways businesses can respond to opportunities in the market. Students describe influences on the way people work and factors that may affect work in the future.
When researching, students develop questions and gather relevant data and information from different sources to investigate an economic or business issue. They interpret data to identify trends and relationships. They propose a range of alternative responses to an issue and evaluate the costs and benefits of each alternative. They apply economics and business knowledge, skills and concepts to familiar and unfamiliar problems. Students develop and present evidence-based conclusions using appropriate texts, subject-specific language and concepts. They identify the effects of an economic or business decision and the potential consequences of alternative actions.
Content descriptions
Economics and Business Knowledge and Understanding
The ways markets in Australia operate to enable the distribution of resources, and why they may be influenced by government (ACHEK027).
Economics and Business Skills
Generate a range of alternatives in response to an observed economic or business issue or event, and evaluate the potential costs and benefits of each alternative (ACHES035).
Apply economics and business knowledge, skills and concepts in familiar and new situations (ACHES036).
Teacher resources
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What is the government Budget?
Government decision cards
Government decisions game
Writing paragraphs in Economics
Student learning resources
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Government decisions game
Writing paragraphs in Economics
Suggested activity sequence
This sequence is intended as a framework to be modified and adapted by teachers to suit the needs of a class group.
- Play: What is the government Budget? This video explains how the government prepares a Budget each year to show how the tax collected will be spent.
- Discuss with students key terminology and as a class define each term. If possible, write these on the board for students to copy.
Key terms
- Australian Government Budget
- Tax revenue
- Tax spending
- Budget categories
- Organise students into groups of 6.
- Give each group a set of cards.
- Each group will also need one recording sheet.
- Use the game instructions to explain to students how to play the game.
- When students have finished playing the game, decide on the winning team.
- Debrief with students. Possible discussion prompts include:
- Was it difficult to make decisions on how to spend taxpayers’ money?
- Which budget categories did you spend more money on? Why did you choose these categories?
- When governments make spending decisions, there are trade-offs. What were your team’s trade-offs? What did you spend less money on? Why?
- Which teams ran out of money to spend?
- What does this tell you about the decisions governments have to make?
- Why can’t citizens have everything they want?
- Students write a paragraph explaining how tax revenue is spent and the trade-offs associated with government decisions. If necessary, refer students refer to the writing paragraphs in Economics model, or teach them explicitly using writing paragraphs in Economics visualiser.