Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Lesson Plan 1

Social Studies – Lauryn Scheske

LESSON RATIONALE
(CAEP K-6 1.a)

In life, we all face choices. And I think, the choices we make shape us. A crucial characteristic of growing up is learning to
make decisions that are sometimes best for yourself and sometimes best for others. As first graders, my students need to
first understand how to make choices for themselves. A simple, but profound rule to live by is, “Just because I can, doesn’t
mean I should…” This phrase shows students that they have power to make decisions and it enforces the idea that their
decisions matter. I think one of the best ways to examine this concept is through the lens of economics. As consumers it is
imperative that we are able to discriminate if a product or service is something we want or if it is something we truly
need. This lesson introduces this idea to students and starts the conversation with things they are already familiar with.
They will be writing or drawing out things they use or consume in their everyday lives and then sorting them into the
categories that I have introduced to them. They will be able to share ideas and collaborate with each other to solve the
problem which intentionally reflects how it works in the real world.

READINESS
I.Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal: Students are able to apply economic terms and make economic decisions in real-life contexts.
B. Objective: After sorting items into two categories: wants and needs, students will be able to identify and explain
why the two categories are different and how both are important to making life better.
C. Standards:
a. IAS: 1.4.5 Explain that people have to make choices about goods and services because resources are
limited in relation to people’s wants and needs (scarcity).
b. NCSS: 4: Production, consumption, and distribution - Economics: Productive resources are limited.
Therefore, people cannot have all the goods and services that they want; as a result, they must
choose some things and give up others.
c. ISTE: 3 Knowledge Constructor: d. Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues
and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
II. Management Plan
a. Materials:
 Grocery items
 Stuffed animal
 Notecards
 Butcher paper with Venn Diagram drawn on it
 Definition cards of want and need
 Pencil and crayons
 tape

b. Time: 28-30 minutes

c. Space
 Start at the carpet for anticipatory set, purpose statement, and first point of lesson presentation.
 At their seats for writing items on note cards.
 Around the room in groups for sorting
 Back at the carpet for placing items on the diagram and closure

d. Behavior
 I will be running Class Dojo during the lesson and will be giving out points to students who
are on task and following directions. My goal is to give clear and explicit directions so
students will know what they are supposed to be doing at all times. This will reduce behavior
significantly if executed correctly.
III. Adaptation to Individual Differences and Diverse Learners—
a. Jasper, Gabe, Hank, and Baileigh: these students have a harder time staying on task and listening quietly
when asked of them then the other students in class. I will select specific groups to the small group
portion of the lesson. I will put them with people that will help them stay on task and I will not put them
 Indiana Wesleyan University
Elementary Education Lesson Plan 1
Social Studies – Lauryn Scheske

together. Also during the anticipatory set, I will most likely choose them to participate because I have
seen them do better in those settings when given a task to complete or something to do.
b. Madison and Jasper: These two students tend to take a little bit longer amount of time to complete a
writing task. I have set up activities that everyone will have something to do the whole time whether
they are fast writers or slower. This way I won’t have to rush these two students and the other students
will have something purposeful to do without getting too ahead. I will remember to offer ideas and
assistance to these two students during the semi-independent work.

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION (CAEP K-6 1.b)

IV. Anticipatory Set
• I am going to bring in a grocery bag in with some food items: milk, bread, oranges, water, etc. I will tell them that
I just went grocery shopping yesterday. I also picked up a stuffed animal. “I brought this [the food bag] to
symbolize all the food in the whole world. Now is this really all the food in the whole world… No! We’re just
going to pretend for a minute. Can you pretend with me? Okay, [choose a student who is sitting quietly) come up
here and hold this bag for me. This bag (the stuffed animal) symbolizes all the stuffed animals and toys in the
whole world. [Pick a student who may need incentive to stay focused], will you come and hold this bag for me?
Thank you! Now what would happen if [blank] left this room right now, took the bag with all the food in the
whole world with him, hopped on a ship to Japan and never came back?” If they get hung up, I will remind them,
“hey remember, he has all the food in the whole world, that means there is nothing left for us! What would
happen?” Allow responses by raising of hands. “Now if [blank] left this room with the bag full of all the toys in
whole world, and decided to join the circus and never come back, what would happen? “Allow responses by
raising of hands. “Right if [the first student] left with all the food, we would starve and die, but if [the second
student] left with all the toys, we would be sad, of course, but we could still live, right?” Knowing my students, I
expect them to be silly with this, but I am pretty sure they will agree with the concept.

V.Purpose: “Today we are going to look at items that we use every day and decide if they are something we need or just
something we want. These things make our lives better or easier, and they can help give us a happy life. Once we
understand what things we want versus things we need, this will eventually help you make better decisions
when you are buying things in a store or picking things to bring on a trip, and much more. This is a skill that you
will use for the rest of your life.”

VI.Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

 “There is a phrase I often think of when I am trying to make a decision, because, just like we talk about in here all
the time, our decisions matter! It goes like this: Just because I can… doesn’t always mean I should. In everything
we go to do, we are constantly making choices. We are going to keep coming back to this concept, but as it
relates to today, this phrase can help us decide if something is what we want or is it something we need.”
 Defining Want and Need: I will have two big cards with my definitions and a picture example on them. Want: to
wish for something, example: ice cream Need: to lack something that you can’t live without, example: water. I
will go over these definitions.
 I will pose the question: What are some things that give us a happy life? What things make life easier or better?
These can be things for our body (toothpaste, shoes, hairbrush, food, glasses, etc.), things for our community
(cars, money, phones, clocks, etc.), things to help us at school (pencils, scissors, lunchbox, etc.), and/or things for
our minds (books, TV, internet, music, etc.). Each student will receive 3 or 4 small notecards (Depending on how
fast that particular student works. Each student will get three, but as students finish, we can give them more
until everyone has done at least three). On the notecards, they will write or draw a picture of their items that
make life better or easier. I will show them three examples I will make ahead of time. It is okay if they copy one
of mine, but I will encourage them to think of them on their own. I will give explicit directions such as: ‘If you
have an idea but you don’t know how to spell it, you can just draw a quick picture. Now, are you going to spend a
lot of time on this picture? No! You want it to be neat so you know what it is, but you don’t need a bunch of
crayons for it or to spend a bunch of time on it. You are drawing or writing each item on a separate notecard.”
 Then I will divide the class into small groups, they are going to combine their notecards and sort the items into
two categories: needs and wants. I want them to talk to each other and debate a little bit over what they consider
a need or a want. I will remind them of the phrase, “ Just because I can buy a {say, stuffed animal}, doesn’t always
mean I should, but I should buy soap. Myself and the other teachers present during the lesson (Mrs. Griffin and
Miss Savannah, the cadet teacher) will be able to aide in the discussion by asking, “What things do ALL people
need?” We can provide examples of what some people may need that others may not. For example, “An adult
may need a car to get to and from work, but does a little kid need a car for himself? No, right, because the kid
 Indiana Wesleyan University
Elementary Education Lesson Plan 1
Social Studies – Lauryn Scheske

can’t even drive the car! But everybody needs some form of transportation.” I don’t want to focus too much on
right or wrong answers, I more want students to discuss their ideas with each other. Point of management: I will
allow them to pick a spot in the room to do this. I will be clear in pointing out that they should not be too close to
another group. I just think it will help them to be sitting on the floor and they can spread out their notecards.
 Once I see that students are wrapping up, I will give them their next task. I will be watching the time and if we
have time for this then I will begin to have them practicing thinking about their wants and needs in terms of
purchases. They are now to sort the notecards into two different categories: “Things that make us happy” and
“Things that cost money.” “You may find that some of the items fit into both categories, but I want you to talk
about it together.”
 I will have a big piece of butcher paper with a large Venn diagram drawn on it. I will have groups come up one at
a time and tape their notecards to the correct sections based on how they sorted them. I will talk with these
groups to help support thinking and I will use the three examples cards I made earlier and place them on the
diagram to provide additional support.
 Myself and the other teachers will be walking around, listening to conversations and providing support as
needed.
(CAEP K-6 3.d)

VII. Check for understanding.

 Myself and the other teachers will be walking around offering support as necessary. I will be particularly looking
to see how they can explain how they sort their items and if they truly understand the categories.
 I will work with each student at the end as they place their items on the whole class Venn Diagram. Here I can
clarify misunderstandings and assure that they understand the content.

VIII.Review learning outcomes / Closure – In what way will you know that all students have learned or met the
objective?
 I will go over the want and need definitions again and I will use the things they wrote down as examples for
each., I will go over the idea again that things in life cost money, and it is important to know what is most
important to spend it on. Depending on how many students get to it will determine how in depth I go with that
idea. I will assure them that we will talk about this idea more in a couple weeks.
 As a final question, I will have them pretend with me that we are going on a hike. I packed a water bottle, band-
aids, a pizza, granola bars, and my cell phone, but my backpack is too heavy! What should I take out? What do I
really need? Just because I can carry a pizza on my hike, doesn’t mean I should, but I should bring water because
I could become dehydrated!”
 I will call on students by raised hands, and have them explain their answers. I will then pass the class over to
Mrs. Griffin to send them to their reading centers.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

 Formative: walking around the room gaining impressions from their sorting and conversations. I will also
be able to formatively assess during the Venn diagram part at the end of the lesson. Also during the closure,
there is opportunity for formative assessment.
 Summative: At the end of the unit, I will have them do a picture sort of items I choose and they will sort
between wants and needs. Because these categories can be rather relative, I will grade with lenience,
especially if they are able to explain their answers/thought process. They will explain their answers using
the phrase, “Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should.”
(CAEP K-6 3.a)

REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS (CAEP K-6 3.b)

1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
7. How was my classroom management and direction giving? Was I clear? Did I get too wordy?
8. Did the closure feel neat and concise? What makes me believe they walked away with
knowledge/understanding they didn’t have before this lesson?
9. Did I hear students using the phrase, “Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should” when they were sorting
through their wants and needs?