Lesson 3: How do we get what we want and need? What choices do we need to make when fulfilling needs and wants?
NOTE: Ideally, another lesson would be placed before this lesson to discuss careers in the community.
Lesson Focus: How do we get what we want and need? What choices do we need to make when fulfilling needs and wants?
Grade: Kindergarten
Time Suggested: 30-40 min.
Materials needed
Standards: NYS Social Studies for Kindergarten
– Families have needs and wants
Objectives
Important Vocabulary
Opening Activities
Main Learning Activities
Closure
The class will return together to the rug and will discuss the activity. What did you buy? What did you want to buy but couldn't? Why did you make the choices you made? Did anybody have extra money left over? The extra money is your savings. You would be able to keep that money and use it later. Was it always fun to make choices? Was it always easy? What did you have to think about?
Assessment & Record Keeping
Post-Lesson Follow-ups
Lesson Focus: How do we get what we want and need? What choices do we need to make when fulfilling needs and wants?
Grade: Kindergarten
Time Suggested: 30-40 min.
Materials needed
- Place to write (chalkboard, whiteboard, large paper, etc.)
- Play money (All clearly labeled as dollar bills so students can also practice counting and cardinality)
- Goods/Service Props (Cards to identify services, physical objects from dramatic play area and around classroom to represent goods - all labeled $1-$20)
- Good and services sort cards - 1 set to use as visual examples
Standards: NYS Social Studies for Kindergarten
- Concepts/Themes – Needs and Wants
- Content Understandings – Basic human needs and wants
– Families have needs and wants
- Concepts/Themes – Interdependence
- Content Understandings
Objectives
- Students will understand that people need to make choices when fulfilling their needs and wants.
- Students will know that people work to earn money to fulfill needs and wants.
- Students will be able to identify careers in the community.
- Students will know that we need to make choices between needs and wants based on personnel resources.
Important Vocabulary
- Career (job, what someone does to earn money)
- Currency (money)
- Budget (how much you can spend)
- Savings (money that you don't use immediately and can keep for later use)
Opening Activities
- Each student will be asked to give an example of a good/service and a place where you might access the good/service (cereal - the grocery store, etc.).
Main Learning Activities
- Students will be asked if they can think of the names of the people who work at certain places (the grocer works at the grocery store, the mechanic works at the automotive shop, the bus driver drives the bus, etc.). The compiled list, with the name of the career, will be written on the board. If there is a corresponding sorting card, it will be placed next to the words. If there isn't, the teacher will ask the students how they would represent that career in a visual.
- Why do people need jobs? [To help provide people with goods and services, to earn money, etc.]
- What can we do with money? [Buy the things we want and need] Can we buy everything with the money we have? Why, why not?
- The teacher will ask students if they know what a budget is/if they have ever heard anyone use the word "budget." The teacher will explain that everyone has a limited amount of money that they earn and therefore, they have to make choices when they use their money. The teacher will ask for students to give examples of choices that people might have to make (buying a new toothbrush instead of a new toy, etc.).
- The class will be divided into pairs. Each student will be given some play money and some of the props. Students will then practice "buying" goods and services from each other. They will be limited to only using the amount of money that they each have. What can you buy? Can you buy everything that the other person is selling?
Closure
The class will return together to the rug and will discuss the activity. What did you buy? What did you want to buy but couldn't? Why did you make the choices you made? Did anybody have extra money left over? The extra money is your savings. You would be able to keep that money and use it later. Was it always fun to make choices? Was it always easy? What did you have to think about?
Assessment & Record Keeping
- Students will be assessed by their ability to identify goods and services.
- Students will be observed and assessed through the buying and selling activity. The teacher will circulate around the room and ask students to explain their choices while they're making them.
- The teacher will know that the learning objectives have been met if the students can explain that they had a limited amount of money and how they had to make choices to stay within their budget.
Post-Lesson Follow-ups
- What went well? How do I know?
- What needs more work in the next class/ lesson?
- What activities should I do differently next time?
- The play money will be added to the dramatic play area of the classroom.