|
A Chair For My Mother
3rd Grade Economics
JoNetta Weaver
Contact: JoNetta Weaver
3rd Grade - Shepard Elementary
Objective:
Students will distinguish between savings and spending.
Economic Concepts/Vocabulary:
savings, spending, earnings, opportunity cost -(review), wants -(review), needs -(review), human resources -(review),
natural resources -(review), capital resources -(review)
Teaching Procedure:
-
Begin the lesson by asking if any of them have had a job that they got paid for completing. Some examples might be raking leaves, yard work, babysitting, pet sitting, etc. This may lead to discussions about allowance or different types of work also. Key concept to bring the discussion to is that money is used to pay people for work.
- Review concepts from second grade identified above and have them look for each of these in the story.
- Read A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams.
- Discuss the following questions or concepts:
a. Who was working in the story? (little girl and mother)
b. What did they earn? (money) New Vocabulary = earnings
c. What choices did they have? (To spend or save, to keep working or stop, etc.)
d. What was the opportunity cost in each of these?
e. Did they have a want or a need?
- Do you think you could write a story like Vera Williams did about a family who decides to save their money for something special? Brainstorm ideas and allow them to work in teams of two or three to make a story map about their writing.
- Allow several days to complete their story. Use the questions in step #4 to help them check for completion.
Old Bike, New Bike:
Students are presented with a story and a set of terms. When a student recognizes a concept in the story that corresponds to one of the terms listed, the student drags the correct term over the relevant place in the story.
Check out Old Bike, New Bike
For a list of terms and definitions, see the glossary.
|
