Planning Guide
Creating Learner-Focused
Schools
* Madison-Oneida BOCES- This document may not be reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of the District Superintendent or his designee.
| LU Title: Economics/Money Matters In Our Town |
Author(s): Ellen Wilcox, Judy Ehrensbeck |
| Grade Level: 6 |
School Address: Town Of Webb Schools Old Forge, NY 13420 |
| Subject Area: Social Studies |
School Phone/Fax:315-369-3222 |
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
| Declarative |
Procedural |
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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
INITIATING ACTIVITY
The teacher brings in one candy bar and asks for suggestions on how to decide who gets the candy. The students brainstorm ideas. Some suggestions may include: "Raffle it off." "Give it to the one with the highest average." This activity will serve as an example of scarcity, which is directly related to supply and demand, thus setting the stage for the unit.
Connection to State Learning Standards
Content Area: Social Studies
Level: Upper elementary (Intermediate)
| Benchmarks: -Students use strategies to construct meaning from print. -Students will apply reading skills to a variety of literary passages and texts. |
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Benchmarks: -Students will know how communities benefit from the physical environment. |
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| Standard: ELA 1 and 2 |
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Standard: Social Studies 3 |
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Unit Theme: Money Matters in Our Town
| Standard: ELA 3 |
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Standard: Social Studies 4 |
| Benchmarks: -Students use specific criteria to support arguments. |
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Benchmarks: Students know that scarcity requires individuals to make choices and those choices involve costs. |
Learning Experiences
Declarative Knowledge
Please note: If you download this unit and convert it to a Word document before printing, the format may change slightly.
| What declarative knowledge should students be in the process of acquiring & integrating? As a result of the unit, the student will know or understand… |
What experiences or activities will be used to help students acquire & integrate this knowledge? |
What strategies will be used to help students construct meaning, organize and/or store the knowledge? |
Describe what will be done. |
| Initiating Activity "Candy Bar For Sale"
Activity 1 Terminology: Supply and demand Cause and effect Scarcity Goods and services Wants and needs Competition/Mono-poly Choice
Assessment: Anecdotal records, observation
Activity 2 Questionnaire (format and technique)
Assessment: review of product Rubric
Activity 3 Cause and effect: geography affects economics in our town
Assessment: Discussion Observations
Culmination Personal letter format
Assessment: Rubric
Activity 5 Examine literature related to economics
Assessment: Completed student work and evidence of the use of graphic organizer such as Venn diagram will be recorded using an anecdotal record. |
Previous experience Discussion
List of terms, handouts, textbook Teacher’s Manual for Economics in Stories, by William S. Allen, c 1986
Criteria for questions Format of questionnaire
Checklist for making observations
Field trip Internet
Information gathered on walking tour and the internet
Two pieces of literature: The Toothpaste Millionaire, Jean Merrill Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday, Stephen Manes |
Brainstorming
-Brainstorming -Listing -3-minute pause -Chart/Graphic Organizer -Cooperative groups
-Brainstorming -Cooperative groups -Listing
-KWL -Vocabulary
-Teacher modeling -Brainstorming -Peer editing -Writing process
-Discussion -Shared reading -Guided reading -Graphic Organizer |
Teacher brings in a candy bar and asks for suggestions on how to decide to whom she should give the candy. Students offer suggestions and one is chosen. Teacher then discusses fairness, scarcity, supply and demand.
List words on chart. Divide class into small groups. Assign each group a word to define. Have each group devise a way to show the definition of their word. Discuss all words and how they relate to economics.
As a group, the class will develop a questionnaire filled with relevant economic questions to be used in the interview portion of this unit.
Discuss ways to determine an area's economy. Devise a checklist of businesses to observe on a walking tour of the community. Fill out the K and W portions of the KWL chart. Prior to the tour, the students will search the internet for any websites that may deal with our community and its economy. Take a walking tour of the town. Upon return, discuss observations and complete KWL.
Students will construct a letter to someone describing the area and its job opportunities. Be sure to include the geography of the area. Use the writing process and peer editing. Completed letters will be e-mailed to our sister school’s pen pals.
Students will be assigned two pieces of literature to read, compare and contrast. After completing each book, students will compile a review of each book, including how it relates to economics, how it compares to the other book, and a brief summary of each book. Students will need to use a graphic organizer when preparing their comparisons. |
LearningExperiences
Procedural Knowledge
| What procedural knowledge will students be in the process of acquiring & integrating? As a result of this unit, students will be able to: |
What will be done to help students construct models, shape & internalize the knowledge? |
Describe what will be done. |
| Activity 1 Show understanding of geographical terms
Assessment: Observation, anecdotal record
Activity 2 Research community and create a profile of its economy
Assessment: Observation
Culmination Personal letter
Assessment: Rubric
Activity 4 Interview
Assessment: Rubric |
-Visual aids -Previously written definitions -Handouts -Teacher model
-Brochures gathered from businesses or information from the internet -Results from field trip
-Overhead (Teacher model) -Discussion of letter's purpose
-Previous list of terms -Questionnaire |
In small groups, students will create a visual aid to help others understand economic and geographic terms. Can be poster, overhead, chart, graph, etc.
Students will write an economic profile of their community based on information collected from various sources.
Students will use a sample letter as a guide to write a letter to someone. Students will need to organize ideas, write first draft, edit, revise, and produce a final copy.
Students will take questionnaire from previous lesson and interview a local businessperson. Students will present findings in written form. |
Learning Experiences
Extending and Refining
| What knowledge will students be extending and refining? Specifically, they will be extending and refining their understanding of… |
What reasoning process will they be using? |
Describe what will be done. |
| the role of geography as it influences an area's economy
Assessment: Anecdotal record, class discussion and oservation |
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Students will gather information from other communities and deduce how geography affects its economy. This will be evidenced by a brief oral response. Information will be gathered via the internet or through other means of communication. |
Rubric: Personal letter
| Element #1 |
Element #2 |
Element #3 |
Element #4 |
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| Elements
Scale |
Content |
Organization |
Formatting |
Grammar, Usage, Mechanics, and Neatness |
| Weights |
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| 4 |
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Logical, good transitions, draws conclusions |
Uses proper letter format, including: heading, salutation, body, and closing |
Complete sentences, no spelling errors, correct punctuation, capitalization, neatly typed or written |
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3 |
One idea, has some necessary information, well developed, mostly relevant to topic |
Logical, awkward transitions, incomplete order |
Uses parts of letter format, but does not include all of them |
Some incomplete sentences, 1 or 2 spelling errors, 2 or 3 punctuation or capitalization errors, neatly written or typed |
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2 |
Non-specific statements, incomplete development, weak conclusion |
Illogical order, lacks transition, lacks order |
Has one or two parts of the letter format |
Contains incomplete sentences, 3-5 spelling errors, and 3-5 errors in capitalization and punctuation, sloppy in appearance |
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1 |
Does not address topic, incomplete development, no conclusion |
No main ideas, no organization, not written well enough to evaluate |
Does not follow the proper letter format |
Six or more errors in punctuation, capitalization, and grammar, sloppy in appearance |
Rubric: Interview/Questionnaire
| Element #1 |
Element #2 |
Element #3 |
Element #4 |
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| Elements
Scale |
Content |
Organization |
Formatting |
Grammar and Usage |
| Weights |
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| 3 |
-None of the questions has yes/no answer -Questions relate to economics and indicate the types of jobs that shape economics -Questions reflect creativity of student -Questions show how seasons affect jobs and consumer prices |
-Shows when appointment was made for interview -Confirmed interview date and time -Has all required material in order -Has practiced interview with another student, using eye contact and politeness |
-Organized in sequential order -Has prepared a list of questions -Nine or more questions on the list with only two opinion questions -typed |
-Complete sentences -No spelling or usage errors -Uses proper paragraphing |
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2 |
-Has 1 or 2 yes/no questions -Not all questions relate to economics and the types of jobs that shape economics -Questions indicate some creativity -Questions indicate that seasons may affect jobs and consumer prices |
-Shows an appointment was made, but is not confirmed -Has all required material, but does not show order -Has practiced with another student, but did not use eye contact or polite questioning techniques |
-Organized in sequential order -Has prepared a list of questions -6-9 questions on list with more than 2 opinion questions -typed |
-Complete sentences -1-3 spelling or usage errors -Has like thoughts grouped together |
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1 |
-Contains more than 2 yes/no questions -Questions don’t relate to economics or jobs that shape economy -Questions lack creativity -Questions do not show how seasons affect jobs and consumer prices |
-Does not show that appointment was made or confirmed -Does not have all the required material -Has not practiced interview with another student |
-Show no sequence in organization -Has prepared a list of questions -Fewer than 6 questions with more than one opinion question -Not typed |
-Incomplete sentences -More than 4 spelling or usage errors -Does not use proper paragraphing |
Have You Considered These Yet?
Learn to Learn Skills:
Cooperative skills: Communication Skills:
-Takes on various roles within a group -Presents articulately
Assessment Modifications:
Unit Schedule/Time Plan:
The unit is scheduled for 2 weeks. Students will devote 45-60 minutes per activity. Activities are planned for three times a week.
Written Overview:
This unit will address several economic issues as they relate to the community. Students will identify and understand economic terms and how the geography of an area affects that area’s economy. Students will identify what is necessary to make a strong economy and show their understanding of this. As a culminating activity, students would write a personal letter to someone in another school and tell that person about the community and what job opportunities are available in the community. The personal letters would be attached to e-mail and sent via the internet.