Lesson
Materials (word document)
Aim:
What are needs and wants?
Objective:
Students will understand the difference between needs and
wants and evaluate various needs and wants in the home.
Standards:
New York State Social Studies Standard 4 (Economics),
Key Ideas 1 and 2
Materials:
- scenario worksheet
- journal/notebook for each student
- chart paper
- index cards
- A Chair for My Mother by Vera
Williams
Instruction:
DAY ONE
I.
Survival Scenario
a. Describe “survival scenario” below:
“Imagine
you're on a sinking ship like the Titanic. You've only got
a little time to take three of the following things with
you. What would you want to take with you to the deserted
island in the distance?”
Yu-Gi-Oh
Cards |
jacket |
water
bottle with water |
matches |
skateboard |
swimming
suit |
make-up |
your
Bratz doll |
crackers |
a
baseball glove |
“Circle the 3 things you would take and write about
WHY you would take them.”
b. Distribute
worksheet and ask students to complete them independently.
c. Whole class gathers to discuss their individual responses.
The class can focus their discussion on why
a given item was chosen. As the students share their choices,
the teacher writes them on index cards and places them into
unlabelled categories (such as the example). Example:
The
teacher should draw attention to these groups and ask students
to offer explanations. The discussion should result in a
definition of needs and wants (similar to "Needs are
things we must have to survive in life. Wants are things
we desire to make us more comfortable or happy."
II.
Read Aloud
a. Teacher
reads aloud A Chair for My Mother
by Vera Williams and prompts students to identify needs
and wants in Vera's childhood story.
III. Homework: "Make a list of things from your home.
Pick two or three things from each room in your house. Write
them in a list on this paper" (see attached HOMEWORK
SHEET).
DAY TWO
I. Household
Inventory
a.
Students gather in learning groups of 2-4 children and
compare lists. They then must decide, as a group, how
to categorize each item on their lists (either as a need
or a want).
b. Whole class gathers to discuss their group lists. Teacher
can read an item from a list while other groups guess
how it was categorized. Disagreements and discrepancies
can be tied into the focus question for the read aloud:
is the chair in "A Chair for my Mother" a need
or a want?
II.
Read Aloud
a.
Teacher summarizes the plot of A Chair for My Mother and
asks students to think about Vera’s family’s
needs and wants. The teacher then reads aloud the story.
At the end, students discuss with a partner the focus
question (“Is the chair a need or a want?”)
before writing a written response.
Assessment:
Students
will demonstrate understanding of the differences between
needs and wants if they correctly categorize their list
of household items. Students who have an original and thorough
understanding of needs and wants will offer a justified
answer to the focus question.
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Subject
Areas:
Social Studies
Language Arts
Grade Levels: K-2
About
the teacher:
Daric
Desautel came to the classroom as part of the New
York City Teaching Fellowship, through which Daric received
a Master's in Education at Adelphi University. Daric has
been teaching in East Elmhurst at PS 228, The Early Childhood
Magnet School of the Arts, for 3 years. Daric’s involvement
in this community has informed his interest in policies
that effect English language learners and immigrant and
economically disadvantaged communities. His experience as
a "graduate" of NYCTF has fueled my interest in
policies surrounding teacher training, recruitment, and
retention.
ironist1@hotmail.com
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