Archive for the 'economics' Category

Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: Start Saving, Henry!

Published by Ann R on October 28, 2009 in economics, reading and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

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Start Saving, Henry! is a fun book about a seven-year old mouse who learns the lesson about saving his allowance money to buy a toy he wants, and, he learns how hard it can be to not buy everything you want.

Curriculum Connections:  Start Saving, Henry! is a good book for teaching the concepts that people make choices because they cannot have everything they want, and that people save money for the future purchase of  goods and services. SOLs 1.8 and 1.9

Additional Resources:
This website has another book that can be read and used in a classroom activity to reinforce the concepts of making choices about purchases, and not being able to buy everything you want.

This website is very kid friendly.  It offers some online games and information about coins, including how they are made, and U.S. Mints.

This website has pictures of what money looks like in different countries around the world.  It would be a great way to tie the lesson to whatever other countries you may be studying.

General Information:
Book: Start Saving, Henry!
Author: Nancy Carlson
Illustrator: Nancy Carlson
Publisher: Penguin Group
Pages:  32
Grade Range: K-2
ISBN:  9780670011476

Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: The Top Job

Published by Michael on October 27, 2009 in economics and book review. 0 Comments

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The Top Job, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel and illustrated by Robert Neubecker is a book that tells the story of a class who tells stories about what jobs their parents have.  The children start by telling of the amazing jobs their parents have, such as jewelers, astronomers, and NASCAR drivers.  One student tells her classmates that her father changes light bulbs.  After the students begin to laugh at her, she tells the story of how her father took her to help change a light bulb.  She tells that they went to New York City and changed the light bulb at the top of the Empire State Building.  The class loves the story and even wants to go with her next time.  This can be a great way to introuduce the idea of different jobs to kindergarten students, and then elaborate on some of the jobs they will learn to recognize.

Curriculum Connections
This book would be good way to teach children that there are many different jobs.  It works with VA Science SOL K.6.

Additional Resources

  • The official site of the Empire State Building allows the children to explore the building that is a major part of the story.
  • This pop-up game lets students match jobs to the task they perform.  It is a good way to review after they are taught the jobs.
  • Learning to Give provides a lesson plan that helps kids match jobs to the tasks that they perform.

Book: The Top Job
Author: Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Illustrator: Robert Neubecker
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date: July 2007
Pages: 32 pages
Grade Range: K-1
ISBN-13: 978-0525477891

Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent

Published by Mahindra on October 27, 2009 in economics. 0 Comments

 Product Details

Need help learning about money honey? Before your next economics lesson, grab One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent by Bonnie Worth & illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu to learn all about money!

THE CAT IN the Hat puts to rest any notion that money grows on trees in this super simple look at numismatics, the study of money and its history. Beginning with the ancient practice of bartering, the Cat explains various forms of money used in different cultures, from shells, feathers, leather, and jade to metal ingots to coins (including the smallest—the BB-like Indian fanam—and the largest—the 8-foot-wide, ship-sinking limestone ones from the Islands of Yap!), to the current king of currency, paper. Also included is a look at banking, from the use of temples as the first banks to the concept of gaining or paying interest, and a step-by-step guide to minting coins.  Ashworth (2008) writes, “Seashells were used to barter and trade.  A handful of shells and you had it made”(pg 11).  A fascinating introduction is bound to change your young reader’s appreciation for change!

Curriculum Connections
In the area of economics, the  Virginia History and Social Studies SOL’s for grades K-3  stresses the importance of  understanding basic economic concepts.  One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent is appropriate for multiple grade levels and could be used to directly address SOL’s K.7b, 1.9, and 2.8.

If you would like to create some dollar sense in your classroom and find out more about the basics of economics,  here are a few suggestions for grades K-3:

  • Read the story aloud with the students and talk about what is going on in each picture.  Ask questions throughout the story. 
  • Plan a trip to the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond, VA - Call the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va to request a tour for your class.  You can also request a Fed Speaker for your classroom.  Contact Lisa Turner @ 804-697-8135.
  • Junior Achievement - Request a speaker from Junior Achievement Achievement of Central, Va.  Professionals from all economic fields all over Virginia volunteer their time in classrooms by helping to educate students on all areas of economics.  You must submit an application through their website:  www.jatoday.org or use the above link which takes you directly to the application.

Additional Resources
Try these websites where you’ll find lesson plans, worksheets, activities and free online games to aid in your economic education quest.

  • Lizardpoint- a link that takes you directly to a free online game for kids called “Buy it with little farmer”
  • hbschool.com - a link that takes you directly to a free online game that teaches kids about money
  • pppst.com - a website all about economics. Gives free PowerPoint presentations for teachers and games for kids
  • Federal Reserve Publications- free economics comic books for teachers provided by the federal reserve
  • aplusmath.com - an online interactive money system for teachers where you can create your very own worksheets

Book:  One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent
Author:  Bonnie Worth
Illustrator:  Aristides Ruiz  and Joe Mathieu
Publisher:  Random House
Publication Date:  2008
Pages:  45 pages
Grade Range:  K-3
ISBN-13:  978-0375828812

Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: The Beloved Dearly

Published by Meghan on October 27, 2009 in economics and book review. 0 Comments

 

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The Beloved Dearly written by Doug Cooney and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi is a book about a boy names Ernie who can always in of a way to make money.  Most of the ideas he dream up get him interviews with the school principal, however.  Or serious ultimatums from his father, like the latest one—any more get-rich-quick schemes and Ernie will be grounded.  This is a threat Ernie takes seriously.   So he keeps his father in the dark about his newest entrepreneurial endeavor.
 

Ernie is a twelve-year-old tycoon, always on the lookout for a fast buck.  This time he stumbles onto a money-making bonanza:  pet funerals.  He hires Dusty to decorate the burial boxes and Tony to dig the holes, but his prize find is Swimming Pool, a tomboy who delivers a crying jag not to be missed.  Business goes through the roof-until Ernie loses Swimming Pool over a raise and the whole venture unravels.  Here is a rollicking, fun spirited novel about friendship, loos, business-and how we learn to express our feelings.

Curriculum Connections

This book could be used as a reference when teaching SOL 3.9 which states that students will identify examples of making and economic choice and will explain the idea of opportunity cost(what is given up when making a choice).

Additional Resources

1.  Learn more about the author, Doug Cooney and some of his other books.

2.  Here is a great entrepreneur Lesson Plan.

3. Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier is another great book about entrepreneurship.

Book:  The Beloved Dearly
Author:  Doug Cooney
Illustrator:  Toni DiTerlizzi
Publisher:  Aladdin
Publication Date:  2003
Pages:  192
Grade Range:3-6
ISBN:  0-689-83127-7

Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: Goods and Services

Published by Sue on October 26, 2009 in economics and book review. 0 Comments

                                                      Product Details

The basics of economics–goods, services, producers, and consumers–are presented in Goods and Services by Janeen R. Adil.  The simple text provides kid-friendly examples of goods and services:  an eye doctor provides a service when she checks a child’s vision; she provides goods when she sells glasses.   The straightforward photographs show children and adults as producers and consumers in everyday situations:  Joe sells his old toys at a yard sale, then he takes the money he makes to buy school supplies he needs and a book he wants.  The book ends with a glossary of terms.

Connections

Goods and Services will provide first-graders with a good introduction to the basic vocabulary of economics:  goods, services, producers, and consumers (VA History and Social Studies SOL 1.7).  Second- and third-graders can read this book for review before a unit on economics.

Additional Resources

  • Janeen R. Adil has written other basic books about economics for young children including Supply and Demand and Scarcity.
     
  • Learn how everyday goods, such as crayons and sneakers, are made by watching videos at How People Make Things, a PBS Kids webpage.
  • Younger students will enjoy deciding whether a producer provides a good or a service in this matching activity from the Council for Economic Education.
       
  • Students can practice counting out coins from their piggy banks to purchase goods from The Market in this on-line activity.
     

Book:  Goods and Services
Author: Janeen R. Adil
Illustrator: Multiple photo sources
Publisher: Capstone Press
Publication Date: January 1, 2006
Pages: 24
Grade Range: K - 3 
ISBN-13: 978-0736853958

Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: How the Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty

Published by Natalie on October 26, 2009 in economics and book review. 0 Comments

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The book How the Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty, written by Nathan Zimelman, provides and fun and kid friendly introduction into the topic of economics.

Summary
This book is extremely fun and witty as it introduces the some of the basic ideas of economics through the use of expenses and profits.  The book chronicles a second grade class and their attempts to raise enough money to go on a class field trip to the statue of liberty.  The students try to raise money through several ways (many that could be deemed ‘childhood pastimes’) including lemonade stands, dog walking, candy sales, baby sitting, and car washing.  The book goes through the expenses and profits for each one of these ‘fundraisers’.  For example…

“Profit:  Our candy sale profit was seven and a half dollars which Geraldine Arthur’s mother gave us after her first beaming bite.  We are getting closer to the Statue of Liberty.”

However, even through all of their attempts to collect this money, the real reason for their profits comes unexpectedly at the end.

Curriculum Connection
I think this book would be suitable for a read aloud in grades 1-3, and for individual reading in 3-4.  The sentences are a bit long and take some focus in order to comprehend what is going on.
This book gives an excellent introduction into the basic ideas of economics.  It deals with earning money, saving it, expenses, and profits.  It also discusses the idea of failure (there are a few cases in which the students don’t earn any money).
This book can also be tied to a math lesson, if you wanted to include numbers and had the students add the expenses and profits while following along with the book.

Additional Resources:
1.  This website, Econopolis, offers several fun games and quizzes for children to play while learning about different economic topics
2. Here is a list of different economic books that can be used in the classroom (with suggestions for each grade)
3. This website has a variety of different economics posters that are a colorful, fun, and helpful way to help students remember the different vocabulary terms.

General Information:
Book: How the Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty
Author: Nathan Zimelman
Illustrator: Bill Slavin
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Publication Date: 1992
Pages: 32
Grade Range: 2-4
ISBN #: 0807534315

Teaching Economics With Children’s Literature: Follow the Money!

Published by Deleyah on October 26, 2009 in economics, math, book review and social studies. 0 Comments

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Lindsay Leedy’s  “Follow the Money“, is a humorous book that teaches children the various uses of currency.  Told from the point-of-view of a twenty-five cent quarter, the book starts by describing how money is produced and distributed in the United States.  Throughout the book, the reader is able to follow the journey of the quarter and see the its many uses.  Follow the Money uses pictures and phrases, similar to comic strips, to explain how currency is made in the United States Mint, placed into packaging bags, loaded onto trucks, and distributed to the Federal Reserve Bank and local bank.  It shows children how a certain amounts of money can be exchanged for various products.  For example, Follow the Money shows how money can serve as weekly allowance, a state quarter collection, and savings.  The book concludes at the end of the day with the quarter’s statement, “I wonder where I’ll go tomorrow?” (Leedy, pp. 29)  Follow the Money is an excellent way to learn about and relate to the world of currency.

Curriculum Connections

Follow the Money connects social studies, math, and economics to the world of currency.  The book incorporates math by showing how a customer may pay for an item and possibly receive change.  Math is also incorporated in the form of counting.  Instead of including traditional page numbers, Follow the Money uses currency for page numbers.  For example, page five displays a nickel at the bottom of the page to show the page number.  The book also connects social studies through pictures that explain the people who are displayed on each coin and paper money.  There are also a few captions that describe why that person is significant in history (1.3).  For example, George Washington’s picture is displayed on the one dollar bill and he is described as the first president of the United States.  Last of all, Follow the Money can be used in a classroom setting to help students learn the value of money and how to save it for for future purchase and goods (1.9).     

Additional Resources

  • This link includes other books that relate to economics in a way that children of younger ages can enjoy and understand
  • Contains a writing assignment that allows students to create their own money character and write about its journey for one day.  The assignment assesses student’s knowledge after reading Follow the Money!
  • Need examples of ways that other forms of currency are used in the United States? This website has the story of the adventures of a dollar bill, penny, and many more.  The Adventures of Currency includes questions about the type of currency used in the story, ways to spend, and a trivia quiz at the end of each story.

Book: Follow the Money!

Author and Illustrator: Loreen Leedy

Publisher: Holiday House Publishers

Publication Date: May 2003

Pages: 30 pages

Grade Range:K-3

ISBN: 0823417948

Teaching Economics With Children’s Literature: Sally Gets A Job

Published by Kara N on October 26, 2009 in economics and book review. 0 Comments

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Sally Gets a Jobwritten and illustrated by Stephen Huneck, is a book that will appeal to most children. This book is about an adorable black dog who watches its family leave for work and school each day. One day she wonders if maybe she should get a job. Sally contemplates many different occupations, some that children may have thought of themselves. “I could be a teacher.”  This book also introduces jobs that most students probably have never heard of. “Or maybe I should just focus on bones and become a paleontologist.”  Sally concludes that she has the best job in the world, “Taking care of my family.”

One of the best things about this book is the illustrations. Stephen Huneck is a popular artist and well-known for his paintings and sculptures of dogs.  Children will gravitate to this book because of its cover, a picture a cute dog reading the help wanted section of the newspaper. They will also enjoy the pictures of Sally driving a school bus full of dogs and thinking about cleaning up after an elephant.

Sally Gets a Job would be a great introduction in a unit to teach Kindergartners about various jobs. It would expose them to various careers in a fun way. (VA SOL K.6) 

Additional Resources:

  • This is a lesson which includes a song “I Can Do Anything.”  This song would compliment the book really well in the classroom. 
  • Another idea is to have the students create a picture (like a paper doll) of them in a uniform. Have each child select and color a ‘uniform’ from a choice of many paper cutouts. Then have the students paste a photograph of their face on the person. A similar activity concentrating on community helpers can be found on this website.
  • When teaching about different occupations, I would have some of the parents come in a talk about what they do at work. If a doctor came in, I would have the children make stethoscopes for an art project.
  • Here is a link to a lesson plan which uses another book about careers. It also has a great worksheet for a student to complete about what job they would like to do.

Book: Sally Gets a Job
Author/Artist: Stephen Huneck 
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 32
Grade Range: K-3
ISBN: 0810994933

Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: Cocoa Ice

Published by Stephanie on October 26, 2009 in physical science, life science, geography, economics, diversity, book review and science. 0 Comments

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Cocoa Ice tells the story of two little girls, each living in completely different parts of the world, whose daily activities directly impact the other.  The first little girl lives in Santo Domingo and helps her family grow and harvest chocolate for a living.  The second little girl lives in Maine, way up north, and helps her family (or rather watches her uncle) harvest ice from the river every winter.

The second little girl’s Uncle rides in a schooner to the island where it is always summer and brings back chocolate in exchange for the ice they harvested in the very cold winter.

It is clear that each of the little girls are fascinated by the process of creating chocolate or harvesting ice and even more fascinated by the faraway land that receives the chocolate or ice they work so hard for.

Curriculum Connections
Cocoa Ice introduces several concepts from the SOLs: 2.7 - describe natural, human, and capital resources, 2.8 - distinguish between use of barter and use of money, 2.9 - explain scarcity (limited resources), and 3.8 - recognize that people and regions cannot produce everything they want and therefore must trade for the rest.

Additional Resources

  • The International Monetary Fund has an interactive trading game available on its website. It allows the player to buy and sell various goods and choose their buying or selling price based on current economic conditions.
  • This lesson plan, called Tortilla Factory, focuses on the various types of resources (human, capital, natural, intermediate).
  • Here is a link to a pdf of a comic strip story called Wishes and Rainbows, by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.  It is designed to help illustrate the issues of scarcity.

Book: Cocoa Ice
Author: Diana Appelbaum
Illustrator: Holly Meade
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: September 2007
Pages: 56 Pages
Grade Range: 3-5
ISBN:0-531-33040-0

Teaching Economics With Children’s Literature: The Hard-Times Jar

Published by Ryan on October 26, 2009 in economics and book review. 0 Comments

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The Hard-Times Jar written by Ethel Footman Smothers and illustrated by John Holyfield explores the exciting ideas of economics by following the life of Emma Jean Turner and her family.  The Turner’s were migrant workers who had to follow the crops, so money was often difficult to come by in their house.  Emma’s mother, whom she referred to as “Mama”, created a jar that was called “the hard-times jar” to collect every little bit of change possible.  The hard-times jar was only supposed to be used in an emergency if the family runs out of something important before payday.  This colorful books explains  Emma’s desire to spend the money in the hard-times jar on a store-bought book.  The Hard-Times Jar teaches students  the importance of working hard for money and valuing the money they have.  The Hard-Times Jar also explains the idea of scarce resources and how those scarce resources can effect a family.  The students will enjoy following Emma as she leaves the family apple picking group, attends school, and eventually buys her first store-bought book.

Here are a few excerpts from the book.

  • “Mama’s hard-times jar lay tucked between blankets.  It was just about half full of loose change.  Solid nickels.  Rusty red pennies.  Thin Dimes.  And every now and then a fat quarter.” (pg. 5)
  • “There were lots of boys and girls just like Miss Miller had said.  But none were chocolate- brown like her.” (pg. 17)
  • “That’s what the hard-times jar is for.  For hard times.” (pg. 29)

Curriculum Connections:
The Hard-Times Jar is an easy-read with wonderful illustrations to help students in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade to learn about economics. For kindergarten students, this book will help them recognize that people make choices because they cannot have everything they want.  (VA SOL K.7)  For first graders, students will recognize that people save money for the future to purchase goods and services.  (VA SOL 1.9)  For second graders, The Hard-Times Jar will help students explain that scarcity (limited resources) requires people to make choices about producing and consuming goods and services. (VA SOL 2.9)  For third graders, this book will help students understand that because people and regions cannot produce everything they want, they specialize in what they do best and trade for the rest.  (VA SOL 3.8)

Additional Resources

  • This interactive poem is great for teaching students about scarcity and how people have to make choices because they cannot have everything they want.
  • This quiz provides some good questions for students so teachers can test students’ knowledge of the material.  The quiz is multiple choice and the majority of the questions test the students knowledge of vocabulary words and overall economics ideas.
  • If You Give A Mouse A Cookie is another book that will help students understand how people have to make choices.  This book can also help explain the idea of “and” vs. “or.”   Plus, the students will love it!

Book: The Hard-Times Jar
Author: Ethel Footman Smothers
Illustrator: John Holyfield
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: August 2003
Pages: 32 Pages
Grade Range: Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade
ISBN: 978-0374328528