Class Visits to the Adventure
Visit Highlights | Scheduling
a Visit | Pre-Visit Preparation
Post-Visit Activities | Teacher
Workshops
Visit
Highlights
A class journey through the Adventure takes about two hours. Students
first see how standards of living in New England have improved over
the past 200 hundred years; displays of household possessions and
images and information on health and education tell the story. Students
then play a series of investment games that illustrate how the gains
in our standard of living are the result of technology, investment,
and personal initiative.
Student groups may also visit a changing
exhibit that complements the Adventure.
By prior arrangement, visits can be extended beyond
two hours, and classes can take advantage of programs in the Bank's
Economic
Education Laboratory that further develop the Adventure's themes
of rising living standards and the sources of economic growth. The
Bank's scheduler can assist you in working out these additional
arrangements.
To maximize the benefits of a visit to the Adventure,
classes should make use of the pre-visit and post-visit materials
available on this web site. The Bank's education staff will be happy
to assist.
To schedule a class visit to the New England Economic Adventure, please
call 1-800-409-1333. Press 5 for access to the voice messaging service
and leave the requested information. Our scheduler will call you
back to confirm dates and work out arrangements. We are limited
to 40 visitors at a time.
The following time slots are available
for visiting the Adventure:
| Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
10:30 a.m.
2:30 p.m.
|
9:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
2:30 p.m.
|
9:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
2:30 p.m.
|
closed to school groups |
9:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
|
Directions to the Adventure are
available.
Students may not bring backpacks, cameras, or other metal items
into the Bank.
No food is available to student groups.
A number of other educational experiences are located within close
proximity of the Boston Fed. Please refer to other
places your class can visit for information on complementary
exhibits in the area. The Bank's scheduler can assist you in making
arrangements to combine your visit to the Adventure with a visit
to another local program.
For more information on visiting the Adventure, take a look at
our full-color brochure.
Pre-Visit
Preparation
Teachers can use many of the materials on this web site to help set
the stage for a successful Adventure visit. Your class may wish to
go over some of the materials on a preliminary basis before the visit
and again, more thoroughly and with greater understanding, afterwards.
A useful starting point is Spotlight
on Standard of Living, the Winter 2003 issue of The Ledger,
the Bank's economic education newsletter. Spotlight on Standard
of Living is an excellent introduction to the multiple facets of
this concept.
To make the most of the investment game experience, we suggest
that teachers review with their class the concept of the time
value of money and the glossary of
investment-game terms provided on this site.
- Games and Activities includes a variety
of activities demonstrating how material living standards have
changed since the 1800s. An online quiz
checks students' understanding of the standard of living concept
and how changes occur.
- Profiles of the three entrepreneurs
featured in the investment games provide more information about
the lives of these individuals and the results of their investment
decisions.
- The Rising Standards Gazette
provides a broad outline of the shifting nature of economic growth
in New England. The Gazette highlights how New England
has "reinvented" its economy more than once when old paths to
prosperity no longer worked and new ways were needed.
- A primer on living standards and economic
growth provides (1) an explanation of the concepts of economic
growth and standard of living, (2) an introduction to economic
growth theory, and (3) the historical record of U.S. economic
growth. A glossary of economic-growth
terms accompanies the primer.
- A timeline of key events
highlights major economic developments in New England and allows
students to see the historical context in which they occurred.
Numerous links and references to further information are provided.
The timeline can serve as the basis for a variety of exercises
to help students appreciate the importance of key economic events.
- Spotlight
on Standard of Living, the Winter 2003 issue of The Ledger,
the Bank's economic education newsletter, is useful for post-visit
as well as pre-visit purposes. The concept of "standard of living"
is explained, and there are examples of how standards of living
have risen over time. The issue is designed to engage the interest
of the student audience.
- Adventure staff have reviewed many online programs offered
by other sources and compiled a list of recommended
lesson plans from that teachers can use to build on Adventure
themes and content. Possibilities for longer-term
student projects are also suggested.
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