The national debt plays an important role in efforts to balance competing interests concerning taxes, entitlement programs, and government spending. The national debt influences a country’s history as well as the nation’s decisions about both domestic and foreign policy, making the study of the topic a necessity for understanding globalization and economic interdependence. Consequently, young people need to understand the impact this debt could have on their lives. We aim to provide classroom resources for social studies teachers to help students understand the impact of the national debt, federal budget, and budget deficit. Therefore, we have created a series of lesson plans that can be infused into the social studies curriculum to help middle and high school students begin to understand the national debt, federal budget, and budget deficit.