Basic Economics in Today’s Society
Rationale:
This unit will address issues of the economy in the United States such as the relationship between producers and consumers and needs and wants. Through this unit, students will better understand their community through understanding why they cannot have everything they want and why they cannot always just go to the store to buy what they want because sometimes products are scarce and consumers have to make decisions. Students will learn to have an appreciation for all the work that they may not be aware of and why items cost what they do, by teaching students that things at the store come from different places and all the work that goes into getting the items to the store. Students will get to experience bartering over scarce items, where each student will represent a country and will be given limited resources. Discussions in class will encourage students to ask their parents questions when they go to the store which will create connections with students’ everyday lives. This unit will help students to see the larger picture- that one person cannot be successful on their own, so that they will be able to appreciate and recognize everything that is done for them that they cannot see so that they will be able to view the world as an economic exchange.
Unit Objectives:
1. Define the roles of a producer and consumer. (E1.0.3, E1.0.4)
2. Explain and give examples of natural, human, and capital resources. (E1.0.4)
3. Identify and relate to opportunity cost in a consumer decision. (E1.0.1)
4. Using the given vocabulary terms correctly in context. (R.NT.02.05)
5. Recognize the differences and relationships between trading and specialization. (E1.0.5)
6. Identify needs and wants in their life and comparing their individual ideas with peers. (E1.0.5, E1.0.1, E1.0.3)
7. Explain the relationship between goods and services and the importance of each. (E1.0.2, E1.0.3)
8. Analyze a given fiction text and make connections with the economic vocabulary terms. (R.WS.02.11, R.NT.02.05)
Unit Standards or Grade Level Content Expectations:
Second Grade-Michigan Grade Level Content Area Expectations in Social Studies
E1.0.1 Identify the opportunity cost involved in a consumer decision.
E1.0.2 Identify businesses in the local community
E1.0.3 Describe how businesses in the local community meet economic wants of consumers.
E1.0.4 Describe the natural, human, and capital resources needed for production of a good or service in the community.
E1.0.5 Use examples to show that people cannot produce everything they want (specialization) and depend on trade with others to meet their wants.
The focus in February is to have mini-lessons during Reading Workshop time that promote making connections using fiction text. My social studies unit will integrate some of the making connections unit.
Michigan Grade Level Content Area Expectations in Literacy
R.WS.02.11 In context, determine the meaning of words and phrases including objects, actions, concepts, content vocabulary, and literary terms, using strategies and resources including context clues, mental pictures, and questioning. (At this time, I only plan to be focusing on the concepts and vocabulary.)
R.NT.02.05 Respond to individual and multiple texts by finding evidence, discussing, illustrating, and/or writing to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding. (At this time, I do not plan on having students take positions on the content.)
Social Studies Content:
The most important part of this unit is for students to remember the vocabulary and concepts therein. I want students to remember the terms and be able to know their own definition of the word and to be able to apply the definition to be able to give examples or label examples that are given.
There are many big ideas to this unit. The producer produces goods or services for the producer. Sometimes things are traded. There are 3 different types of resources that need to be considered when thinking about goods: capital, natural, and human. Certain skills are valuable that not everyone can do, this is called specialization, this is also why people need other people and cannot rely on only themselves. Consumers make decisions this is called a consumer’s decision, there is often an opportunity cost that needs to be considered.
I am researching different methods of teaching my unit. I am looking for suggestions from teaching experts about ways to improve classroom and time management. I am also looking at suggestions to improve student relationships. Some books I found to help me meet my goals are Your First Year of Teaching and Beyond, Teaching Outside of the Box: How to Grab your Students by the Brains, Classroom Management and Discipline: Methods to Facilitate Cooperation and Instruction, 25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them, The Classroom of Choice, and The Teacher’s Guide to Inclusive Education. I was reminded that have students practice concepts at home is one way that I could enhance students’ learning outside of the classroom (Kronowitz). In order to have a community environment where students are able to do their best learning they need to feel comfortable, I am going to try some team building activities to promote this (Erwin). I think that this will also relate to economics and the need to rely on other sources just how students need to be able to rely on one another in the classroom. I am going to introduce a game called word detective, where students look for clues to help them learn new words (Hammeken). This game is a way to introduce a new vocabulary in an exciting manner to help engage students at the beginning of a lesson. I have consulted my dad, who is a former economics teacher, former Junior Achievement instructor, and has a Masters Degree in Economics. He has given me three additional resources that are economic books written at a college level, I will have these available if questions arise during my unit. I plan to use these books if students ask me a question I am unable to answer but I currently think that I have background on this content and will not need to consult these resources. However, I believe that a few of the students in my class would be interested in exploring these resources to see what a college level economic book looks like and how it compares to the economic books we are using in second grade.
I think one difficult aspect of this unit is the amount of vocabulary terms that students are expected to know. I would expect that less than half of my students will be familiar with any the vocabulary terms. I have a few students who speak Spanish and English; I anticipate that the vocabulary terms will be especially difficult for them. I am going to have the terms posted in the classroom, so that they can be easily referenced but also frequently viewed. I also have quite a few relatively low and slow learners who require a lot of repetition; I worry that they will struggle to keep up with the class. I am hoping that if we review terms often, even at random transition times throughout the weeks, that all students will retain the vocabulary words and their definitions. I think that when the concepts are broken down the students will be able to understand but I worry that when we start to use multiple vocabulary concepts some of my students will become confused.
I think that this unit will be a lot easier for my higher readers because when they see a vocabulary word around the room or on the board they will be able to read the word on their own and will hopefully have that word in their memory even if they are still working on knowing what it means. I will be having students write about their connections, this will be easier for the students in my class who write fluently and are able to accurately portray their ideas on paper. I will need to assist at least one student in my class with his writing but I know that he is capable of producing the ideas but through his IEP, I try to reduce unneeded anxiety by helping with longer writing assignments. Students will need to be able to apply the concepts to different texts and stories. I think that if I can give students visuals (Venn Diagrams and lists) this will help them to see the connections rather than just hearing them. This unit will help students develop their communication skills; we will be having discussions, writing assignments, and drawing assignments.
The following resources have given me ideas of things to try throughout my unit:
Boushey, G and Moser, M.(2006). The daily 5: fostering literacy independence in the elementary grades. Stenhouse Publishing.
Burden, P. (1995). Classroom management and discipline: methods to facilitate cooperation and instruction. Wiley.Erwin, J. (2004). The classroom of choice: giving students what they need and getting what you want. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Hammeken, P. (2007). The teacher's guide to inclusive education: 750 strategies for success: a guide for all educators. Corwin Press.
Johnson, L. (2005). Teaching outside the box: how to grab your students by their brains. Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.
Kronowitz, E. (2004). Your first year of teaching and beyond. Allyn & Bacon.
Orange, C. (2000). 25 biggest mistakes teachers make and how to avoid them. Corwin Press.
Wong, H and Wong, R. (2009). The first days of school: how to be an effective teacher. Harry K. Wong Publications.
Key Concepts
Services- Work done for others most often in exchange for money.
Producer- A person who makes, grows or sells goods such as a farmer or factory worker.
Trade- The exchange of one thing for another.
Human Resource- A person with abilities and skills(You are a sculptor).
Capital Resource- Anything used to produce goods or services(You used your pencil as a resource to help you make your sculpture).
Natural Resource- Something found in nature that people can use to meet their needs (You used PlayDoh to create your sculpture).
Consumer- A person who buys and uses goods and services.
Wants- Things people wish they had but do not need.
Goods- Items that can be bought and sold.
Needs- Things people must have to live.
Opportunity Cost- Something you give up to get what you want.
Consumer’s Decision- Choices people who buy goods or service make, such as which type of toy or lunch meat to buy.
Knowing Your Students and their Learning Environment
In order to plan a successful unit, I needed to consider my students' interests, strengths, and weaknesses. I completed this in great detail and would be happy share this section if inquired.
Unit Overview
Lesson 1
· GLCE: a
· Obj:4,6
· Procedure: I will begin by making a t-chart on the board and adding the words “needs” and “wants” to the top. I will ask students to tell me their ideas about the differences between needs and wants. Then I will read the book Needs and Wants, as I am reading I will stop to discuss if the book is matching with our prior ideas about needs and wants or not. When I am done reading the book, students will come up with a definition for need and want with their knee buddy, we will share ideas with the class. Once we have a solid definition added to our t-chart, we will add examples below each heading.
·Assessment: Making a t-chart with needs and wants as a class. Each student will participate and provide an idea.
· Ext/Mod: This should be a review activity but if students need more time with these concepts or if I have extra time, I have additional needs and wants books that we could read to check our answers in our chart. I plan to help my ELL by saying the words often and providing a visual of how the word is spelled.
Lesson 2
· GLCE: B
· Obj: 4,7
· Procedure: I will introduce the concepts goods and services. We will local goods and services in the Zeeland community. Everyone in our class will have to think of one good or service in our community and say which one it is. Then students will create a city, students will have a “good street” and a “service road” and will be given a worksheet that has different buildings(bank, toy store, etc) and will need to put the appropriate store/building on the correct road.
· Assessment: Completing the goods and services city by placing the buildings on the correct road.
· Ext/Mod: It is possible we will run out of time on this lesson, especially if students do not remember previously learning these concepts, if that happens it will be finished first thing the following day during morning work. If a student is struggling to know where a building goes, I am going to help them go through the process of remember the difference between a good and a service. Then from there I will ask them guiding questions until they get to the right answer.
Lesson 3
· GLCE: A,E
· Obj:3, 4, 5
· Procedure: I will introduce the terms trading and bartering. Each student will receive a county card. On their country card they will have a good that is produced in that country. Then they will be able to trade their good with other goods in the classroom. However, some people will have more available to trade than others. After this we will talk about what happened and I will introduce the word scarcity. We will also talk about how we were the consumer who was getting the product and the opportunity cost that arose when we ran out of items to trade.
· Assessment: During our final discussion, I will check to see if students use the vocabulary terms correctly in context.
· Ext/Mod: If students are struggling with the vocabulary I will be sure to incorporate it in morning message the following day or days if needed. This activity is likely to raise the energy levels in the classroom. I am planning to do this activity after recess to help accommodate the ADHD student. Also, I will have a talk with students about how it is good that we are having fun but that they still need to be respectful to the other students in our class, the classrooms next to us, the students working in the hall, etc. Usually this reminder works well.
Lesson 4
· GLCE:B,C
· Obj:1,4
· Procedure: As a class, we are going to discuss producers and consumers. Then we are going to see if we know any producers (farmers) and establish that we are all consumers- then I will make the connection that Zeeland is full of producers and consumers. Then we are going to make a Venn Diagram of people who are producers and consumers or both (primarily in Zeeland).
· Assessment: The class Venn Diagram- I will look for students to think of one on their own to add to our diagram.
· Ext/Mod: At this time, I am going to try to start reviewing vocabulary as much as possible during random times of the day. I am hoping to have visuals up in the classroom and I will incorporate concepts into morning messages. If students seem to really understand this concept I will have them make the Venn Diagrams with a partner if the class as a whole does not need as much assistance. In which case, I will chose the partners carefully, to make sure that the ELL, the ADHD student, and some of the other students of concerns have a partner who is helpful, encouraging, and has good communication skills.
Lesson 5
· GLCE: B, b
· Obj: 4,7,8
· Procedure: We will read Caps for Sale. We will have a discussion about the connections we made while reading the story. If students are not naturally making the goods and services connection, I will help guide them to this connection. I will also tell students that this is something we are going to start doing a lot during reading workshop time.
· Assessment: Look to see if students make accurate connections with the story and goods and services.
· Ext/Mod: Students may not see the economics connection right away. I am hoping that through repeated exposure and my guidance students will be able to see these connections on their own soon. If there are any behavior issues during this time, they will be asked to move to a place where they can still hear the story and participate but where there is not as many immediate distractions.
Lesson 6
· GLCE: A, E, b
· Obj: 1,3,4
· Procedure: We will review our connections that we made yesterday while reading Caps for Sale. We will read Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory. We will talk about the connections we had when we were reading. While we discuss these connections I will be writing them down, to introduce the format they need to use when they are reading during reading workshop time to practice making connections on their own.
· Assessment: Our class discussion about connections. I am hoping they will make connections to economics (goods, producer, consumer, opportunity cost, wants). If not, I will guide them to making these connections.
· Ext/Mod: If students are not sitting quietly while I write their ideas on the board, I will have them return to their desks and copy what I am copying into their journals so that they have the format to reference during the reading workshop choices. If this happens, I will do the writing for an LD student as he dictates to me what he would like me to write.
Lesson 7
· GLCE: b
· Obj: 3,4,7,8
· Procedure: I will review making connections I will remind students to look for connections to think that we learned about economics. I will read Arthur’s TV Needs. I will ask students to go back to their desks and to take out their reading response journals. Together we will respond in our journals about making connections with the story we just read.
· Assessment: I will look at student journals for students to make at least two connections with wants, consumer decision, consumer, opportunity cost, and producer.
· Ext/Mod: I may need to help a LD student with writing in his journal by writing his ideas for him. I will tell students that they can look around the room at our making connections board and our economy terms.
Lesson 8
· GLCE:B, D, E, b
· Obj: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8
· Procedure: Since this is not during reading workshop time and at the end of the day it is going to be more causal. I am going to read the 3 Little Pigs, students will not be asked to focus on making connections. Afterward, I am going to introduce natural, capital, and human resources. I am going to give examples of each from the story. Students will be asked to help me come up with more to add to our chart.
· Assessment: Students will each add one idea to our chart.
· Ext/Mod: These are going to be difficult for students to remember, I plan to review these again and incorporate them into morning messages. I will also have the vocabulary words with definitions posted in the room that can be referenced.
Lesson 9
· GLCE: A, E, b
· Obj:3, 4, 5, 6, 8
· Procedure: I am going to read Arthur’s Pets while students are working on making connections with things we have learned recently. Students will return to their desks, their first choice today is to practice making connections in their journals. Then we will share ideas.
· Assessment: I am looking to see if students have made connections with wants, services, trading, opportunity cost, and consumer decision. I will look at their journals to see if they made connections
· Ext/Mod: Some students may have extra time, I will have them read quietly while we wait for everyone to make connections. I plan to have the vocabulary terms up, if some students are struggling I may have to help guide them to thinking about the terms and the connections with the story.
Lesson 10
· GLCE: B, D, E, b
· Obj:1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8
· Procedure: I am going to read The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. We are going to be thinking about making connections. While I am reading I am going to be stopping to point out natural, capital, and human resources. Then students will share their ideas about connections they made.
· Assessment: I am looking to see if students are remembering the resources I pointed out. Students will identify producers, consumers, and possible opportunity costs.
· Ext/Mod: I may need to help guide them and remind them about the resources. If more than 3 students do not seem overly confident about the resources, we are going to make a chart of them on the board, like we did with The Three Little Pigs because it will be a good review for all students.
Lesson 11
· GLCE: D, b
· Obj: 2, 4, 7, 8
· Procedure: I am going to tell students to pay close attention to the resources in this story. We are going to review the three resources. I am going to read The Lorax. After, students will have to make connections in their journals. I am going to remind them to try to find the connection to each of the resource. After the first choice is over, we will review their connections in a class discussion.
· Assessment: Identifying connections with the three resources.
· Ext/Mod: If students are still having difficulty with these resources, I will either create another lesson that focuses on them, for either the entire class or a small group. I will need to help an LD student with his writing. I will have him tell me what to say and I will write it for him.
Lesson 12
· GLCE: A, B, C, D, a, b
· Obj: 3, 4, 6, 8
· Procedure: We are going to be looking for connections while I read Alexander who used to be Rich Last Sunday. Students will share their ideas with the class. Their first choice is going to be reading a non-fiction book at their level related to economics and are going to respond in their journal about three important facts from the book they read.
· Assessment: During our discussion, I am looking to see if students are identifying opportunity cost, consumer decision, needs, and wants.
· Ext/Mod: Students should not finish their books early but if they do I will have additional economic books at varying levels available for them to read. Since there are a few steps to this, a few students may need a brief stretching break to help shorten this quiet work time, if this is needed I will allow students 1 minute to get a drink of water and to whisper to friends.
Lesson 13
· GLCE: D, a,b
· Obj: 1, 2, 4, 8
· Procedure: I will remind students to listen closely and to pay attention to see what connections they can make while I read the book Goat in the Rug. Then students will be asked to respond in writing about the connections they made. When they are done, I will make a list of all of their ideas on the board and we will discuss all of them and the definitions of the economic terms they made connections with.
· Assessment: Students will make connections by identifying the producer, goods, and the resources that are in the story during our class discussion.
· Ext/Mod: If the discussion is taking more than ten minutes, we will break it up by making reading workshop choices for a bit and coming back to our discussion during the next mini-lesson time. During the discussion, I will constantly be referencing our definitions posted in our room. I will also be writing their ideas to help students who may need a little extra time to process the connection. I will also be prompting or walking students through the process of why or how it is a connection.
Lesson 14 and 15
· Vocabulary Review with a matching game and assessment
Family/Parent Letter
Dear Parents and Second-Graders,
We are about to begin a unit in social studies to help us learn about the economy of our community and our world. We are going to be studying producers/consumers, needs/wants, goods/services, natural/capital/human resources, consumer decision, trading/bartering, specialization, and opportunity cost. I know this seems like a lot of vocabulary but when we are able to see the community around us as an economic market; it helps us to see the larger picture of our economic world. It will also help us to see the value of money and will help us to evaluate our decisions about things we think we may “need”.
I would like to encourage you to look for daily applications of our economics unit in your daily lives. If you are at the grocery store, I encourage you to think and talk about the producers and services that were needed to get the item you are looking at to Zeeland or Holland. Meijer can be a lot of fun- there are so many things to look at! Next time you are there I encourage you to choose random items to think about if they are things your family needs or if they are things your family wants. If you are traveling through town, I encourage you to be looking out the window (unless you get car sick like I do) for stores and buildings. See if you can decide if what you see provides goods or services for our community. Maybe you will even find a place that does both!
Since we are learning very big a list of difficult words, I am including the words we are learning with basic definitions. If you have a slightly different definition, feel free to use your own.
Services- Work done for others for money.
Producer- A person who makes, grows or sells goods.
Trade- The exchange of one thing for another.
Human Resource- A person with abilities and skills.
Capital Resource- Anything used to produce goods or services.
Consumer- A person who buys and uses goods and services.
Natural Resource- Something found in nature that people can use to meet their needs.
Wants- Things people would like to have but do not need.
Goods- Things that can be bought and sold.
Needs- Things people must have to live.
Opportunity Cost- something you give up to get what you want.
Consumer’s Decision- Choices buyers make.
Thank you for everything you do!
Miss Vorpagel
Assessments
Objective 1- During the morning message, students will be asked to explain and give an example of a producer and a consumer in Holland or Zeeland. Then students will draw a picture showing how producers and consumers relate.
Objective 2- Students will be asked to fill in a chart similar to the ones we used throughout our unit to give examples of capital, natural, and human resources. Students will need to be able to prove to me in writing, on their chart, that they know why their example is in the right spot.
Objective 3- On a morning message, I am going to give students a story and they are going to have to identify the opportunity cost.
Objective 4- This will be assed in all of the objective assessments. Also, the assessment from the school gives a story and asks the students to identify and make connections by finding an example of each of the vocabulary terms in the story, which will be another way to assess this objective.
Objective 5- A morning message is going to ask students to explain specialization and trade. On the other side students will have to explain how they are connected to each other.
Objective 6- When students complete the survey about what they want and need for themselves, then students will compare their ideas to the ideas from their parents (or me). Then we are going to make a simple graph with our data.
Objective 7- On a morning message, students will have to explain the relationship between goods and services and examples of each in our community.
Objective 8- I am going to collect their reading journals throughout the unit to see how they are doing on their own. I also have an assessment from our school that gives a story and then asks students to identify/make connections between the vocabulary terms and specifics in the story.
A standard school wide assessment will be given at the end. All of the terms are referenced and examples of each are given in the story on the test. There is one question about each term in a fill in the blank style. The questions are in the context of a fictional story about some children and their goal to save money and the economic experiences they have. Each blank is one question that is worth one point. There are 12 blanks total. Students receiving a 9/12 or higher will receive a 1 on their report card. Students receiving less than 6/12 will receive a 3 on their report card. If a student scores between 6-12, he or she will receive a 2.
Out-of-school learning: opportunities to expand and enrich the curriculum outside of class
In the midst of this unit, I am planning to have parents complete a survey about what their needs and wants are for their child. During one morning message time, the students are going to complete the same survey for themselves. Then students are going to be able to compare ideas.
As far as homework goes, there is a set way homework routine in the classroom, so instead of making something mandatory to do at home I am going to encourage parents and students to discuss different terms with their child throughout the varying weeks, when it is appropriate. An example of this would be producer and consumer at the grocery store, or needs and wants at Meijer, or goods or services when driving through town.
3 Sample Lesson Plans
Lesson 4
Producers and Consumers (30 minutes)
Rationale: Students will learn about producers and consumers in their community. Students will evaluate their ideas through apply their knowledge of producers and consumers into a Venn Diagram.
Learning Goals/Objectives for today’s lesson:
1. Explain and give a personal example of the relationship between producer and consumer.
2. Using the given vocabulary terms correctly in context.
MI GLCEs
E1.0.2 Identify businesses in the local community
E1.0.3 Describe how businesses in the local community meet economic wants of consumers.
Materials & supplies needed:
Whiteboard and Expo Markers
Students may need a piece of blank white paper and a pencil
The Launch (5 minutes)
This lesson will begin with students sitting in the back by the whiteboard easel. I will remind students that they need to be sitting in a spot where they can hear me, see the whiteboard, and where they can do their best learning. Then I will ask students to move if they think they will need to.
Then I will write the word farmer on the board. We will think of as many words as we can to describe a farmer, I will call on students using popsicle sticks, students are allowed to pass if they do not have anything to share. After a couple minutes, I will transition the conversation to “who do farmers give their grain, corn, or berries to?” (I will use the words that the students suggest in the brainstorming session).
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I think that all students will be successful with this task, during this time I may need to give some reminders or ask some friend groups to separate so all students can do their best learning. The reason I do not want to address this issue ahead of time is because I want to see which students are remembering to do this on their own without reminders.
The Exploration (20 minutes)
I am going to write the words producer and consumer on the board. I am going to ask students if they have any schema about these words. Students are very familiar with the word schema, we use it often. I expect a couple of the students to have ideas. My goal is to come to the conclusion, either through student suggestions or my prompting about what we do know, that producers grow, make, and produce goods and consumers use, buy, or consume the goods. Then we are going to come up with 2-3 ideas of each, with each idea that is suggested a different student will be asked to give proof about how they know. For this task I am going to call on students with their hands raised because I do not want anyone to feel bad about passing.
Once students seem to be grasping these concepts, I am going to clear the white board and make a VennDiagram. I am going to ask students to turn to their knee buddy to think of an idea for a producer and a consumer that are in Holland or Zeeland. Once every student has two ideas and proof, I am going to draw popcicle sticks for students to give one example and to give proof for where it belongs; my goal is that every student will have opportunity to share one idea. I will write their ideas on the Venn diagram, even if their example is not local. If no student gives an example of how sometimes someone is both a producer and consumer, I am going to write two ideas in the shared column, and ask to see if any student can explain my answer. If not I will explain to students how even producers, are consumers because they cannot do everything for themselves.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I anticipate students will be excited to contribute to this discussion and activity. If students are becoming too excited, the activity is going to shift and students will be asked to complete their own Venn diagram with a partner. I will chose the partners by pairing students of different acedmic levels. I will pair the ELL with students that have good communication skills and a larger vocabulary than some of the other students. I will pair a patient student with the ADHD student. Then we will share ideas with the class from our desks rather than at the carpet.
The Summary (5 minutes)
When our Venn diagram is full or students have completed their individual Venn diagram, I am going to give everyone 30 seconds to think of a definition for producer. Then students will volunteer their definitions I am going to try to incorporate all of their ideas into one definition to add to the whiteboard below our Venn diagram (or students will have to add it below their individual Venn Diagram). Then we will repeat this with consumer.
Once the lesson is complete, I plan to reconstruct our Venn Diagram and definitions on a poster to display in our classroom.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I think that this will go well, if students are suggesting complicated definitions I may have to add a simple definition that uses many adjectives and synonyms to support the two ELL students in my classroom if they are struggling. I know that if they understand, they will participate and if they are unsure they will ask questions or withdrawal, I will be looking for their reactions to see how they are doing.
Assessment: I am looking to see if students are participating in class discussions or are actively talking with their knee buddy. If students are able to give suggestions for the Venn diagram and are able to justify their ideas with proof, I know that students are on the right track. I am hoping that time will allow for each student to give me one idea, so that I can see on an individual basis how the student is developing these concepts. During the definition making process, I am looking to see how many students are suggesting ideas and if their suggestions are correct.
Academic, Social, and Linguistic Support during assessment: The assessment will be occurring throughout the lesson and the adaptations are specified throughout the lesson. However, I need to be sure to use many adjectives and synonyms when introducing vocabulary words for my ELL students. Since there is little reading and writing for students I do not foresee there being many issues.
Diagnostic features: I am looking for students to give correct ideas about examples of producers and consumers; I am hoping that students will give proof to prove how they know their idea is correct.
Lesson 5
Goods and Services in Fiction Text (15 minutes)
Rationale: Students will make connections between their previous economic learning and a fiction text, in order to better understand their understanding of goods and services.
Learning Goals/Objectives for today’s lesson:
1. Using the given vocabulary terms correctly in context.
2. Explain the relationship between goods and services and the importance of each.
3. Making correct connections by analyzing a given fiction text and our economic vocabulary terms.
MI GLCEs
R.WS.02.11 In context, determine the meaning of words and phrases including objects, actions, concepts, content vocabulary, and literary terms, using strategies and resources including context clues, mental pictures, and questioning. (At this time, I only plan to be focusing on the concepts and vocabulary.)
R.NT.02.05 Respond to individual and multiple texts by finding evidence, discussing, illustrating, and/or writing to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding. (At this time, I do not plan on having students take positions on the content.)
E1.0.2 Identify businesses in the local community
E1.0.3 Describe how businesses in the local community meet economic wants of consumers.
Materials & supplies needed:
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
The Launch (3 minutes)
I will encourage students to find a different spot to sit at group if they think they might be sitting in a spot where it will be difficult for them to be doing their best learning. The reason I do not want to assign where students sit it because I have a laid back classroom where the students are allowed to sit wherever they feel comfortable, within reason, and this has worked very well with the students all year. I do not foresee this being an issue, most days it is not. However, I still feel it is worth noting in case it is a day where students have extra energy.
I will remind students how we have been practice making text-to-text connections and text-to-self connections, I will ask for volunteers to define each of these connections for the class. I will tell students that I want them pay attention to the connections they are making while I am reading Caps for Sale.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I may need to help a few students chose a spot that they can do their best learning in, there may be a couple of groups of friends that need help separating. However, most days students are very respectful and can chose their own seat. I just feel like I should note this action in case it is needed this day.
The Exploration (10 minutes)
I will read Caps for Sale. While I am reading I am going to encourage the idea that the peddler is doing a job that he is hoping will help other people because he is going around the city to try to make it more convenient for his customer. I am also going to emphasize that the product he is selling is caps. I am hoping that these ideas will help encourage students to make connections with goods and services.
Once, I have finished I am going to give students 20 seconds to think about the connections they made. I will ask the students to think about the three different types of connections we have learned about. Then I will emphasize that we learned about text-to-world-connections and that anything we have learned about the world or the economy would be a great thing to think about. Then students will have the opportunity to share with the class, if many students have connections I will use popsicle sticks. If everyone does not get a turn they will be allowed time to share their idea quickly with a knee buddy.
If no one suggests a connection with goods and services, I am going to share my connection with the caps being a good in the community in the story. Then I will ask students if I gave them any other ideas of connections, if not, I will make the services connection also.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: If I end up calling on students using popsicle sticks I will allow students the option to pass. I know that some people are not as comfortable talking in a large group setting and I do not want anyone to feel pressure to share. I try to keep the environment very relaxed and this encourages the students to share when they have an idea. During most sharing opportunities, everyone in this class has an idea and I do not want to discourage that.
If students are struggling to make connections, I will prompt their thinking with questions about a story or an experience where someone was selling something.
The Summary (2 minutes)
I am going to tell students how we are going to continue practice making connections at the beginning of reading workshop, but that we are going to start looking for connections with the non-fiction story and everything we have been learning in economics, I am going to point out that the vocabulary words are posted by our group and that they are welcome to use that resource to help them with their connections. We will review these words and they will be dismissed for their reading workshop choice.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I will review the vocabulary words for all students because some students may have difficulty reading the words and definitions and the more they are exposed to the words will be helpful.
Assessment Task: Today, I am hoping that students will make connections to goods and service but they have not had to do this before so I am assessing to make sure that students are able to make valid connections with the text.
Academic, Social, and Linguistic Support during assessment: I am going to encourage all students to participate by using the popsicle sticks but if students do not feel comfortable I know that I may need to work with them individually with making connections. If students are struggling to make connections, I am going to ask students to think of a time they saw someone selling something or if they have ever read a different story where someone was selling something.
Diagnostic features: I am looking for students to make connections with the text and another source so, I will know that they understand I students will eventually begin making connections on their own with our economic vocabulary but I know that this may take some time because this economic-connection is a new process of thinking for students.
Lesson 6
Good, Producer, Consumer, Opportunity Cost, and Wants with Curious George (20 minutes)
Rationale: Reciting economic terms does not ensure that students have a deep understanding of the concepts, but by making connections between vocabulary terms and a non-fiction story, students are deepening their understanding and their ability to apply their knowledge to new scenarios.
Learning Goals/Objectives for today’s lesson:
1. Explain and give a personal example of the relationship between producer and consumer.
2. Identify and relate to opportunity cost in a consumer decision.
3. Using the given vocabulary terms correctly in context.
MI GLCEs
R.NT.02.05 Respond to individual and multiple texts by finding evidence, discussing, illustrating, and/or writing to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding. (At this time, I do not plan on having students take positions on the content.)
E1.0.1 Identify the opportunity cost involved in a consumer decision.
E1.0.5 Use examples to show that people cannot produce everything they want (specialization) and depend on trade with others to meet their wants.
Materials & supplies needed:
Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by Margaret and H.A. Rey
Whiteboard and Expo Marker
The Launch (4 minutes)
I will write, “What were you reminded of? Why? How did this connection help you better understand the story?” on the white board. We are going to go through and review the connections we made yesterday when we read Caps for Sale. I am hoping that a brief recap with help get students thinking about making connections with our economic learning.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I will help students make sure they are in a spot where they can do their best learning.
The Exploration (14 minutes)
I am going to read Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory. While I am reading I am going to emphasize that chocolate is being made at the factory, that George wants to consume the chocolate and what happens to George after he made his decision. I am hoping this will prompt students to be developing connections with the story and goods, producer, consumer, consumer decision, opportunity cost, and wants.
When I have finished the story, I am going to write their answers to the questions on the board about their connections. Eventually students will be answering these questions on their own in their reading journals; I am trying to build their experiences to writing the answers to these questions before it is expected of them. I will be asking students to share their connections; I will either call on students or use popsicle sticks depending on how many students are raising their hands. If students do not make connections on their own to with goods, producer, consumer, consumer decision, opportunity cost, and wants, I will try to prompt students to come up with these connections, if students still are not making these connections I will model creating the connections on my own.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: If the entire class is having a hard time sitting and listening to peers and myself as we are answering the questions on the board, I will have students return to their seats and we will all write the answers, students in their writing journals, and I will write in my journal using the document camera. This is something students will be doing the next few lessons and eventually students will do this on their own.
If I need to prompt students I will prompt them by asking questions about different parts of the story that represent a vocabulary theme or I will give a vocabulary concept and I will ask students to make the connection.
The Summary (2 minutes)
I will review all of the economic connections that we came up with for students. I will encourage students to see if they can make any economic connections during reading workshop.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I do not foresee any accommodations being needed.
Assessment Task : The assessment is students contributing to the class discussion. I am hoping that students will make economic connections but today I am really hoping that students are making connections that are related to the story.
Diagnostic features: Students should be able to make connections with the text. I am hoping that students are able to make some connections with the economic concept and the nonfiction story. If students are unable to make the economic connections, I hope that they can make the connections with my prompting. If any of the scenarios occurs, students are heading in the right direction. Making connections to real life concepts and non-fiction stories is a new idea for students and I expect it will take practice before students are able to do this on their own.
Support: I will suggest to students that if they are needing help making connection to economics, that they can look at the economic vocabulary terms to help think of examples in the text.
Reflection
I feel this unit was very successful. The students quickly grasped the concept of making connections and were able to write and verbalize their connections and why making connections is important for readers to do. I really like how I introduced the economic terms and had them on a bulletin board by the couch where most of our not desk learning occurs. This made it easy for students to look for the term they were looking for. I think that this made many students feel confident about being able to give the correct answer but I also think that it allowed all students to hear other students’ ideas and support which helped to build all students knowledge. I liked all of the activities I think they were appreciated by the students because they were excited for social studies which is not something that I have seen very much this year. I did make a few last minute time changes where I taught social studies in the morning instead of the afternoon, so that we would not be as restricted by time. I think this was a good idea. The bartering activity lasted for about an hour instead of the half hour that I was initially planning for. The students were engaged up until the very last minute. Students were able to feel the stress that occurs when resources become scarce. Students learned the words bartering and scarcity but also experienced the emotions. I was very excited to see that deep learning was occurring. I also thought it was awesome that I heard from parents that their child was very excited about it.
One thing that I did modify during some of the lessons was that my plan was to primarily ask students for their connections with the economic terms and the fictional story. Depending on the story, I would get a few connections or a lot of connections. I was surprised that some books seemed harder for students to develop connections about. However, when I started asking them questions about the characters or different aspects of the story the connections started to develop. A modification that I would add to nearly all lessons next time is that the teacher should ask specific guiding questions to help lead students to making connections on their own, if it is not happening automatically.
I thought that there were some struggles with my unit which primarily was time. The standard social studies time in our room is for the last half hour two days each week. During these lessons, students were often more talkative and have more behavioral issues than occur the rest of the day. I kept this in mind when planning and I tried to keep the activities exciting where students could talk and not have to stay still. One of my very last afternoon lessons was reading The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig and students would practice making connections. I thought this book was fun and exciting enough to keep their attention even though it was the end of the day. This did work for part of the time but toward the end of the book there were some students who were getting restless and talkative. If I were to teach this again, I would use this book in the morning and a shorter (5 minute) book in the afternoon in conjunction with an activity to follow that required students to stand up or be active.
I believed that this unit was going to support the social studies material. However, I feel like all of the learning support for the concepts was accomplished while teaching literacy. I did not realize it would be that easy to teach two different subjects at the same time. I think these units merged really well together. I am excited to try integrating subject matter again. I am really glad that prior to my unit, I had prepared a spot to put all of the economic terms where they could easily be viewed. I think this was a good support for all learners. I think that when I have my own classroom, I am going to try to have established places around the room for different important concepts and definitions. I did learn that when I worked on my unit for my class I should have been asking the other second grade teachers at my school if they wanted copies of my unit. I ended up making additional copies later for some of them and explaining things multiple times, when I should have been more forward with them about my plans for my unit. They all seemed very interested in everything I shared. They were encouraging and supportive when my CT was gone.
Rationale:
This unit will address issues of the economy in the United States such as the relationship between producers and consumers and needs and wants. Through this unit, students will better understand their community through understanding why they cannot have everything they want and why they cannot always just go to the store to buy what they want because sometimes products are scarce and consumers have to make decisions. Students will learn to have an appreciation for all the work that they may not be aware of and why items cost what they do, by teaching students that things at the store come from different places and all the work that goes into getting the items to the store. Students will get to experience bartering over scarce items, where each student will represent a country and will be given limited resources. Discussions in class will encourage students to ask their parents questions when they go to the store which will create connections with students’ everyday lives. This unit will help students to see the larger picture- that one person cannot be successful on their own, so that they will be able to appreciate and recognize everything that is done for them that they cannot see so that they will be able to view the world as an economic exchange.
Unit Objectives:
1. Define the roles of a producer and consumer. (E1.0.3, E1.0.4)
2. Explain and give examples of natural, human, and capital resources. (E1.0.4)
3. Identify and relate to opportunity cost in a consumer decision. (E1.0.1)
4. Using the given vocabulary terms correctly in context. (R.NT.02.05)
5. Recognize the differences and relationships between trading and specialization. (E1.0.5)
6. Identify needs and wants in their life and comparing their individual ideas with peers. (E1.0.5, E1.0.1, E1.0.3)
7. Explain the relationship between goods and services and the importance of each. (E1.0.2, E1.0.3)
8. Analyze a given fiction text and make connections with the economic vocabulary terms. (R.WS.02.11, R.NT.02.05)
Unit Standards or Grade Level Content Expectations:
Second Grade-Michigan Grade Level Content Area Expectations in Social Studies
E1.0.1 Identify the opportunity cost involved in a consumer decision.
E1.0.2 Identify businesses in the local community
E1.0.3 Describe how businesses in the local community meet economic wants of consumers.
E1.0.4 Describe the natural, human, and capital resources needed for production of a good or service in the community.
E1.0.5 Use examples to show that people cannot produce everything they want (specialization) and depend on trade with others to meet their wants.
The focus in February is to have mini-lessons during Reading Workshop time that promote making connections using fiction text. My social studies unit will integrate some of the making connections unit.
Michigan Grade Level Content Area Expectations in Literacy
R.WS.02.11 In context, determine the meaning of words and phrases including objects, actions, concepts, content vocabulary, and literary terms, using strategies and resources including context clues, mental pictures, and questioning. (At this time, I only plan to be focusing on the concepts and vocabulary.)
R.NT.02.05 Respond to individual and multiple texts by finding evidence, discussing, illustrating, and/or writing to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding. (At this time, I do not plan on having students take positions on the content.)
Social Studies Content:
The most important part of this unit is for students to remember the vocabulary and concepts therein. I want students to remember the terms and be able to know their own definition of the word and to be able to apply the definition to be able to give examples or label examples that are given.
There are many big ideas to this unit. The producer produces goods or services for the producer. Sometimes things are traded. There are 3 different types of resources that need to be considered when thinking about goods: capital, natural, and human. Certain skills are valuable that not everyone can do, this is called specialization, this is also why people need other people and cannot rely on only themselves. Consumers make decisions this is called a consumer’s decision, there is often an opportunity cost that needs to be considered.
I am researching different methods of teaching my unit. I am looking for suggestions from teaching experts about ways to improve classroom and time management. I am also looking at suggestions to improve student relationships. Some books I found to help me meet my goals are Your First Year of Teaching and Beyond, Teaching Outside of the Box: How to Grab your Students by the Brains, Classroom Management and Discipline: Methods to Facilitate Cooperation and Instruction, 25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them, The Classroom of Choice, and The Teacher’s Guide to Inclusive Education. I was reminded that have students practice concepts at home is one way that I could enhance students’ learning outside of the classroom (Kronowitz). In order to have a community environment where students are able to do their best learning they need to feel comfortable, I am going to try some team building activities to promote this (Erwin). I think that this will also relate to economics and the need to rely on other sources just how students need to be able to rely on one another in the classroom. I am going to introduce a game called word detective, where students look for clues to help them learn new words (Hammeken). This game is a way to introduce a new vocabulary in an exciting manner to help engage students at the beginning of a lesson. I have consulted my dad, who is a former economics teacher, former Junior Achievement instructor, and has a Masters Degree in Economics. He has given me three additional resources that are economic books written at a college level, I will have these available if questions arise during my unit. I plan to use these books if students ask me a question I am unable to answer but I currently think that I have background on this content and will not need to consult these resources. However, I believe that a few of the students in my class would be interested in exploring these resources to see what a college level economic book looks like and how it compares to the economic books we are using in second grade.
I think one difficult aspect of this unit is the amount of vocabulary terms that students are expected to know. I would expect that less than half of my students will be familiar with any the vocabulary terms. I have a few students who speak Spanish and English; I anticipate that the vocabulary terms will be especially difficult for them. I am going to have the terms posted in the classroom, so that they can be easily referenced but also frequently viewed. I also have quite a few relatively low and slow learners who require a lot of repetition; I worry that they will struggle to keep up with the class. I am hoping that if we review terms often, even at random transition times throughout the weeks, that all students will retain the vocabulary words and their definitions. I think that when the concepts are broken down the students will be able to understand but I worry that when we start to use multiple vocabulary concepts some of my students will become confused.
I think that this unit will be a lot easier for my higher readers because when they see a vocabulary word around the room or on the board they will be able to read the word on their own and will hopefully have that word in their memory even if they are still working on knowing what it means. I will be having students write about their connections, this will be easier for the students in my class who write fluently and are able to accurately portray their ideas on paper. I will need to assist at least one student in my class with his writing but I know that he is capable of producing the ideas but through his IEP, I try to reduce unneeded anxiety by helping with longer writing assignments. Students will need to be able to apply the concepts to different texts and stories. I think that if I can give students visuals (Venn Diagrams and lists) this will help them to see the connections rather than just hearing them. This unit will help students develop their communication skills; we will be having discussions, writing assignments, and drawing assignments.
The following resources have given me ideas of things to try throughout my unit:
Boushey, G and Moser, M.(2006). The daily 5: fostering literacy independence in the elementary grades. Stenhouse Publishing.
Burden, P. (1995). Classroom management and discipline: methods to facilitate cooperation and instruction. Wiley.Erwin, J. (2004). The classroom of choice: giving students what they need and getting what you want. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Hammeken, P. (2007). The teacher's guide to inclusive education: 750 strategies for success: a guide for all educators. Corwin Press.
Johnson, L. (2005). Teaching outside the box: how to grab your students by their brains. Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.
Kronowitz, E. (2004). Your first year of teaching and beyond. Allyn & Bacon.
Orange, C. (2000). 25 biggest mistakes teachers make and how to avoid them. Corwin Press.
Wong, H and Wong, R. (2009). The first days of school: how to be an effective teacher. Harry K. Wong Publications.
Key Concepts
Services- Work done for others most often in exchange for money.
Producer- A person who makes, grows or sells goods such as a farmer or factory worker.
Trade- The exchange of one thing for another.
Human Resource- A person with abilities and skills(You are a sculptor).
Capital Resource- Anything used to produce goods or services(You used your pencil as a resource to help you make your sculpture).
Natural Resource- Something found in nature that people can use to meet their needs (You used PlayDoh to create your sculpture).
Consumer- A person who buys and uses goods and services.
Wants- Things people wish they had but do not need.
Goods- Items that can be bought and sold.
Needs- Things people must have to live.
Opportunity Cost- Something you give up to get what you want.
Consumer’s Decision- Choices people who buy goods or service make, such as which type of toy or lunch meat to buy.
Knowing Your Students and their Learning Environment
In order to plan a successful unit, I needed to consider my students' interests, strengths, and weaknesses. I completed this in great detail and would be happy share this section if inquired.
Unit Overview
Lesson 1
· GLCE: a
· Obj:4,6
· Procedure: I will begin by making a t-chart on the board and adding the words “needs” and “wants” to the top. I will ask students to tell me their ideas about the differences between needs and wants. Then I will read the book Needs and Wants, as I am reading I will stop to discuss if the book is matching with our prior ideas about needs and wants or not. When I am done reading the book, students will come up with a definition for need and want with their knee buddy, we will share ideas with the class. Once we have a solid definition added to our t-chart, we will add examples below each heading.
·Assessment: Making a t-chart with needs and wants as a class. Each student will participate and provide an idea.
· Ext/Mod: This should be a review activity but if students need more time with these concepts or if I have extra time, I have additional needs and wants books that we could read to check our answers in our chart. I plan to help my ELL by saying the words often and providing a visual of how the word is spelled.
Lesson 2
· GLCE: B
· Obj: 4,7
· Procedure: I will introduce the concepts goods and services. We will local goods and services in the Zeeland community. Everyone in our class will have to think of one good or service in our community and say which one it is. Then students will create a city, students will have a “good street” and a “service road” and will be given a worksheet that has different buildings(bank, toy store, etc) and will need to put the appropriate store/building on the correct road.
· Assessment: Completing the goods and services city by placing the buildings on the correct road.
· Ext/Mod: It is possible we will run out of time on this lesson, especially if students do not remember previously learning these concepts, if that happens it will be finished first thing the following day during morning work. If a student is struggling to know where a building goes, I am going to help them go through the process of remember the difference between a good and a service. Then from there I will ask them guiding questions until they get to the right answer.
Lesson 3
· GLCE: A,E
· Obj:3, 4, 5
· Procedure: I will introduce the terms trading and bartering. Each student will receive a county card. On their country card they will have a good that is produced in that country. Then they will be able to trade their good with other goods in the classroom. However, some people will have more available to trade than others. After this we will talk about what happened and I will introduce the word scarcity. We will also talk about how we were the consumer who was getting the product and the opportunity cost that arose when we ran out of items to trade.
· Assessment: During our final discussion, I will check to see if students use the vocabulary terms correctly in context.
· Ext/Mod: If students are struggling with the vocabulary I will be sure to incorporate it in morning message the following day or days if needed. This activity is likely to raise the energy levels in the classroom. I am planning to do this activity after recess to help accommodate the ADHD student. Also, I will have a talk with students about how it is good that we are having fun but that they still need to be respectful to the other students in our class, the classrooms next to us, the students working in the hall, etc. Usually this reminder works well.
Lesson 4
· GLCE:B,C
· Obj:1,4
· Procedure: As a class, we are going to discuss producers and consumers. Then we are going to see if we know any producers (farmers) and establish that we are all consumers- then I will make the connection that Zeeland is full of producers and consumers. Then we are going to make a Venn Diagram of people who are producers and consumers or both (primarily in Zeeland).
· Assessment: The class Venn Diagram- I will look for students to think of one on their own to add to our diagram.
· Ext/Mod: At this time, I am going to try to start reviewing vocabulary as much as possible during random times of the day. I am hoping to have visuals up in the classroom and I will incorporate concepts into morning messages. If students seem to really understand this concept I will have them make the Venn Diagrams with a partner if the class as a whole does not need as much assistance. In which case, I will chose the partners carefully, to make sure that the ELL, the ADHD student, and some of the other students of concerns have a partner who is helpful, encouraging, and has good communication skills.
Lesson 5
· GLCE: B, b
· Obj: 4,7,8
· Procedure: We will read Caps for Sale. We will have a discussion about the connections we made while reading the story. If students are not naturally making the goods and services connection, I will help guide them to this connection. I will also tell students that this is something we are going to start doing a lot during reading workshop time.
· Assessment: Look to see if students make accurate connections with the story and goods and services.
· Ext/Mod: Students may not see the economics connection right away. I am hoping that through repeated exposure and my guidance students will be able to see these connections on their own soon. If there are any behavior issues during this time, they will be asked to move to a place where they can still hear the story and participate but where there is not as many immediate distractions.
Lesson 6
· GLCE: A, E, b
· Obj: 1,3,4
· Procedure: We will review our connections that we made yesterday while reading Caps for Sale. We will read Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory. We will talk about the connections we had when we were reading. While we discuss these connections I will be writing them down, to introduce the format they need to use when they are reading during reading workshop time to practice making connections on their own.
· Assessment: Our class discussion about connections. I am hoping they will make connections to economics (goods, producer, consumer, opportunity cost, wants). If not, I will guide them to making these connections.
· Ext/Mod: If students are not sitting quietly while I write their ideas on the board, I will have them return to their desks and copy what I am copying into their journals so that they have the format to reference during the reading workshop choices. If this happens, I will do the writing for an LD student as he dictates to me what he would like me to write.
Lesson 7
· GLCE: b
· Obj: 3,4,7,8
· Procedure: I will review making connections I will remind students to look for connections to think that we learned about economics. I will read Arthur’s TV Needs. I will ask students to go back to their desks and to take out their reading response journals. Together we will respond in our journals about making connections with the story we just read.
· Assessment: I will look at student journals for students to make at least two connections with wants, consumer decision, consumer, opportunity cost, and producer.
· Ext/Mod: I may need to help a LD student with writing in his journal by writing his ideas for him. I will tell students that they can look around the room at our making connections board and our economy terms.
Lesson 8
· GLCE:B, D, E, b
· Obj: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8
· Procedure: Since this is not during reading workshop time and at the end of the day it is going to be more causal. I am going to read the 3 Little Pigs, students will not be asked to focus on making connections. Afterward, I am going to introduce natural, capital, and human resources. I am going to give examples of each from the story. Students will be asked to help me come up with more to add to our chart.
· Assessment: Students will each add one idea to our chart.
· Ext/Mod: These are going to be difficult for students to remember, I plan to review these again and incorporate them into morning messages. I will also have the vocabulary words with definitions posted in the room that can be referenced.
Lesson 9
· GLCE: A, E, b
· Obj:3, 4, 5, 6, 8
· Procedure: I am going to read Arthur’s Pets while students are working on making connections with things we have learned recently. Students will return to their desks, their first choice today is to practice making connections in their journals. Then we will share ideas.
· Assessment: I am looking to see if students have made connections with wants, services, trading, opportunity cost, and consumer decision. I will look at their journals to see if they made connections
· Ext/Mod: Some students may have extra time, I will have them read quietly while we wait for everyone to make connections. I plan to have the vocabulary terms up, if some students are struggling I may have to help guide them to thinking about the terms and the connections with the story.
Lesson 10
· GLCE: B, D, E, b
· Obj:1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8
· Procedure: I am going to read The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. We are going to be thinking about making connections. While I am reading I am going to be stopping to point out natural, capital, and human resources. Then students will share their ideas about connections they made.
· Assessment: I am looking to see if students are remembering the resources I pointed out. Students will identify producers, consumers, and possible opportunity costs.
· Ext/Mod: I may need to help guide them and remind them about the resources. If more than 3 students do not seem overly confident about the resources, we are going to make a chart of them on the board, like we did with The Three Little Pigs because it will be a good review for all students.
Lesson 11
· GLCE: D, b
· Obj: 2, 4, 7, 8
· Procedure: I am going to tell students to pay close attention to the resources in this story. We are going to review the three resources. I am going to read The Lorax. After, students will have to make connections in their journals. I am going to remind them to try to find the connection to each of the resource. After the first choice is over, we will review their connections in a class discussion.
· Assessment: Identifying connections with the three resources.
· Ext/Mod: If students are still having difficulty with these resources, I will either create another lesson that focuses on them, for either the entire class or a small group. I will need to help an LD student with his writing. I will have him tell me what to say and I will write it for him.
Lesson 12
· GLCE: A, B, C, D, a, b
· Obj: 3, 4, 6, 8
· Procedure: We are going to be looking for connections while I read Alexander who used to be Rich Last Sunday. Students will share their ideas with the class. Their first choice is going to be reading a non-fiction book at their level related to economics and are going to respond in their journal about three important facts from the book they read.
· Assessment: During our discussion, I am looking to see if students are identifying opportunity cost, consumer decision, needs, and wants.
· Ext/Mod: Students should not finish their books early but if they do I will have additional economic books at varying levels available for them to read. Since there are a few steps to this, a few students may need a brief stretching break to help shorten this quiet work time, if this is needed I will allow students 1 minute to get a drink of water and to whisper to friends.
Lesson 13
· GLCE: D, a,b
· Obj: 1, 2, 4, 8
· Procedure: I will remind students to listen closely and to pay attention to see what connections they can make while I read the book Goat in the Rug. Then students will be asked to respond in writing about the connections they made. When they are done, I will make a list of all of their ideas on the board and we will discuss all of them and the definitions of the economic terms they made connections with.
· Assessment: Students will make connections by identifying the producer, goods, and the resources that are in the story during our class discussion.
· Ext/Mod: If the discussion is taking more than ten minutes, we will break it up by making reading workshop choices for a bit and coming back to our discussion during the next mini-lesson time. During the discussion, I will constantly be referencing our definitions posted in our room. I will also be writing their ideas to help students who may need a little extra time to process the connection. I will also be prompting or walking students through the process of why or how it is a connection.
Lesson 14 and 15
· Vocabulary Review with a matching game and assessment
Family/Parent Letter
Dear Parents and Second-Graders,
We are about to begin a unit in social studies to help us learn about the economy of our community and our world. We are going to be studying producers/consumers, needs/wants, goods/services, natural/capital/human resources, consumer decision, trading/bartering, specialization, and opportunity cost. I know this seems like a lot of vocabulary but when we are able to see the community around us as an economic market; it helps us to see the larger picture of our economic world. It will also help us to see the value of money and will help us to evaluate our decisions about things we think we may “need”.
I would like to encourage you to look for daily applications of our economics unit in your daily lives. If you are at the grocery store, I encourage you to think and talk about the producers and services that were needed to get the item you are looking at to Zeeland or Holland. Meijer can be a lot of fun- there are so many things to look at! Next time you are there I encourage you to choose random items to think about if they are things your family needs or if they are things your family wants. If you are traveling through town, I encourage you to be looking out the window (unless you get car sick like I do) for stores and buildings. See if you can decide if what you see provides goods or services for our community. Maybe you will even find a place that does both!
Since we are learning very big a list of difficult words, I am including the words we are learning with basic definitions. If you have a slightly different definition, feel free to use your own.
Services- Work done for others for money.
Producer- A person who makes, grows or sells goods.
Trade- The exchange of one thing for another.
Human Resource- A person with abilities and skills.
Capital Resource- Anything used to produce goods or services.
Consumer- A person who buys and uses goods and services.
Natural Resource- Something found in nature that people can use to meet their needs.
Wants- Things people would like to have but do not need.
Goods- Things that can be bought and sold.
Needs- Things people must have to live.
Opportunity Cost- something you give up to get what you want.
Consumer’s Decision- Choices buyers make.
Thank you for everything you do!
Miss Vorpagel
Assessments
Objective 1- During the morning message, students will be asked to explain and give an example of a producer and a consumer in Holland or Zeeland. Then students will draw a picture showing how producers and consumers relate.
Objective 2- Students will be asked to fill in a chart similar to the ones we used throughout our unit to give examples of capital, natural, and human resources. Students will need to be able to prove to me in writing, on their chart, that they know why their example is in the right spot.
Objective 3- On a morning message, I am going to give students a story and they are going to have to identify the opportunity cost.
Objective 4- This will be assed in all of the objective assessments. Also, the assessment from the school gives a story and asks the students to identify and make connections by finding an example of each of the vocabulary terms in the story, which will be another way to assess this objective.
Objective 5- A morning message is going to ask students to explain specialization and trade. On the other side students will have to explain how they are connected to each other.
Objective 6- When students complete the survey about what they want and need for themselves, then students will compare their ideas to the ideas from their parents (or me). Then we are going to make a simple graph with our data.
Objective 7- On a morning message, students will have to explain the relationship between goods and services and examples of each in our community.
Objective 8- I am going to collect their reading journals throughout the unit to see how they are doing on their own. I also have an assessment from our school that gives a story and then asks students to identify/make connections between the vocabulary terms and specifics in the story.
A standard school wide assessment will be given at the end. All of the terms are referenced and examples of each are given in the story on the test. There is one question about each term in a fill in the blank style. The questions are in the context of a fictional story about some children and their goal to save money and the economic experiences they have. Each blank is one question that is worth one point. There are 12 blanks total. Students receiving a 9/12 or higher will receive a 1 on their report card. Students receiving less than 6/12 will receive a 3 on their report card. If a student scores between 6-12, he or she will receive a 2.
Out-of-school learning: opportunities to expand and enrich the curriculum outside of class
In the midst of this unit, I am planning to have parents complete a survey about what their needs and wants are for their child. During one morning message time, the students are going to complete the same survey for themselves. Then students are going to be able to compare ideas.
As far as homework goes, there is a set way homework routine in the classroom, so instead of making something mandatory to do at home I am going to encourage parents and students to discuss different terms with their child throughout the varying weeks, when it is appropriate. An example of this would be producer and consumer at the grocery store, or needs and wants at Meijer, or goods or services when driving through town.
3 Sample Lesson Plans
Lesson 4
Producers and Consumers (30 minutes)
Rationale: Students will learn about producers and consumers in their community. Students will evaluate their ideas through apply their knowledge of producers and consumers into a Venn Diagram.
Learning Goals/Objectives for today’s lesson:
1. Explain and give a personal example of the relationship between producer and consumer.
2. Using the given vocabulary terms correctly in context.
MI GLCEs
E1.0.2 Identify businesses in the local community
E1.0.3 Describe how businesses in the local community meet economic wants of consumers.
Materials & supplies needed:
Whiteboard and Expo Markers
Students may need a piece of blank white paper and a pencil
The Launch (5 minutes)
This lesson will begin with students sitting in the back by the whiteboard easel. I will remind students that they need to be sitting in a spot where they can hear me, see the whiteboard, and where they can do their best learning. Then I will ask students to move if they think they will need to.
Then I will write the word farmer on the board. We will think of as many words as we can to describe a farmer, I will call on students using popsicle sticks, students are allowed to pass if they do not have anything to share. After a couple minutes, I will transition the conversation to “who do farmers give their grain, corn, or berries to?” (I will use the words that the students suggest in the brainstorming session).
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I think that all students will be successful with this task, during this time I may need to give some reminders or ask some friend groups to separate so all students can do their best learning. The reason I do not want to address this issue ahead of time is because I want to see which students are remembering to do this on their own without reminders.
The Exploration (20 minutes)
I am going to write the words producer and consumer on the board. I am going to ask students if they have any schema about these words. Students are very familiar with the word schema, we use it often. I expect a couple of the students to have ideas. My goal is to come to the conclusion, either through student suggestions or my prompting about what we do know, that producers grow, make, and produce goods and consumers use, buy, or consume the goods. Then we are going to come up with 2-3 ideas of each, with each idea that is suggested a different student will be asked to give proof about how they know. For this task I am going to call on students with their hands raised because I do not want anyone to feel bad about passing.
Once students seem to be grasping these concepts, I am going to clear the white board and make a VennDiagram. I am going to ask students to turn to their knee buddy to think of an idea for a producer and a consumer that are in Holland or Zeeland. Once every student has two ideas and proof, I am going to draw popcicle sticks for students to give one example and to give proof for where it belongs; my goal is that every student will have opportunity to share one idea. I will write their ideas on the Venn diagram, even if their example is not local. If no student gives an example of how sometimes someone is both a producer and consumer, I am going to write two ideas in the shared column, and ask to see if any student can explain my answer. If not I will explain to students how even producers, are consumers because they cannot do everything for themselves.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I anticipate students will be excited to contribute to this discussion and activity. If students are becoming too excited, the activity is going to shift and students will be asked to complete their own Venn diagram with a partner. I will chose the partners by pairing students of different acedmic levels. I will pair the ELL with students that have good communication skills and a larger vocabulary than some of the other students. I will pair a patient student with the ADHD student. Then we will share ideas with the class from our desks rather than at the carpet.
The Summary (5 minutes)
When our Venn diagram is full or students have completed their individual Venn diagram, I am going to give everyone 30 seconds to think of a definition for producer. Then students will volunteer their definitions I am going to try to incorporate all of their ideas into one definition to add to the whiteboard below our Venn diagram (or students will have to add it below their individual Venn Diagram). Then we will repeat this with consumer.
Once the lesson is complete, I plan to reconstruct our Venn Diagram and definitions on a poster to display in our classroom.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I think that this will go well, if students are suggesting complicated definitions I may have to add a simple definition that uses many adjectives and synonyms to support the two ELL students in my classroom if they are struggling. I know that if they understand, they will participate and if they are unsure they will ask questions or withdrawal, I will be looking for their reactions to see how they are doing.
Assessment: I am looking to see if students are participating in class discussions or are actively talking with their knee buddy. If students are able to give suggestions for the Venn diagram and are able to justify their ideas with proof, I know that students are on the right track. I am hoping that time will allow for each student to give me one idea, so that I can see on an individual basis how the student is developing these concepts. During the definition making process, I am looking to see how many students are suggesting ideas and if their suggestions are correct.
Academic, Social, and Linguistic Support during assessment: The assessment will be occurring throughout the lesson and the adaptations are specified throughout the lesson. However, I need to be sure to use many adjectives and synonyms when introducing vocabulary words for my ELL students. Since there is little reading and writing for students I do not foresee there being many issues.
Diagnostic features: I am looking for students to give correct ideas about examples of producers and consumers; I am hoping that students will give proof to prove how they know their idea is correct.
Lesson 5
Goods and Services in Fiction Text (15 minutes)
Rationale: Students will make connections between their previous economic learning and a fiction text, in order to better understand their understanding of goods and services.
Learning Goals/Objectives for today’s lesson:
1. Using the given vocabulary terms correctly in context.
2. Explain the relationship between goods and services and the importance of each.
3. Making correct connections by analyzing a given fiction text and our economic vocabulary terms.
MI GLCEs
R.WS.02.11 In context, determine the meaning of words and phrases including objects, actions, concepts, content vocabulary, and literary terms, using strategies and resources including context clues, mental pictures, and questioning. (At this time, I only plan to be focusing on the concepts and vocabulary.)
R.NT.02.05 Respond to individual and multiple texts by finding evidence, discussing, illustrating, and/or writing to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding. (At this time, I do not plan on having students take positions on the content.)
E1.0.2 Identify businesses in the local community
E1.0.3 Describe how businesses in the local community meet economic wants of consumers.
Materials & supplies needed:
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
The Launch (3 minutes)
I will encourage students to find a different spot to sit at group if they think they might be sitting in a spot where it will be difficult for them to be doing their best learning. The reason I do not want to assign where students sit it because I have a laid back classroom where the students are allowed to sit wherever they feel comfortable, within reason, and this has worked very well with the students all year. I do not foresee this being an issue, most days it is not. However, I still feel it is worth noting in case it is a day where students have extra energy.
I will remind students how we have been practice making text-to-text connections and text-to-self connections, I will ask for volunteers to define each of these connections for the class. I will tell students that I want them pay attention to the connections they are making while I am reading Caps for Sale.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I may need to help a few students chose a spot that they can do their best learning in, there may be a couple of groups of friends that need help separating. However, most days students are very respectful and can chose their own seat. I just feel like I should note this action in case it is needed this day.
The Exploration (10 minutes)
I will read Caps for Sale. While I am reading I am going to encourage the idea that the peddler is doing a job that he is hoping will help other people because he is going around the city to try to make it more convenient for his customer. I am also going to emphasize that the product he is selling is caps. I am hoping that these ideas will help encourage students to make connections with goods and services.
Once, I have finished I am going to give students 20 seconds to think about the connections they made. I will ask the students to think about the three different types of connections we have learned about. Then I will emphasize that we learned about text-to-world-connections and that anything we have learned about the world or the economy would be a great thing to think about. Then students will have the opportunity to share with the class, if many students have connections I will use popsicle sticks. If everyone does not get a turn they will be allowed time to share their idea quickly with a knee buddy.
If no one suggests a connection with goods and services, I am going to share my connection with the caps being a good in the community in the story. Then I will ask students if I gave them any other ideas of connections, if not, I will make the services connection also.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: If I end up calling on students using popsicle sticks I will allow students the option to pass. I know that some people are not as comfortable talking in a large group setting and I do not want anyone to feel pressure to share. I try to keep the environment very relaxed and this encourages the students to share when they have an idea. During most sharing opportunities, everyone in this class has an idea and I do not want to discourage that.
If students are struggling to make connections, I will prompt their thinking with questions about a story or an experience where someone was selling something.
The Summary (2 minutes)
I am going to tell students how we are going to continue practice making connections at the beginning of reading workshop, but that we are going to start looking for connections with the non-fiction story and everything we have been learning in economics, I am going to point out that the vocabulary words are posted by our group and that they are welcome to use that resource to help them with their connections. We will review these words and they will be dismissed for their reading workshop choice.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I will review the vocabulary words for all students because some students may have difficulty reading the words and definitions and the more they are exposed to the words will be helpful.
Assessment Task: Today, I am hoping that students will make connections to goods and service but they have not had to do this before so I am assessing to make sure that students are able to make valid connections with the text.
Academic, Social, and Linguistic Support during assessment: I am going to encourage all students to participate by using the popsicle sticks but if students do not feel comfortable I know that I may need to work with them individually with making connections. If students are struggling to make connections, I am going to ask students to think of a time they saw someone selling something or if they have ever read a different story where someone was selling something.
Diagnostic features: I am looking for students to make connections with the text and another source so, I will know that they understand I students will eventually begin making connections on their own with our economic vocabulary but I know that this may take some time because this economic-connection is a new process of thinking for students.
Lesson 6
Good, Producer, Consumer, Opportunity Cost, and Wants with Curious George (20 minutes)
Rationale: Reciting economic terms does not ensure that students have a deep understanding of the concepts, but by making connections between vocabulary terms and a non-fiction story, students are deepening their understanding and their ability to apply their knowledge to new scenarios.
Learning Goals/Objectives for today’s lesson:
1. Explain and give a personal example of the relationship between producer and consumer.
2. Identify and relate to opportunity cost in a consumer decision.
3. Using the given vocabulary terms correctly in context.
MI GLCEs
R.NT.02.05 Respond to individual and multiple texts by finding evidence, discussing, illustrating, and/or writing to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding. (At this time, I do not plan on having students take positions on the content.)
E1.0.1 Identify the opportunity cost involved in a consumer decision.
E1.0.5 Use examples to show that people cannot produce everything they want (specialization) and depend on trade with others to meet their wants.
Materials & supplies needed:
Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by Margaret and H.A. Rey
Whiteboard and Expo Marker
The Launch (4 minutes)
I will write, “What were you reminded of? Why? How did this connection help you better understand the story?” on the white board. We are going to go through and review the connections we made yesterday when we read Caps for Sale. I am hoping that a brief recap with help get students thinking about making connections with our economic learning.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I will help students make sure they are in a spot where they can do their best learning.
The Exploration (14 minutes)
I am going to read Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory. While I am reading I am going to emphasize that chocolate is being made at the factory, that George wants to consume the chocolate and what happens to George after he made his decision. I am hoping this will prompt students to be developing connections with the story and goods, producer, consumer, consumer decision, opportunity cost, and wants.
When I have finished the story, I am going to write their answers to the questions on the board about their connections. Eventually students will be answering these questions on their own in their reading journals; I am trying to build their experiences to writing the answers to these questions before it is expected of them. I will be asking students to share their connections; I will either call on students or use popsicle sticks depending on how many students are raising their hands. If students do not make connections on their own to with goods, producer, consumer, consumer decision, opportunity cost, and wants, I will try to prompt students to come up with these connections, if students still are not making these connections I will model creating the connections on my own.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: If the entire class is having a hard time sitting and listening to peers and myself as we are answering the questions on the board, I will have students return to their seats and we will all write the answers, students in their writing journals, and I will write in my journal using the document camera. This is something students will be doing the next few lessons and eventually students will do this on their own.
If I need to prompt students I will prompt them by asking questions about different parts of the story that represent a vocabulary theme or I will give a vocabulary concept and I will ask students to make the connection.
The Summary (2 minutes)
I will review all of the economic connections that we came up with for students. I will encourage students to see if they can make any economic connections during reading workshop.
Academic, Social and Linguistic Support for my focus students: I do not foresee any accommodations being needed.
Assessment Task : The assessment is students contributing to the class discussion. I am hoping that students will make economic connections but today I am really hoping that students are making connections that are related to the story.
Diagnostic features: Students should be able to make connections with the text. I am hoping that students are able to make some connections with the economic concept and the nonfiction story. If students are unable to make the economic connections, I hope that they can make the connections with my prompting. If any of the scenarios occurs, students are heading in the right direction. Making connections to real life concepts and non-fiction stories is a new idea for students and I expect it will take practice before students are able to do this on their own.
Support: I will suggest to students that if they are needing help making connection to economics, that they can look at the economic vocabulary terms to help think of examples in the text.
Reflection
I feel this unit was very successful. The students quickly grasped the concept of making connections and were able to write and verbalize their connections and why making connections is important for readers to do. I really like how I introduced the economic terms and had them on a bulletin board by the couch where most of our not desk learning occurs. This made it easy for students to look for the term they were looking for. I think that this made many students feel confident about being able to give the correct answer but I also think that it allowed all students to hear other students’ ideas and support which helped to build all students knowledge. I liked all of the activities I think they were appreciated by the students because they were excited for social studies which is not something that I have seen very much this year. I did make a few last minute time changes where I taught social studies in the morning instead of the afternoon, so that we would not be as restricted by time. I think this was a good idea. The bartering activity lasted for about an hour instead of the half hour that I was initially planning for. The students were engaged up until the very last minute. Students were able to feel the stress that occurs when resources become scarce. Students learned the words bartering and scarcity but also experienced the emotions. I was very excited to see that deep learning was occurring. I also thought it was awesome that I heard from parents that their child was very excited about it.
One thing that I did modify during some of the lessons was that my plan was to primarily ask students for their connections with the economic terms and the fictional story. Depending on the story, I would get a few connections or a lot of connections. I was surprised that some books seemed harder for students to develop connections about. However, when I started asking them questions about the characters or different aspects of the story the connections started to develop. A modification that I would add to nearly all lessons next time is that the teacher should ask specific guiding questions to help lead students to making connections on their own, if it is not happening automatically.
I thought that there were some struggles with my unit which primarily was time. The standard social studies time in our room is for the last half hour two days each week. During these lessons, students were often more talkative and have more behavioral issues than occur the rest of the day. I kept this in mind when planning and I tried to keep the activities exciting where students could talk and not have to stay still. One of my very last afternoon lessons was reading The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig and students would practice making connections. I thought this book was fun and exciting enough to keep their attention even though it was the end of the day. This did work for part of the time but toward the end of the book there were some students who were getting restless and talkative. If I were to teach this again, I would use this book in the morning and a shorter (5 minute) book in the afternoon in conjunction with an activity to follow that required students to stand up or be active.
I believed that this unit was going to support the social studies material. However, I feel like all of the learning support for the concepts was accomplished while teaching literacy. I did not realize it would be that easy to teach two different subjects at the same time. I think these units merged really well together. I am excited to try integrating subject matter again. I am really glad that prior to my unit, I had prepared a spot to put all of the economic terms where they could easily be viewed. I think this was a good support for all learners. I think that when I have my own classroom, I am going to try to have established places around the room for different important concepts and definitions. I did learn that when I worked on my unit for my class I should have been asking the other second grade teachers at my school if they wanted copies of my unit. I ended up making additional copies later for some of them and explaining things multiple times, when I should have been more forward with them about my plans for my unit. They all seemed very interested in everything I shared. They were encouraging and supportive when my CT was gone.