NEW YORK – The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released its latest print comic book, "A Story of Interest (and Supervision!)." The new comic book is available to teachers, students and households, and includes an "Economic Activity Book" created for middle school-age children, students, parents and educators to use in remote learning environments, inside the classroom, or at a museum.
The Economic Activity Book: How Do We Get the Things We Want, complements topics included in the comic book series. The 20-page activity book explores the comic book universe to understand and answer the question, "How do people get the things they want?" by introducing students to the three basic economic questions: What to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce? This booklet includes activities about goods and services, barter and trade, and currency and money.
"Given the current remote learning environment for many students, we decided to create this activity book to supplement the comic books and lesson plans so that kids can work on their own with limited-to-no teacher or parent supervision" said David Erickson, head of the New York Fed's Outreach and Education function. "This new resource provides a self-guided study format for middle school students to learn independently through a fun, remote/interactive or in-person experience across print and digital platforms. For teachers new to economics, it's an even more accessible resource."
This comic book is the fourth in the series which includes, "A Story of Monetary Policy," "The Story of the Federal Reserve System," and "Once Upon A Dime". The New York Fed expects to release Spanish-language translations of "The Story of the Federal Reserve System" (La Historia del Sistema de la Reserva Federal) and "The Story of Monetary Policy" (La Historia de la Política Monetaria) on October 7.
Print copies of the comic books, lesson plans, and economic activity books can be requested online. Teachers may request 35 copies of each title and activity book. Households may request three copies of each title and activity book. Additionally, the comic books and related materials are available online and can be downloaded.
For more information about obtaining the comic books and related Economic Activity Book and/or lesson plans, please contact Jenn Kahn at jenn.kahn@ny.frb.org.
