FI$H Episode 4: Making Money

Able uses Fishnotes (as opposed to actual, perishable fish) to purchase items from Charlie, starting the Fishnote system. Can Fishnotes be trusted? What else will the islanders' buy?

Learn more at fisheconomics.org

This ten-part animated series from the Moving Picture Institute and Passing Lane Films follows the journey of three island-dwellers as they build their own economy. FI$H provides a uniquely comprehensive, free online resource for educators. The narrative episodes are accompanied by supplemental lectures, as well as extensive lesson plans that conform to both state and voluntary standards.

Why do prices rise or fall? What governs the level of employment and unemployment? Why do some societies succeed in generating ever more wealth, while others seem to fall behind and remain poor?

Trying to answer these questions is tough. The complexity of the economy seems incomprehensible. So where do you start?

FI$H is based on Peter and Andrew Schiff's How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, depicting the adventures of the book’s three main characters: Able, Baker, and Charlie. Each episode is a short story showing the characters involved in core economic activity. Through the characters’ economic adventures, students will see how economies develop organically. Students follow the characters as they struggle to understand the world on their island and thrive.