Economic Decision Making

SUBJECT TEACHER GRADE DATE

Education 220 Mariah Connor 6-12

OVERVIEW
This lesson plan is designed to be used in conjunction with the film Prison Town, USA, which tells the
story of a small town (Susanville, California) that tries to resuscitate its economy by hosting a prison.
This lesson will explore factors that influence economic decision making at both the individual and
community levels

Teacher Guide Student Guide

Objectives Help Students identify factors
that influence their personal
decisions regarding
employment.
help students to view and
practice skills and notetaking
strategies to understand and
interpret a video clip
Identify factors that influence their personal
decisions regarding employment.
Use viewing skills and notetaking strategies to
understand and interpret a video clip that
illustrates employment decisions made by
residents of Susanville, California.
Work in groups to research and synthesize
information for a presentation that makes a
case for or against hosting a prison in an
economically depressed rural community.

Act as a member of a planning commission

and vote on whether or not hosting a prison is
an appropriate economic development
strategy for the community

Materials/equipment video clips from the POV Pen and or pencil

website for Prison Town, USA,
Notebook
copy of the film and a
Handout provided by teacher
VHS/DVD player and monitor

Computers with Internet

access

Handouts for students

 Teacher Guide Student Guide

Instructions/activity Teacher will first present film Students will listen and engage watching the
clips clips provided by the teacher.

Next the teacher will then give

a group participation activity
to class with handout.
TREAMING VIDEO CLIPS

Clip 1: Job Opportunities in

Susanville, California (5:00)

In this first clip, job prospects

in Susanville, California are
shown to be dire. Working at
the prison is one of the few
options left for Susanville
residents.

Clip 2: Frank Ferris (1:30)

Frank Ferris, a fifth-generation

rancher living in Susanville,
explains that ranching cant
sustain his family. For the past
22 years hes been working as a
correctional officer in the
prisons.

Clip 3: Economic Impact of

Prisons (3:00)

In this clip, the economic impact

of the prison in Susanville is
assessed by residents. The
prison originally supported local
businesses, but now the prison
wants to take their business
away from the local dairy
business. Residents talk about
the changes in Susanville since
the prison came to town.

Activity

Ask students who work why

they chose the job that they did.
If no students in the class are
employed, ask them to imagine

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 Teacher Guide Student Guide

where they would choose to

work if they could and why. List
factors influencing their
decisions (e.g., job wages,
location, work involved,
available positions locally,
employee discounts, etc.) on the
board. Point out that a persons
employment decisions are often
shaped by a number of factors.

Explain that the class is going

to take a closer look at factors
influencing employment
decisions by watching two brief
video clips featuring residents of
the town of Susanville,
California. Explain that
Susanville is a rural community
that has experienced a number
of changes to its local economy
in recent years. As a result,
residents have needed to adjust
to these new circumstances and
make certain decisions about
their employment.

Pass out the Viewing Guide to

help focus student viewing, and
then show these clips:

Clip 1: Job Opportunities in

Susanville, California (length:
approximately 5:00)

Clip 2: Frank Ferris, Fifth

Generation Rancher (length:
approximately 1:30)

Discuss the issues that affect

the employment decisions for
Dawayne, Gabe and Frank (for
example, limited opportunities,
job skills, wages and benefits,
need to support a family, etc.).
Compare them to the list of
factors affecting employment
decisions from Step 1. Which
factors are most and least

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 Teacher Guide Student Guide

influential for students when

making employment decisions?
What about for the residents of
Susanville?

Part 2: Community Economic

Development Decisions (Two 50-
minute class periods)

Ask students to imagine that

they are members of a planning
commission for a small, rural
community that is economically
depressed. Explain that the
state wants to build another
prison and thinks some state-
owned land in your area would
be the ideal location.

Divide students into four

groups; two that favor the idea
of hosting a prison in your
community and two that are
against it. Using the websites in
the Resources section, the video
clip Economic Impact of
Prisons, and other research
materials, have each group
create a persuasive presentation
that makes its assigned case
either for or against bringing a
prison to town.

Allow class time for a

planning commission meeting
where each group makes its
presentation to the board.
Then, have each student vote
for or against hosting the prison
by writing a paragraph that
states his or her position and
then justifies this view using
information shared in the
presentations.

Share with the class the

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 Teacher Guide Student Guide

results of the vote.

Summary In conclusion as a teacher I In conclusion students are aware that

have showed and explained to economic decision making is very vital to their
students that economic everyday life. This can have personal effects
dececsion making is very to family, friends and even martial partners.
imperative to our everyday
lives. This lesson was
designed to open up students
to these dilemmas they may
be faced with in the real
world.

Evaluation This lesson is designed to

affect attitudes and outcomes
on economic decision making.
Basic questions help us to dig
deeper to understand when
making these decisions even
more.

RESOURCES

A Primer: Three Strikes The Impact After More Than a

Decade. California Legislative Analysts Office. October 2005.
http://www.lao.ca.gov/2005/3_Strikes/3_strikes_102005.htm

Big Prisons, Small Towns: Prison Economics in Rural America.

The Sentencing Project. February 2003.

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 http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/
articles_publications/publications/bigprisons_20030201

California Prison Boom Ends, Signaling a Shift in Priorities.

Sara B. Miller. The Christian Science Monitor. June 20, 2005.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0620/p03s02-usju.html
The Prison-Industrial Complex. Eric Schlosser. The Atlantic
Monthly. December 1998.