Linking Literature to Economics:
Reading, Writing, Homer Price, and Doughnuts
Presented By: Donna Demarchos
Aldine I.S.D.-Hill Intermediate
E-mail-ddemarchos@aldine.k12.tx.us
Synopsis: In the story, Homer’s uncle has a new capital resource, a doughnut
machine, which gets out of hand producing hundreds of doughnuts. In the
process, he figures out a way to sell the hundreds of doughnuts by helping a
woman find a bracelet she lost. Readers learn about such economic concepts
as capital resources, productivity, and supply and demand through the series
of comical events.
Informational Background: Doughnuts have been around for centuries, and
no one knows exactly when they were invented. There are many versions
explaining the origin of the doughnut and here are three:
1. In 1847, Elizabeth Gregory was known in her New England circle to
make a very fine olykoek, or oily cakes, and taking sweet dough balls
and frying them in pork fat. Her secret was to add a hint of nutmeg
and fill the center with hazelnuts or walnuts. She even had a special
name for her creation -- dough-nuts. Her son, Hanson Gregory,
realized they were always soggy, or a bit raw, in the middle, so he
asked his mom to cut out the center of the fried cake. She decided to
do that to all of the fried cakes and people actually liked them.
2. Archaeologists turned up several petrified fried cakes with holes in
the center in prehistoric ruins in the Southwestern United States.
How these early Native Americans prepared their doughnuts is
unclear.
3. Many people believe it was the Dutch who invented doughnuts. A
Dutch snack made from potatoes had a round shape like a ball, but,
like Gregory’s dough balls, needed a little longer time when fried to
cook the inside thoroughly. These potato-balls developed into
doughnuts when the Dutch finally made them into ring-shapes to help
them fry in less amount of time. Finally, in 1620 the Pilgrims, who had
lived in Holland, came to America and brought the doughnut.
Grade Levels: 4th-8th /ESL
Duration: 2-3 days
Social Studies/Economics:
capital resources, supply and demand, consumers and producers, goods
and services, increasing productivity, human resources
Language Arts:
vocabulary, inference, plot structure, Bloom’s Taxonomy (effective
questioning), compare and contrast, prefixes de- and inMath:
Estimation
Materials:
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Novel-Homer Price-by: Robert McCloskey
Homer Price PowerPoint and handout
2-8” x 11” white printer paper for each student
Scissors
Objectives:
 Identify and describe the concepts of capital resources, supply and
demand, consumers and producers, goods and services, increasing
productivity, human resources in an economic system.
 Explain the differences between buyers and sellers/goods and
services.
 Demonstrate how markets and prices help consumers buy and
producers supply products and services in an economic system.
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Create a booklet which identifies and demonstrates the understanding
of economic vocabulary, inference and plot structure of a given text.
Create and design a Capital Invention that indicates the purpose and
how it would increase productivity.
Procedure:
1. Introduction: Display a transparency of pp. 60-61 in the book Homer Price,
the pages that show the lunchroom filled with doughnuts. Integrate Math by
having the students estimate how many doughnuts are in the lunchroom.
Discuss and work math problems with a partner and share with class.
2. Have students create a booklet that contains at least 4 pages. Cover of
booklet can be decorated at the end of lesson.
3. Introduce vocabulary using PowerPoint. As the words are introduced,
students write each word and its meaning on the first page of the booklet,
then with a partner, write a meaningful sentence with each word. When you
discuss the words decrease and increase, review the meanings of the
prefixes de- and in-.
*de- indicates reversal or removal in English
--examples: deactivate, debone, defrost, decompress,
*re- again; back, backward
--examples: rearrange, rebuild, recall, remake, rerun
4. Group or pair students. On the second page of the booklet
students discuss and write the answers to the following questions:
(PowerPoint)
 What are some labor saving devices we have today?
 What problems have you experienced with these machines?
 What have you or your family done to repair these machines or
devices?
5. Introduce and explain that students will read a story about Homer Price,
who had a problem using a machine in his uncle’s lunchroom (coffee shop).
Begin reading “The Doughnuts” from Homer Price.
6. During reading, the students write words from the story, which are
unfamiliar to them on the third page of their booklets. These words can be
discussed as a whole group during or after reading.
7. Group or pair students. On the fourth page of the booklet students
discuss and write the answers to the following questions: (PowerPoint)
 What was Homer’s problem?
 What other labor saving devices did Uncle Ulysses have in his lunch
room?
 Why do you think Uncle Ulysses liked having all these machines?
8. In an oral discussion ask students to describe what happened when Homer
lowered the price of fresh doughnuts? (People wanted to buy more
doughnuts.) Explain supply and demand, which states that as price
decreases, the quantity demanded (amount people want to buy) increases.
At higher prices, consumers will buy less. For example, if the price of
computer games decreases, more people will want to buy computer games
(quantity demanded increases).
Note: This lesson focuses on the law of demand. In the story, advertising
and the $100 prize do not change the quantity demanded. They change
demand. Only a change in price changes the quantity demanded.
9. On the back of the booklets students will think of products that they
would like to sell, develop advertisement plans and design them.
10. Students design the covers of their booklets.
11. While restating your objective and closing lesson, distribute doughnuts
for the students to enjoy.
Other Options:
1. Develop an advertisement plan and design a poster.
2. Think of a capital resource that someone else has invented that increases
productivity and research. The research should include: Name of Invention,
Inventor, Year of Invention, Purpose, and How it increases productivity.
3. What’s something that you would like to invent that could save labor? Why
would be needed? Design your invention.
Work Cited:
EcEdWeb, Economic Education Web. 2007. Nebraska Standards for ‘Homer
Price (The Doughnuts)’. 3 November 2007
http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/lessons/standards.cfm?ID=5
National Doughnut Day & Homer Price. 30 May 2007. Recess! The World of
Children’s Culture Every Day. 3 November 2007
http://www.recess.ufl.edu/transcripts/2007/0530.shtml
EcEdWeb, Economic Education Web. 1993. An Economics and Literature
Lesson, Grades 4-6. 3 November 2007
http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/litdough.htm