Lesson Plan 1
Children’s Literature Used: Work Song, by Gary Paulsen.
Summary: This book is a celebration of people at work/occupations, and features such
workers as carpenters, farmers, roofers, merchants, steel workers, office workers, nurses
etc. It discusses, with lovely prose and pictures, the importance of all kinds of jobs, and
the value of the workers who perform them.
Economic Concepts Represented: Grade 2, Benchmark B: Distinguish between goods
and services and explain how people can be both buyers and sellers of goods and
services.
Terms: Buyer, Seller, Consumer, Producer, Goods, Services, Work
Academic Content Standards: Production, Distribution and Consumption
“Explain how people are both buyers and sellers of goods and services,”
“Recognize that most people work in jobs in which they produce a few special goods or
services
Materials:
Work Song, by Gary Paulsen
Handout “What’s in a Job” (based on a handout featured in from Teaching Economics
Using Children’s Literature” by Harlan Day et al, Indiana Department of Education,
2006, p.147, but adapted for third grade).
Timeframe: 45-60 minutes
Procedure:
1. Introduce vocabulary to students and discuss (good, service, consumer, producer).
Then read Work Song to students.
2. Discuss concepts of goods and services portrayed in the book (ask students, does
a nurse provide a good or a service? Does a farmer provide a good or service?
Could some jobs be characterized as service-oriented but still provide a good as
well? If so, which ones?
3. Say to students:
“Many different kinds of workers are needed to produce goods or provide services.
Pick a job done by a character in the book Work Song and answer the following
questions on your handout:”
What is the character’s job _______________________________________
What special skills does the character need to do this job? _____________________
What education or training do you think is necessary for this job? _______________
What are the good points and bad points of the job? __________________________
Does the worker doing this job provide a good or a service (or both?) ____________
What is the good or service provided? _____________________________________
Allow students to work on handout, then collect and discuss.
Concluding Activity (could be given as homework or in-class writing activity the next
day): Have students write about the career they wish to pursue when they grow up.
Will they provide a good, or service? They could also illustrate a picture of
themselves doing this job in the future.
In the alternative or in addition to this activity, students could write interview their
parents and write about their jobs. They would address whether their parent(s)
provide a service or produce a good. They could read their paragraphs aloud to the
class and even bring in a prop to represent their parents’ jobs.
Lesson Plan 2
Children’s Literature Used: Alexander, Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday, by
Judith Viorst.
Summary: This book tells the story of three brothers who were each given a dollar by
their grandparents. Alexander’s father tells him to save his dollar for college. Mom
tells him to save it towards a Walkie Talkie. Alexander says good bye to cent after
cent as he purchases small things throughout the day, all the while saying “Saving is
hard.” He tries to earn money by returning bottles to the market but to no avail, and
laments the fact that he used to be rich, last Sunday!
Economic Concepts represented: Grade 4. Benchmark C: Explain how competition
affects producers and consumers in a market economy and why specialization
facilitates trade.
GLI 4. “Explain ways in which individuals and households obtain and use income.”
Terms: Earning, Income, Spending, Saving
Materials:
Alexander, Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday, by Judith Viorst
Worksheet “Alexander Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday.”
Worksheet “I Used To Be Rich Last _____________”
Blank paper with space/lines for computation and illustration for student created
books about how they would spend 1.00.
Timeframe: 1hour on Day One, 1-2 hours on Day 2-3.
Procedure:
1. Ask students, if they each were given one dollar, how would they spend it?
2. Share responses, then introduce the book.
3. Read book aloud, telling students that Alexander had the same problem they
themselves had had, which was how to spend a dollar.
4. Discuss economics concepts of saving, spending, earning, income.
5. Give student a worksheet, and whole class, go through the book, recording what
Alexander did with his dollar, and how each purchase diminished his total
amount. The worksheet would have space for math calculations and a description
of what Alexander spent his money on. Collect student work and evaluate.
6. Day 2: Tell students they will now create their own book with illustrations and
calculations of what they themselves would do with their $1.00. On each page of
their book, students would show/illustrate what they purchased, how much it cost,
and the amount left over after the purchase. Students could choose to illustrate the
concept of saving for an item as well. This is an excellent math activity as well!
Concluding Activity: Students share their books with the class.