Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Unit

LU Title: Supermarket Smarts Author(s): Jerry Aiken
Grade Level: 9-12 School : Parishville-Hopkinton Central School
Topic/Subject Area: Social Studies Address: PO Box 187 Parishville, NY 13672
Email: jaiken@mum.neric.org Phone/Fax: 315-265-4642

OVERVIEW

This is a one week unit for a high school economics course that combines math and technical skills to reach an economic conclusion.  The unit divides the class into several fact  finding groups that   will eventually combine their data to reach conclusions.  The projects will be presented in a way that future classes can extend and refine the project.  The assessment will be through rubric form.

 

  CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Declarative:

Students will conclude:

            ( same store in different locations may have price differences due to target

              population and competition)

            ( consumers must be aware of seasonal price fluctuations)

Students will define and describe the basic economic fundamentals

            ( (i.e. opp. Cost, scarcity, supply and demand)

                                              

  Procedural

Students will travel to stores with a prepared shopping list

Students will price items on the list using the unit pricing system

Students will enter the prices on a spread sheet

Students will create graphs using computer program

Students will create a Power Point presentation comparing total cost of stores and a menu cost

Students will give an oral  presentation of information obtained through class work and shopping trip

                                              

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Why should a consumer make informed choices?

How does a consumer make informed choices?

 

 

CONNECTIONS TO NYS LEARNING STANDARDS

             List Standard # and Key Idea #: Write out related Performance Indicator(s) or Benchmark(s)

Standard FourEconomics:  Performance Indicators

2. Economics requires the development and application of the skills needed to make informed and well-reasoned economic decisions in daily and national life.

Students:

Identify, locate and evaluate information from standard reference works, newspapers, periodicals, computer databases, monographs, textbooks, government publications, and other primary and secondary sources

use economic information by identifying similarities and differences in trends;  inferring relationships between various elements of an economy;  organizing and arranging information in charts, tables, and graphs; extrapolating and making conclusions about economic questions, issues, and problems

apply a problem-solving model to identify economic problems or issues, generate hypotheses, test hypotheses, investigate and analyze selected data, consider alternative solutions or positions, and make decisions about the best solution or position

present economic information and conclusions in different formats, including graphic representation, computer models, research reports, and oral presentations.

 

INITIATING ACTIVITY

Discussing parents food bill

 


LEARNING EXPERIENCES

             In chronological order including acquisition experiences and extending/refining

                   experiences for all stated declarative and procedural knowledge.

List places parents shop for food

Brain storm why parents select that particular store

            location (near work, other stores)

            price of goods

            availability of other services (pay telephone, light bill)

            distance from home

            amount of time to shop

            others

Brainstorm a basic shopping list or hand out a shopping list

            stress the importance of exact amounts and brand names

            discuss what to do if brand name and exact amount is not available in store

Students shop on own time (outside of school)

Explain and demonstrate the use of a graphing software program

            using the available software produce

                        list of food and prices for selected store

                        include the total cost of food

                        generate a graph comparing the total cost of food with other stores

                        generate a graph comparing the cost of food at the selected store over a

                          period of time

                        ( this may only be done if total cost is available for more than one time)

                        generate a graph comparing the total cost of food with other stores

            introduce power point

                        produce a program that would include any pertinent facts students

                        obtained from shopping  and a sample menu with cost for that menu.

                       

 

 


CULMINATING PERFORMANCE

Student will present orally their findings, observations and conclusions in an oral presentation using a power point to illustrate.

Supermarket Smarts Rubric

Requirements

points

Points earned

  by student

Went shopping- found correct prices

Downloads shopping list

Accurately transferred list to spreadsheet

Developed attractive Power Point  presentation comparing their store to other stores

Developed original menu in a creative manner on Power Point slide

Clearly presented an accurate conclusion

10 points __________

Went shopping- found correct prices

Downloads shopping list

Transferred list to spreadsheet with few errors

Developed attractive Power Point  presentation comparing their store to other stores

Developed original menu in a creative manner on Power Point slide

Clearly presented an accurate conclusion

8 points __________

Went shopping- found correct prices

Downloads shopping list

Accurately transferred list to spreadsheet

Developed a Power Point  presentation comparing their store to other stores

Developed original menu  on Power Point slide

6 points __________

Went shopping- found correct prices

Transferred list to spreadsheet with few errors

Developed  Power Point presentation comparing their store to other stores

Developed original menu  on  Power Point slide

4 points __________

Went shopping- found incorrect prices

Transferred list to spreadsheet with few errors

Developed a Power Point presentation comparing their store to other stores

Developed original menu  on  Power Point slide

2 points __________

Went shopping- found incorrect prices

Transferred list to spreadsheet with few errors

Developed a Power Point presentation comparing their store to other stores

Did not complete original menu

1 points __________

Did not go shopping

Did not transfer list to spreadsheet

Did not develop  Power Point  presentation comparing their store to other stores

Did not develop a menu

0 points __________

PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS

Students will be able to:

gather data

use graphing skills ( computerized and non-computerized)

utilize general knowledge of:  computer use, graphing skills, and power point 

 

 

MODIFICATIONS

None

 

 

UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN

Classroom Minutes - 15 minute introduction

                                    74 minute presentations

Computer Room - 148 minutes

              (Power point program and a graphing  software program)

Outside of Classroom  - 60 minutes not including travel time

            (Shopping)

Teacher Time - 30 minutes choosing menu (60 items)

Time of Year  - Some items are seasonal and prices fluctuate

Attachments:  Shopping List

 

 


TECHNOLOGY USE

Power Point

Excel

Basic word processing skills

Teacher Note:

The first time this lesson is taught you may select to hand out a shopping list you have created or have the students create a shopping list based on what foods their families generally purchase.  After the initial time this is taught the findings can be kept and made available to future classes to allow the students to compare prices of the same food over a period of time.

An idea that would be fun, interesting and educational, would be to contact your Home Economics teacher and suggest your classes work together.  While your students are out pricing food have each student purchase one can of vegetables, store brand as well as a noted brand  of the same vegetable.   Then have the Home Economics class heat the vegetables and as a class assignment compare the vegetable.

Rubric for comparing the vegetable:

1 Excellent

2

3 average

4

5 poor

color

taste

firmness

uniformity

cost

Which  vegetable would you purchase for your family and why?

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