Social Studies
Fall 2010
Teacher Work Sample
Economics
3rd Grade Unit
1. Contextual Factors
Assortment Elementary School
Contextual Factor
Socio-economic:
Your classroom is a mixed bag of SES.
A majority of students are middle class,
but there are also some students in
poverty as well as some living in
affluence. Student appearance and
interactions make it clear which ones
are the “Have’s” and “Have not’s”.
Race/Ethnicity:
Most of your students are White but
there are a rather large number of
Hispanic and African-American
students. Some students have had
numerous experiences within the
American culture/traditions, while others
have had limited to no experience with
American culture/traditions.
Gender:
Rather even mix of male and female;
most boys are into ‘typical’ boy things
and are physically active; most girls are
into ‘typical’ girl things and find
language useful way to interact.
Language:
Instructional Implications for unit
There should need to be nutritious
snacks available for students that don’t
eat breakfast before school. Because
students often have parents that work
many hours and are unavailable to
help with school work (particularly
those students from low SES families),
homework should be assigned only
when necessary and students should
be given class time to work on projects
and assignments that require teacher
or parent assistance. Lessons and
activities should include various
community factors that all students
can identify with. Many students have
computers at home, but those
students that don’t have after-school
access to computers should be given
time in class to use a computer. Unit
will not have any emphasis on
economic status.
The seating arrangement in the
classroom should be set up so
students from all cultures and
ethnicities are mixed together.
Cooperative learning groups should
also include students from different
cultures and ethnicities. When
planning lessons and activities, it is
important to incorporate a variety of
cultures that are relevant to all
students.
The seating arrangement in the
classroom should be set up so there is
a good mix of males and females.
Cooperative learning centers should
include both same-gender and mixedgender activities. All lessons and
activities should be interesting to both
genders, avoiding any bias with
gender-specific titles.
There should be an interpreter
About a third of your class is considered
ELL—English is not their first/native
language; there is a wide variety of
English fluency among the ELL
students.
Special Needs:
A few of your students have been
diagnosed with ADD and/or ADHD.
Developmental/Grade/Age:
The 3rd grade class consists of 21
students that are 8 and 9-years old.
Ten students are at grade level; seven
students are below grade level; five
students are above grade level.
Community:
The school is located in an urban area
that is mostly middle class families.
There is strong support from the
community. The school has a great
amount of parental involvement with an
active PTA.
Resources of district & its support of
education…
available if needed for parent-teacher
conferences and correspondence.
Homework and letters sent home
should be translated into native
language to ensure maximum parental
involvement. Classroom décor and
posters should include different
languages to benefit ELL students.
When necessary (and if available),
include an ELL instructor to clear up
any misunderstandings with students.
There should be a wide variety of
multi-lingual books available to
students. The teacher will teach the
class some basic vocabulary from ELL
students’ native language.
The class routine will remain constant
to help ADD and ADHD students.
They will be given individualized daily
schedules to refer to when needed. A
“study buddy” will be provided if
necessary to complete assignments.
The classroom environment will
remain constant; for example, supplies
will always be in the same location.
Learning groups will include students
from varying academic levels. Unit will
include activities and lessons of
different levels, which are set up so
that students at different levels can
participate.
For the students whose economic
situation at home prevents them from
benefiting from field trips and other
resources, community will be a good
source of support and contributions.
II. Rationale and Teacher Preparation
Economics
3rd Grade
Rationale Statement:
The subject of economics is broad and may appear too complex for a 3 rd grade
classroom; it is easy to underestimate the importance of economics because we
generally don’t realize how much it affects the world we live in. From the global
economy to a child’s piggy bank, everyone experiences the basic principals of
economics: production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.
Regardless of race, economic status or culture, every person makes daily
decisions that have economic effects in their home, their community, the nation,
and the world.
B. Teacher Preparation:
While economics is very complex, it is a subject that affects virtually
everyone and its importance cannot be understated. According to
www.socialstudiesforkids.com, economics is “not just money. It's businesses and
how they work. It's lemonade stands and how many dollars they take in. It's toy
collecting and baseball card collections. It's taxes and allowances. It's stocks and
bonds. Economics is part of almost everything you could ever think about.” It is
the basis for almost everything we do; therefore, it is critical that we teach our
students as much as possible about the science of economics.
One of the basic concepts of economics is wants and needs. Simply put, a
need is something you need to survive and a want is something you would like to
have, but is not necessary for survival. We need food, shelter and clothes, but
this can be tricky because not all items that fall into these categories are needs.
Also, some things people would classify as needs are actually wants, such as
telephones and cars.
Another concept of economics is supply and demand. Although they are
two separate things, they affect each other so much that you rarely hear one
without the other. Supply refers to how much of something is available. For
example, if there are 100 televisions available, the supply of televisions is 100. If
there are 50 bicycles available, the supply of bicycles is 50. Demand refers to
how much of something people want. If 75 people want a television, then the
demand for televisions is 75. If 50 people want bicycles, then the demand for
bicycles is 50. The relationship between the supply and demand is reflected in
the price of the items. Generally, the price of an item increases as the demand
increases because when more people want an item, they will pay more for it and
the seller knows they can charge more for the item when there is more of a
demand for it. When the new plasma TV comes out, people will pay more money
for it because there is more of a demand. However, when a newer model comes
out, people want the new TV, causing the demand for the old TV to decrease, in
turn causing the price to decrease. The seller will likely lower the price of the
older TVs in order to get rid of them.
The concept of scarcity is a measure of the supply of an item. When there
aren’t enough items to meet the demand, it is scarce. For example, if there were
100 televisions available, but 150 people wanted to buy one, it would be
considered a scarce item and the price would likely increase. When there are
more buyers than items, sellers can charge more because the buyers are willing
to pay more. When this situation occurs, people must make choices about what
they buy: do you pay more for a new television or pay less for the older
television? The item you choose not to buy is called opportunity cost. Since
people cannot possibly buy everything they want, they must make a choice. If a
person wants to buy a bicycle and a television, but can only afford to buy one,
they must choose which one to buy. If they choose the television, the opportunity
cost is the bicycle.
Goods and services is another concept of basic economics. Money is
spent on goods and services more than anything else. Goods are things that can
be consumed, such as food, clothes and books. Services are things people do
for others, such as hair cuts, repairing cars, serving food or teaching students.
Economics wouldn’t exist without producers and consumers, which
couldn’t exist without each other. Producers are responsible for providing, or
producing, the goods and services that people buy. Consumers are the people
that use, or consume, the goods and services. At different times, most everyone
will be both producers and consumers.
These fundamental concepts of economics have an immeasurable affect
on our local economy as well as the global economy. Together, these ideas
determine the prices we pay for everything, from food to houses. Producers
must be aware of the demands for products in order to determine the supply.
So far, it sounds as if the economy is the same for everyone; however, it
affects people differently. Specifically, men and women view the economy
differently. According to the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the
recent economic and financial crisis puts “a disproportionate burden on women.
Women are often concentrated in vulnerable employment, more likely to be
unemployed than men, then to have lower unemployment and social security
benefits, and have unequal access to and control over economic and financial
resources.”
According to the Harvard Business Review, “Women represent the largest
market opportunity in the world. But despite women’s dominant buying power,
many companies continue to market mostly to men and fail to explore how they
might meet women’s needs.” Despite the fact that many consider the world
economy to be driven by women, studies have shown that women feel
“undervalued in the marketplace and underestimated in the workplace.”
Men, on the other hand, seem to have taken the brunt of economic fallouts
in recent years. It is estimated that 75% - 80% of all workers that lost jobs since
2007 were men. (www.newser.com) It could be argued that since women
receive lower pay than men, it was more economically feasible for employers to
lay off the higher-earning employees. Some maintain that the male-dominated
blue-collar sector has suffered less than education and health care industries,
which employ a higher rate of women.
Regardless of gender, there is no doubt that everyone is affected by the
economy and the more we know about it, the better able we are to prepare for
our economic future.
Bibliography:
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com
http://news.curves.com
http://newser.com
2. Pre-Assessment:
The pre-assessment for the 3rd grade economics unit included a series of
worksheets for eight 3rd grade students. The first worksheet required the
students to identify the workers that provided goods and services. They were
given a list of workers that provided goods (florist, chef, grocer, farmer,
photographer, artist, fisherman, butcher, and miner) and a list of workers that
provided services (firefighter, mail carrier, custodian, lawyer, lifeguard, barber,
doctor). They were to identify whether each worker provided a good or a service.
They were also given a worksheet with pictures of different types of resources
(teacher, computer, trees, factory, doctor, oil, waitress, sun, saw, tractor, water)
and were asked to identify the human resources, capital resources and natural
resources. They were also given a worksheet that showed pictures of different
scenarios (doctor and patient, salesman and client, waitress and customer) and
were asked to label the producer and consumer in each picture. They were also
given short answer questions asking for definitions of economy, scarcity, and
opportunity cost.
The data collected from the pre-assessment showed that the students had
no prior knowledge about these economic concepts. It was clear that they
guessed on many of the pictures to identify and the majority of the short
answer/definitions were blank. When I asked them about it, they said they had
no idea what these terms meant. When planning this unit, I will have to start at
the beginning, with the assumption that they know very little, if anything, about
economics.
Pre-Assessment Worksheet
Next to each of the occupations, put a “G” next to the workers that provide goods
and an “S” next to the workers that provide services.
______
Butcher
______
Lawyer
______
Artist
______
Photographer
______
Custodian
______
Chef
______
Farmer
______
Veterinarian
______
Lifeguard
______
Firefighter
______
Crossing guard
______
Hairstylist/Barber
______
Florist
______
Miner
______
Fisherman
______
Operator
______
Grocer
______
Mail Carrier
Next to each image, put identify the type of resource by writing:
“H” for human resource
“C” for capital resource
“N” for natural resource
Teacher _____
Trees _____
Doctor _____
Sun _____
Water _____
Factory _____
Computer _____
Saw _____
Truck driver _____
Label the producer and the consumer in each scenario:
___________ ___________
_____________
______________ ______________
____________
3. Standards and Objectives
3rd Grade PASS Standards:
A. Standards
Standard 1: The student will develop and practice the process skills of
social studies.
2. Examine and use children’s literature to compare and contrast his or her own
community to other United States and global communities.
Standard 5: The student will develop basic economic decision-making
skills.
1. Describe the difference between goods and services; explaining that, at
different times and places, people are both consumers and producers of goods
and services.
2. Explain that limits on resources (scarcity) require people to make choices
about producing and consuming goods and services.
3. Compare and contrast the differences among human resources (people at
work), natural resources (water, soil, wood, coal, etc.) and capital resources
(machines, tools, money, etc.) used to produce goods and services.
4. Explain the relationship between saving and spending, and describe the value
of setting a financial goal and developing a plan to reach it.
NCSS Standards:
III. PEOPLE, PLACES, AND ENVIRONMENTS
Social studies teachers should possess the knowledge, capabilities, and
dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for
the study of people, places, and environments.
a. Examine the interaction of human beings and their physical environment, the
use of land, building of cities, and ecosystem changes in selected locales and
regions; ;
VII. PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, AND CONSUMPTION
Social studies teachers should possess the knowledge, capabilities, and
dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for
the study of how people organize for the production, distribution, and
consumption of goods and services.
a. give examples that show how scarcity and choice govern our economic
decisions;
b. distinguish between needs and wants;
c. identify examples of private and public goods and services;
d. give examples of the various institutions that make up economic systems such as
families, workers, banks, labor unions, government agencies, small businesses,
and large corporations;
e. describe how we depend upon workers with specialized jobs and the ways in
which they contribute to the production and exchange of goods and services;
f. describe the influence of incentives, values, traditions, and habits on economic
decisions;
g. explain and demonstrate the role of money in everyday life;
h. describe the relationship of price to supply and demand;
i.
use economic concepts such as supply, demand, and price to help explain
events in the community and nation;
B. Objectives
Subject Matter Knowledge
1. The student will define the term economics.
2. The student will identify opportunity costs in personal decision making situations.
3. The student will identify at least two ways citizens are affected by the economy.
Skills
1. The student will be able to analyze a simple budget that allocates money for
spending and saving.
2. The student will write a short essay explaining how supply and demand affect the
price of a good or service.
3. The student will define resource and identify the different types of resources.
Higher-Order Reasoning
1. The student will compare and contrast economical similarities and differences
between their community and other communities in the United States and other
countries.
2. The students will work together in groups of three to demonstrate the concept of
supply and demand.
3. The student will describe the impact of scarcity on the production, distribution
and consumption of goods and services.
4. The student will explain the purposes of spending and saving money.
5. The student will explain how the cost of production and selling price affect profits.
6. The student will identify three different occupations that are particularly important
to their community and how they relate to the United States.
Section 4: Design for Instruction
1. Language Arts and Literature
Title of Lesson: What Would You Do
Teacher:
With $100?
Subject Area(s): Social Studies/
Grade Level(s): 3rd Time: 1-1.5 hours
Literature/Language Arts
Stated Objective(s) PASS:
Standard 1: The student will develop and practice the
process skills of social studies.
2. Examine and use children’s literature to compare and
contrast his or her own community to other United States
and global communities.
H4. The student will explain the purposes of spending and
saving money.
Technology
N/A Technology is not needed for this activity
Materials
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday
by Judith Viorst, Atheneum Publishers, 1987
Paper
Pencils
Procedures
1. The teacher will read the book, Alexander, Who Used
to Be Rich Last Saturday, to the class.
2. Initiate class discussion about what happened to
Alexander’s money.
3. Students will be asked what they would’ve done
differently if they were Alexander.
4. After sufficient class discussion, students will be given a
scenario: they have each been given $100. They will then
be instructed to write or draw what they would do with this
money.
5. When completed, students will be asked to share their
ideas about how they would spend the money and explain
their reasoning.
Modifications
Assessment or
Evaluation
ELL students will be permitted to give their answer orally
instead of turning it in.
Informal assessment by teacher – how much thought did
they put into the question?
Sources
N/A
2. Math
Title of Lesson: Lemonade Stand
Teacher:
Subject Area(s): Social Studies/Math
Grade Level(s): 3rd Time: 2-3 days
Stated Objective(s) PASS:
Standard 5: The student will develop basic economic
decision-making skills.
1. Describe the difference between goods and services;
explaining that, at different times and places, people are
both consumers and producers of goods and services.
2. Explain that limits on resources (scarcity) require people
to make choices about producing and consuming goods
and services.
3. Compare and contrast the differences among human
resources (people at work), natural resources (water, soil,
wood, coal, etc.) and capital resources (machines, tools,
money, etc.) used to produce goods and services.
4. Explain the relationship between saving and spending,
and describe the value of setting a financial goal and
developing a plan to reach it.
S1. The student will be able to analyze a simple budge
that allocates money for spending and saving.
S2. The student will write a short essay explaining how
supply and demand affect the price of a good or service.
S3. The student will define resource and identify the
different types of resources.
H3. The student will describe the impact of scarcity on the
production, distribution and consumption of goods and
services.
H5. The student will explain how the cost of production
and selling price affect profits.
Technology
Computer, if and available
Materials
Earning Money, by Mary Firestone, First Fact Books, 2004
Calculator
Poster board
Chart paper
Colored pencils
Markers
Newspaper ads with grocery items
1. Teacher will read the book, Earning Money, to students.
2. Teacher will initiate class discussion about the
importance of earning money and different ways of earning
3. Students will be given the task of running their own
lemonade stand. The purpose of this business is to make
Procedures
money. They will need to determine how they will make a
profit and what their potential expenses are (lemons, cups,
table, poster board for sign, etc.)
4. Students will be given the newspaper ads so they can
begin finding information about the costs associated with
opening the lemonade stand. They will have to decide
how many lemons they will need to begin, how much they
will charge for the lemonade and how much they will need
to sell to make a profit.
5. The teacher will prompt the students to ask important
questions, such as “How many kids are in the area?”
“What time of year is it?” and “Are there any other
lemonade stands around?”
6. Once they are ready to open their lemonade stand for
business, the students will be given the task of developing
an advertising campaign to attract more customers to their
lemonade stand.
7. The teacher will determine how much lemonade is sold
based on related factors (weather, area, advertising,
supply and demand). The students will analyze their sales
to determine their profits/losses.
8. Teacher will facilitate class discussion about what the
students would do differently, what they would like to have
known before opening the lemonade stand, and the effects
of advertising.
Modifications
Assessment or
Evaluation
Sources
ELL students will be given the opportunity to advertise in
their native language and analyze sales in their native
currency.
Checklist
N/A
Lemonade Stand Checklist Assessment
Category
Grading Mark
Followed directions
Correctly calculated expenses
Correctly calculated projected profit
Advertisement creativity
Sales Analysis
2 = Satisfactory
1= Unsatisfactory
0 = Incomplete
3. Learning Center Activity
Title of Lesson: Cultures and Currency Teacher:
Subject Area(s): Social Studies/Visual
Grade Level(s): 3rd Time: 1-1.5 hours
Art
Stated Objective(s) PASS:
Standard 1: The student will develop and practice the
process skills of social studies.
2. Examine and use children’s literature to compare and
contrast his or her own community to other United States
and global communities.
H1. The student will compare and contrast economical
similarities and differences between their community and
other communities in the United States and other
countries.
Technology
Computer, if available
Materials
Money (Eyewitness Books)
Construction paper
Markers, crayons
Scissors
Procedures
1. The book, Money, will be at the center for students to
look through. It has interesting facts and pictures of
different types of currency.
2. Students will be instructed to create their own currency
using the provided construction paper, markers, crayons
and scissors.
3. The students will be instructed to put someone on their
currency and explain who it is and their significance.
4. The students will name their currency and share it with
the class.
Modifications
Assessment or
Evaluation
ELL students will be given the opportunity to share their
native currency with the class, as well as make their own.
Students will turn in their currency to be assessed on
creativity and neatness.
Sources
N/A
4. Science
Title of Lesson: Resources
Teacher:
Subject Area(s): Social
Grade Level(s): 3rd Time: 1day
Studies/Science
Stated Objective(s) PASS:
Standard 5: The student will develop basic economic
decision-making skills.
2. Explain that limits on resources (scarcity) require people
to make choices about producing and consuming goods
and services.
3. Compare and contrast the differences among human
resources (people at work), natural resources (water, soil,
wood, coal, etc.) and capital resources (machines, tools,
money, etc.) used to produce goods and services.
Technology
N/A
Materials
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Procedures
Modifications
Assessment or
Evaluation
Sources
Two large poster boards
Markers
1. Teacher will read The Giving Tree to the students.
2. Teacher will initiate discussion about what type of
resource the tree is.
3. Teacher will ask students questions about what the
purpose of the story is.
4. On each poster board, either the teacher or a student
will draw a tree with branches. On the branches of one
tree, write all the things the tree can give. On the
branches of the other tree, write all the things that others
can do for the tree.
5. Students will make a list of all the things trees and other
natural resources can do to help the economy.
6. Have students explain what would happen to the price
of these things if trees were to become scarce.
The book can be translated into the native language of
ELL students.
Worksheet
http://www.easyfunschool.com
5. Language Arts
Title of Lesson: Wants and Needs
Teacher:
Subject Area(s): Social Studies/
Grade Level(s): 3rd Time: 30-45min
Stated Objective(s) PASS:
Standard 5: The student will develop basic economic
decision-making skills.
4. Explain the relationship between saving and spending,
and describe the value of setting a financial goal and
developing a plan to reach it.
K2. The student will identify opportunity costs in personal
decision making situations.
S1. The student will be able to analyze a simple budget
that allocates money for spending and saving.
Technology
N/A
Materials
A Chair For My Mother, by Vera B. Williams
Paper
Pencil
Venn Diagram
Procedures
1. Teacher will read the book, A Chair For My Mother, to
the students.
2. The teacher will facilitate a discussion about how the
family was affected and what impact their economic status
has on their recovery.
3. The students will be instructed to write a journal entry
from the perspective of the little girl, the mother or the
grandmother.
4. The students will make a Venn diagram, noting the
wants and needs of the family after their home and
belongings were destroyed by fire.
Modifications
The book can be translated into the native language of
ELL students.
Journal entry and Venn Diagram
Assessment or
Evaluation
Sources
http://ilt.dpsk12.org/stories
A Chair for My Mother
Venn diagram:
Wants
Needs
6. Creative Drama/Dramatic Play & Career Awareness
Title of Lesson: Goods and Services
Teacher:
Subject Area(s): Social Studies/Art
Grade Level(s): 3rd Time: 1-1.5 hours
Stated Objective(s) PASS:
Standard 5: The student will develop basic economic
decision-making skills.
1. Describe the difference between goods and services;
explaining that, at different times and places, people are
both consumers and producers of goods and services.
H6. The student will identify three different occupations
that are particularly important to their community and how
they relate to the United States.
Technology
N/A
Materials
Procedures
Modifications
Assessment or
Evaluation
Busy, Busy Town by Richard Scarry
Index Cards
Chalkboard or Dry-erase board
1. Teacher will read the book, Busy, Busy Town by
Richard Scarry to the students.
2. Teacher will facilitate discussion about different
occupations and how they are all important.
3. Teacher will ask students to name differences between
different occupations.
4. Students will take turns choosing a card that has an
occupation on it.
5. Without saying it aloud, the student will act out the
occupation while the other students try to guess it.
6. Once the students have figured out the occupation, the
teacher will write it on the board, in one of two unlabeled
categories (which are goods and services)
7. After all students have had the chance to draw a card
and act out an occupation, the students will try to figure out
what the different categories are. If necessary, the teacher
will ask guided questions, such as, “what do we get from
this person?”
8. Once students have figured out the difference in the
two categories is that one provides goods and the other
provides services, the teacher will ask what the students
want to be.
There will be occupations that are relevant to the ELL
students’ culture. The book can be translated into their
native language.
The teacher will informally assess the students through
observations based on their participation and
attentiveness.
Sources
N/A
7. Social Studies
Title of Lesson: Supply and Demand
Subject Area(s): Social Studies/Art
Stated Objective(s) PASS:
Teacher:
Grade Level(s): 3rd Time: 30-45min
Technology
N/A
Materials
Tokens
Bag of “goodies”
Procedures
1. Students will be given a box of tokens with at least two
different colors on it and asked to select any number of
them from one to a handful.
2. Teacher will place a value on the tokes (after students
have already selected their tokens)
3. Teacher will pull out an object from the bag of goodies
and tell students they will get a “A” on this lesson if they
own this selected item of which you have exactly one of.
Teacher will announce the bidding to be open at 10 and
they may use their tokens to purchase the item.
4. Continue the auction until a student has paid a high
price for this item and received it. Then pull out a large
supply of the very same item just sold while announcing
that you have a few more of these items and the bidding
will open at 1.
5. Ask student who bought the overpriced item to define
what these terms mean to him now and explain why he
was motivated to pay such a high price for it. Would he
have paid so much if he knew there were enough to go
around?
6. Students will get into groups of three and discuss the
relationship between prices, supply and demand.
7. Students will write a short essay about the relationship
between prices, supply and demand.
Modifications
Assessment or
Evaluation
N/A
Rubric
Sources
http://www.eduref.org
5. Assessment Plan
Learning Objective
K1. Students will define
the term economics.
K2. Students will identify
opportunity costs in
personal decision making
situations.
K3. Students will identify
at least two ways citizens
are affected by the
economy.
S1. Students will analyze
a simple budget that
allocates money for
spending and saving.
S2. Students will write a
short essay explaining
how supply and demand
affect the price of a good
or service.
S3. Students will define
resource and identify the
different types of
resources.
H1. Students will
compare and contrast
economical similarities
and differences between
their community and
other communities in the
United States and other
countries.
H2. Students will work
together in groups of
three to demonstrate the
concept of supply and
demand.
H3. Students will
describe the impact of
scarcity on the
production, distribution
and consumption of
goods and services.
H4. Students will explain
Instructional Activities
Lessons 1 and 2
Lessons 1 and 5
Lessons 2 and 5
Lessons 1, 2 and 5
Assessments
Pre-Assessment
worksheets and checklist
Pre-Assessment
worksheets,
Venn diagram and
journal entry rubric
Checklist, Venn diagram
and journal entry rubric
Lesson 7
Pre-Assessment
worksheets, checklist,
Venn diagram and
journal entry rubric
Rubric
Lesson 4
Rubric
Lesson 3
Informal assessment
through observation
Lesson 7
Rubric
Lesson 2, 4, 5, 7
Checklist, Rubric, Venn
diagram, journal entry
rubric
Lesson 5
Venn diagram, rubric
the purposes of spending
and saving money.
H5. Students will explain
how the cost of
production and selling
price affect profits.
H6. Students will identify
three different
occupations that are
particularly important to
their community and how
they relate to the United
States.
Lesson 2
Checklist
Lesson 6
Informal assessment
through observations.
Journal Entry Rubric:
Criteria
Sentence
Structure
Punctuation
Spelling
Main Idea
Thoroughly
addressed
Includes
Beginning, middle
and end
Excellent
(3 Points)
All sentences are
complete with no
errors.
Uses proper
punctuation
throughout
All words are
spelled correctly
Addresses main
idea thoroughly. It
is clear and
concise.
Includes all three
elements in
correct order
Good
(2 Points)
Needs
Improvement
(1 Point)
Most sentences
Mostly incomplete
are complete. Few sentences.
errors.
Uses punctuation Improper
but some error in
punctuation or no
form and
punctuation at all
placement
Few misspelled
Excessive
words
misspelled words
Main idea
Missing main idea
addressed but
incomplete.
Missing one
element or placed
in incorrect order
Missing more than
one element or in
incorrect order
Narrative:
The lemonade stand activity addresses several different economic
concepts, which makes a checklist the most appropriate form of assessment.
The students’ comprehension of these concepts will determine how well they
understand the relationship between prices, supply and demand.
The resource activity using The Giving Tree will be assessed with a
worksheet that has different types of questions about resources. Since this
concept has definitive ideas about natural resources, human resources and
capital resources, the matching component of the worksheet will be a good
indication of the students’ understanding.
The “Wants and Needs” activity using A Chair For My Mother requires the
students write a journal entry from the perspective of a character in the book.
Since this type of assignment is difficult to assess, a scoring rubric is the best
way to measure the students’ understanding of the concept.
The assessments are meant to be challenging to the students to make
sure they have a thorough understanding of the subject. In order to do well on
the assessments, they would need a good understanding of the subject.
Accommodations will be made for ELL and ADD/ADHD students to
complete the assessments in their native language or another setting to ensure
valid results.
6. Anticipatory Planning
Questions students might have about economics:

Why do some jobs pay more than other jobs?

Why do we have to have a job?

Why do we have to have money?

What does it mean to be rich or poor?

If the government prints out money, why can’t they print out enough for
everyone and nobody will be without?

What happens if the bank loses your money?
Projects:

Have community leaders/volunteers come to talk to students.

Have a banker come to speak to class about value of money.

Students make “map” of how different jobs help others in the community.
Sources
http://kids.gov
http://www.usmint.gov
http://www.econedlink.org
http://howstuffworks.com
http://learningtogive.org
http://eduref.org
http://lessonplanspage.com
http://news.curves.com
http://www.newser.com
www.un.org
Money, DK Eyewitness Books, DK Children 2005
A Chair for My Mother, Vera B. Williams, Reading Rainbow Books, 1984
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, Judith Viorst, Atheneum, 1987
Earning Money, Mary Firestone, First Fact Books, 2004
The Doorbell Rang, Pat Hutchins, Greenwillow Books, 1989
Lotsa de Casha, Madonna, Callaway, 2005