California Has Plenty Of Water?

A Case of Scarcity

 
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Introduction
The California water problem is serious and is likely to be in the news for some time to come.  The problem is basically one of identifying conservation measures that will result in more efficient use of the current water supply by decreasing the quantity demanded.   Given the heavy subsidization for water to farm use and the fact that farmers use up to 85 percent of the West's water, the core of the problem is with agriculture.

If a shortage exists, the solution is simple.  A shortage means simply that the quantity demanded exceeds the quantity supplied AT A PARTICULAR PRICE.  The easiest solution is to raise the price and eliminate the shortage.  A good is scare if there is not enough available at a zero price to meet the demand. thus, water and oil are scare, but garbage and dirty air are not.  The issue that the module addresses is whether the current method of allocating water in California is satisfactory. 

 

Subject  Economics
Topic: Scarcity, Property rights, 
Grade Level: 12th
Student Lesson name and URL:
Standards Addressed

Twelfth Grade
Economics

12.1 Students understand common economic terms and concepts and economic reasoning

 Examine the casual relationship between scarcity and the need for choices

Evaluate the role of private property as an incentive in conserving and improving scarce resources, including renewable and nonrenewable natural resources.

Price supports tend to be confusing when they are graphed because ceilings are drawn below the equilibrium price, and supports (or floors) are drawn above the equilibrium price.  This confuses students who cannot understand why floors are positioned over ceilings.  It is helpful to graph each separately on two different graphs.  

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Instructional Objectives
  1. Student will be able to identify different types of property rights and discuss the importance of those rights in allocating scare resources.
  2. Student will be able to demonstrate a distinction between shortage and scarcity
  3. Student will be able to identify the elements of tradition in our economy and explain the consequences of not using price to allocate scare resources
  4. Student will be able to graph at least one possible solution to California's water problem (clearly identifying the market affected) and use the graph to explain  the economic impact of that choice.
  5. Student will be able to correctly graph the impact that an increase in the price of water has on the quantity demanded.

StudentActivities                            
Insert brief summaries of your introductory, enabling, and culminating activities. Insert links to online resources in your text and insert links to activities on your student lesson web site.
Introductory Activity
. Introduce the activity by defining the word scarcity and asking students to provide examples of scarcities with which they’re familiar. Then ask students if they’ve ever experienced water scarcity, such as a drought. If so, what was it like? What did they have to do to conserve water? What was the cause of the scarcity? If no students have been through a water shortage, ask them what they think it would be like and what they think they’d have to do in such a situation.

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Enabling Activity(ies)
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Culminating Activity
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Assessment
Insert your grading rubric for the culminating activity or a link to your rubric or test document file.

Results
After implementing your lesson (sometime between January & March), insert a chart of your pre-test, post-test, and culminating assessment data.


 

 
Web Resources & Supplementary Materials                                              

Introductory Activity
List and link the web resources for this activity here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files and /or document files.

Enabling Activity
List and link the web resources for your learning activity(ies) here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files and /or document files.

Culminating Activity
List and link the web resources for this activity here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files and /or document files.

Water Table

Data Tables  http://www.econedlink.org/datalinks/index.html

 


 

Warner High School
Warner Springs, CA
Joyce Jennings jjenning@sdcoe.k12.ca.us
Last Revised: 08/05/00