This lesson guide is designed to help U.S. history teachers and students in grades 8-11 examine historic events through basic economic reasoning. It lends itself to instruction grounded in inquiry learning, direct instruction, and cooperative learning. It calls for students to be engaged in case studies, simulation exercises, and group work, as well as lectures, class discussion, reading, and writing. This volume (1 of 2) includes eight units, each of which presents a unit overview, two to seven lessons (26 altogether), and sample test items. Each lesson includes an introduction that summarizes the historical facts and economic principles to be used in the lesson, a concept list, instructional objectives, an estimate of the time required for instruction, and a list of instructional materials, including visuals for transparencies, and student activities. Each lesson contains detailed teaching procedures, which typically begin with a statement of purpose and include discussion questions, activities, anticipated responses, and answers to questions posed in the activities. Each lesson culminates with a closure activity that reviews learning, provides a lesson summary, or invites additional applications. The program is designed for supplemental use with a secondary U.S. history textbook and is intended to integrate the study of history and economics. The program is not intended for use as a self-contained history course; it focuses only on the economic dimensions of U.S. history. (Author/BB)