Shmoop Launches Economics Curriculum and Games

Online, June 30, 2010 (Newswire.com) - MOUNTAIN VIEW, California. (June 28, 2010) - Shmoop (www.shmoop.com), a publisher of digital resources that make learning fun and relevant for students, today announced its public beta test of Shmoop Economics. Shmoop Economics is a free online resource whose writers are master teachers from Stanford and UC Berkeley Ph.D. programs. The same great website that compared Great Gatsby to Real Housewives and compares characters from The Scarlet Letter to those in Harry Potter now makes economics more fun for students by using games, current events, and even music videos.

Shmoop introduces its first series of role-playing games, where students are thrown in the hot seat as a policymaker or business leader facing tough decisions. By choosing the right path through a game, students can "Notch" short cartoon vignettes to their collection of life experiences on their Shmoop Profile.

"As the global economy and labor markets become increasingly complex, teaching economic literacy can no longer be an afterthought for high schools and colleges," said Ellen Siminoff, CEO of Shmoop. "Shmoop wants to help build a better prepared 21st century workforce by making economics more fun and interesting for students."

Shmoop Makes Economics Fun & Current:

• Play Games, Add Notches: In one of nine new role-playing adventures, students put on President Obama's shoes and tackle tough economic policy decisions. Should you implement cap-and-trade on carbon emissions? Some decisions will tick off the environmentalists. Some will drive industry lobbyists up the wall. Find the right balance and Notch a hidden cartoon to your Shmoop Profile.
• Current Events: Real-world issues help deliver a more meaningful intellectual and emotional punch. Shmoop discusses layoffs, challenges that teens face in the changing labor market, tariffs on sneakers, and what the national debt will mean to young generations of students as they grow up.
• Pop Culture & Music: Sing it loud. Key concepts in Shmoop Economics are illustrated with song. What better to drive home the concept of supply and demand than the song of the same name by Swedish punk band The Hives. Want to help students understand opportunity costs? Listen to the post-punk classic "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" by The Clash.

Shmoop Economics Beta is now open at: http://www.shmoop.com/economics/