Jessica Sampsell's Social Studies Portfolio

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2015-04-27T00:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Social Studies Portfolio. My philosophy of education has grown over the last semester. I believe that all children are born with the innate ability to learn. Children need to be encouraged to learn through the use of technology and innovative lessons. Social Studies should be an important part of a school's curriculum. Students are encouraged to become civically responsible students through social studies.

My expectations of the students are:

Students should embrace and respect differences among social classes, race and ethnicity, gender, religion, and cultures.

Learn to make choices based on the positive and negative consequences of those choices for both themselves and others.

Students should develop a "global perspective," i.e: they will develop a caring attitude towards others and the world around them.

My expectations of myself as a social studies teacher are:

I will integrate social studies into all areas of study.

Allow students to actively work in groups to solve problems of all types.

Help students explore a variety of issues and dilemmas that they will face everyday in the community and in the classroom.

My expectations of the classroom environment:

Daily Open Forum: This will give students a chance to express concerns or issues with the classroom and or their community.

Democratic Classroom: The classroom should have a Class President. We could have a mock election so that students understand the voting process. Students could also present ideas for classroom rules, then vote on five or six to make concrete rules.

Mini- Society: Students will actively participate in classroom "jobs."

Bank System and Stock Market: Students will learn about savings, interest, loans, and investing. Students will also gain valuable real world experience that they will be able to apply gradually as they get older.

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Unit Plan

2014-04-27T00:34:00.000-07:00

Understanding the Value and Uses of Money

This first grade unit plan is designed to be taught about three-fourths of the way through the school year. The students would have already had the opportunity to learn about people in their communities and the value of money. Students will participate in a "shopping excursion" towards the end of the unit. The main purpose for this unit plan is to familiarize students with the value of saving money. They will also learn that money is used all over the world to buy goods and services.

There is a lot of work that goes into designing a unit plan. The days need to flow from one day to the next. All activities should correspond and compliment with that day's lesson. Students should know that there is a purpose to the unit that they are studying.

Go to Unit Plan: Understanding the Value and Uses of Money

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Lesson Plans

2013-04-27T00:47:00.000-07:00

These lesson plans are part of my unit plan. They make up the fourth and fifth day of the unit plan.

Day 4:

Wants and Needs within a Family Unit entails recognizing the difference between wants and needs. Students often associate the things that they want (new fashionable clothes, junk food, and video games) with the things that they need. This lesson helps students to distinguish between things that they need to survive and things they want to make their lives more comfortable.

I like this lesson because the students are able to discuss and reflect on their views and opinions. They are able to see how a boy from China makes a decision to ignore his wants and help a homeless stranger with his needs for survival. This book will help the students see that there are people who are less fortunate. It ties in community and the need for helping others into the lesson.

Day 5:

Simulation of a "Real World Market" is a lesson that involves the students acting as consumers and goods/service providers. The class is split up into two different groups. The students switch roles half-way through the simulation so that each student has an opportunity to try the other aspect of the simulation. The students are given play money and a transaction log to keep track of their purchases and sales throughout the simulation. The students have a chance to reflect on their experience at the end of the simulation.

I loved this lesson plan. I put a lot of thought and consideration in the supplemental materials. I made a lot of them and found the rest on the internet. I think that the students would really enjoy this opportunity. They would need to be prepared and coached on this simulation before hand.

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Readings

2012-04-27T02:20:00.000-07:00

The readings below have impacted my teaching philosophy. I was able to take away some great ideas for teaching social studies to my future students.

ABC's of Evaluation
I really enjoyed reading this article, especially pages 41-225. This section of the ABC's of Evaluation listed assessment ideas for each letter of the alphabet. My favorite ideas were Collaborative Test-Taking, Learning Project Poster, and Portfolios. The ideas in this book are directed towards middle school learners, but they can be adapted to the elementary level.

Flat Stanley
This book is great for kids! It could be used in so many wonderful ways in the classroom. Students could send Flat Stanleys to their family members and ask them to send a picture and postcard from the places that Flat Stanley visits with them. They could track all of the places that Flat Stanley has been on a large world map. Students could also create their own flat characters and write a book about it. This book gives so many options for teachers to expand on.

Holding Mock Elections
This article gave great information on the basics of holding mock elections in the classroom. The author referenced some web sites that are beneficial to look at when planning a mock election in your classroom. I feel that students need to learn how the court system works. They will also leran about taking turns when talking, respect for the courtroom, and listening to both sides of a situation before making a judgement.

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Who Am I?

2007-04-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

We did this activity on the first day of class as an ice breaker at the beginning. We were able to walk around and work together to solve the words on our backs. I think this activity would be great in an elementary classroom because it gives the students a chance to walk around and get to know each other a little bit.

Who Am I Activity (15 minutes)

Place an index card on each student's back with tape. Each card will list one word related to the social studies discipline or topic. Word examples include: Western Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere, American History, World Geography, World History, Ancient Cultures, U.S. Government, Civics, Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Economics, World Cultures. Have students move around the classroom asking “yes” or “no” questions of their colleagues to determine their word. Once students have identified their words, they may remove their index cards from their backs and write their word on the board. Students continue helping others to identify the undetermined words until all words have been identified and written on the board.Once all students have finished, begin a class discussion.

What do all these words have to do with social studies methods?

They are core disciplines historically making up the social studies.

What are the benefits of using this activity type?

It helps transition students from outside issues into the class topic.
It helps students begin to think about the day’s topic.
It is a good educational sponge activity/advance organizer to make precious use of the first few minutes of class.

Why did I choose this activity for today?

The activity models my philosophy of education.
Having students physically engaged in an activity sets a tone for learning in a fun environment.
“Play” is a more relaxed way to get to know one another.
By asking students to access prior knowledge, it helps me assess prior knowledge.

How would you modify this activity to work with elementary social studies students?

Change the words to match the daily objectives.
In lower grades, use pictures instead of words.

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Holding Mock Elections

2007-04-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

*This is a summary of the article.*

Holding Mock Elections by Walter C. Parker

This article has guidelines for holding a mock election. Teachers can prepare their students through a variety of activities. The students can participate in mock press conferences, field trips, newsletters, and visit websites. My favorite activity is to have a guest speaker come into the classroom. The teacher could find reporters, campaign managers, or even people who are running in elections. They could tell first-hand experiences from the field. Two websites that the author mentioned are: http://www.kidsvotingusa.org/ and http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm. These websites have activities and age-friendly material for students to engage in. Students can also compare newspaper stories for the different candidates running for office. Overall, mock elections help students learn the voting process. They are familiar with the workings before they become 18 and have to go out and vote on their own.

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Flat Stanley

2007-04-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

*This is a summary of the Flat Stanley book.*

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

Stanley Lambchop was flattened by a bulletin board in his sleep one night. Shortly afterwards, he wanted to go visit his friend in California. His dad said it was too expensive to fly or take a train, so they mailed him in a big envelope instead. His brother Arthur was jealous so he tried to flatten himself with a stack of encyclopedias. Stanley tried to make him feel better by letting Arthur fly him like a kite. Arthur wasn’t paying attention and Stanley got stuck in a tree. Stanley heard that his neighbor was dealing with art thieves; so he decided to disguise himself as a painting so that he could help catch the robbers. The robbers came in and started taking the painting and Stanley screamed out so that the police knew that they were there. Stanley was a hero for a while, but then the novelty of the flat boy wore off. People started making fun of him; Stanley just wanted to be a normal boy again. Arthur thought of the best idea: he blew Stanley back to normal size with a bike pump. Everyone was very happy and Arthur became the hero of the family.

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Chataqua Presentation

2007-04-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this presentation by Kim Russell as Sojourner Truth. She was very energetic in her performance and really knew her information. This was a great experience because I was able to learn a strategy to use when I am a teacher. I like the idea of intriguing the students through an informal chataqua presentation. The students could also use this idea for book reports or famous history projects.

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Classroom Observations

2007-04-29T20:00:00.001-07:00

I went into a first grade classroom to observe a lesson on map making and a fifth grade classroom to observe a lesson on Christopher Columbus. The fifth grade teacher was very knowledgeable about history. The students asked her questions about different highlights, and she was able to five them an answer to their questions. The first graders were enthusiastic about making their maps of the classroom. They concentrated on making their maps representational. This was a great experience for me. It was find two teachers that were teaching Social Studies. A lot of the teachers at this school only teach it once a week or once every two weeks.

I saw some ideas that I thought were really great while watching these two lessons. I really like that the first grade students were able to use their own classroom environment to make maps. a lot of students put in extra effort by using a lot of detail in their maps. The fifth grade students started to get restless halfway through the lesson, so the teacher had them stand up. They recited the Preamble to the Constitution. This was really interesting because they used hand signals to go along with the words.

This is the cover of my project that I created to show what I learned during my classroom observations. Each tier is a different topic.

This picture shows that each tier of my booklet is different. This tier is the page that summarizes my entire project. The picture on the left is the Preamble to the Constitution and the picture on the right is an outline of the United States.

This picture shows the different methods of instruction and materials that the two teachers used. The fifth grade teacher used a book about Christopher Columbus called Where Do You Think Your Going Christopher Columbus by Jean Fritz. Her instructional method was discussion and whole-group notes. The first grade teacher used a big book atlas, a map of the United States, and a teacher created example. She modeled what the students needed to do for creating their own maps and they labeled the map of the United States together.

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ABC's of Evaluation

2007-04-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

***This is my summary of my favorite section of the ABC's of Evaluation***

ABC’s of Evaluation

Agree/disagree Clarification Cards
Affective or cognitive domain; Five students stand at front of room. They each hold a sign: Strongly Agree, Agree, Don’t Know, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. The other students make a line in front of the student that has their answer. The results become more visual to the students because they can physically see them.

Bloom Constructed Tests
Cognitive domain; Teachers and students should have access to a Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart. Two different formats were given: a test that has one question for each category and a test that has multiple questions for each category. The students are then able to choose their own questions to answer as long as the total number of points is 100. The social studies examples start out with rote learning in the knowledge category. The students should list the continents. As the questions move up the list, they get harder. The analysis question asks the students to compare two continents. The last question, evaluation, wants to know what continent the student would like to visit and why. The higher level thinking questions require the students to be more creative in their answers.

Collaborative Test-Taking
Cognitive domain; Cooperative learning allows teachers to work with small groups. The students are able to get more individualized attention. They are also able to work in a smaller and less competitive environment. Teachers should limit the number of students in a cooperative test-taking group to three. The students should receive the same grade as long as everyone is working together. Teachers should walk around to make sure that all students are participating and contributing to the test. The social studies cooperative test was based on the American Revolution. The test repeatedly asked the students to do a question on their own, and then share their answer with the other group members and either come up with a great group answer or decide which answer is the best by circling. This type of testing situation requires the students to know the information, but can also help reinforce or trigger information that may have been forgotten.

Discussion
Cognitive and affective domains; Discussions can and should take place from whole group to small group. There should be a focus or goal for discussions. Students could be better prepared for discussions if they have an outline or notes with them. This can help with staying on task.
The social studies topic is on the Bill of Rights. The students do their own independent research so that they can come to the discussion fully prepared. This can help boost the confidence of some of the lower students. They do not have to try to memorize all of the information; they can write it down and read off their paper if they need to.

Evidence via Symbol/Picture Representations
Affective domain; Pictures or symbols can be used to represent how a person is feeling. The teacher can pass out several cards to small groups of students. They can use the cards to evaluate certain things in their academics: field trip, guest speaker, book, project, etc. Some of the pictures that are included in the book are: eagle, spider, fire cracker, ladder, key, anchor, and clover. The social studies example was for elections. The students are to choose a picture card that tells how they feel about presidents serving more than two terms. Then they need to organize their thoughts for a classroom debate.

Fact Finding through Fraternizing
Cognitive domain; The teacher passes out an information card to each student. They can get the information from the text book or another reliable source. The students are given enough time to thoroughly learn what is on their card. Next, the students walk around the room and “teach” the other students the information AND learn the information that the other students have on their cards. The students need to be reminded that they have to re-tell the information from their card, not read it. After 30-40 minutes, the students sit down and answer these five questions:
1. "The important information on my card that I had to teach others about was…"
2. "Three new things I learned from other students on the topic were…"
3. "Something about the topic that I already knew was…"
4. "One thing on the topic that I would like to know more about is…"
5. "To me, the most interesting thing about this topic is…"
The social studies example given was on Knights. This lesson has not been taught yet. This is used as a warm-up activity for a unit on medieval times. There are 8 different cards that have information about knighthood on them. The information ranges from the definition of knight to what it means to be a knight.

Group Processing Skills
Affective domain; Teachers need to teach the correct social skills that are needed to effectively work in a group situation. Only one skill should be focused on at a time. Model and ask for student input as to what they think that particular skill would require. Students should be allowed to comment on their progress through discussion or writing.

Hard-Core Judgments Using Starter Statements
Affective domain; Starter statements are the beginnings of sentences. They are a way to get students thinking creatively. The statements can be used for journal topics, small group discussions, oral topics, written responses, etc. Sentence starters can be used for any subject. They can be arranged around a particular theme. The examples given were centered on “top ideas.”

Inquiry Lecture Techniques
Cognitive domain; Teachers should break their lectures up into 15 minute increments. The students can do small writing activities in between each increment. The author suggests that teachers start out lessons by having students respond in writing to a question that leads up to the topic of the day. The teacher should allow the students to discuss and compare notes at least 3 times for about 5 minutes. The social studies example is on the Constitution. The students are to write their own responses to three different questions that have to do with the lecture. Then they are to share their answers with their partners. This gives students the chance to communicate their ideas and even pick up ideas that they may not have retained.

Jeopardy Style Testing
Cognitive and affective domain; Give the students a set of answers and have them find the questions for them. This style is great to use as a review for a test.

Kinesthetic Testing Tactics
Cognitive domain; This is used for assessing understanding of concepts. The students write nine important terms or concepts on nine separate cards. They arrange them in a three by three grid. The students need to write a single sentence for each group of cards across, down, and diagonally. Each sentence should show how the terms or concepts are related. The social studies example is on the Civil War. The students write civil war terms like: slavery, Dred Scott Decision, Confederacy, union, and Reconstruction on their cards. They need to write a statement that shows the relationship between the three terms.

Learning Project Poster
Cognitive domain; Posters can be used as an evaluative tool. Each poster should have 12 sections that show the things that the student learned throughout the unit. The teacher can give a groups one section of the poster. They are responsible for the information on their section. They can draw their part of the poster onto a larger paper. They will be able to really large posters this way. Students could also make up their own sections for their posters. This would allow them to show what they have learned. The social studies example is about Americana. There are four different sheets that can be cut out and joined together to make one large poster. There is a writing prompt on the upper left hand corner about America’s birthday. What would be a good present for America? The upper right hand corner asks the students to make a timeline of 10 important events from the Revolutionary War period. The bottom left hand corner asks the student to compare his life to a teenager’s life during the American Revolution. The bottom right hand corner asks the student to write a newspaper article that describes important events of the Revolutionary War period. These posters can be used as an assessment because the students have to include important information. The students can look up the information if they do not know it.

Measurement Through Contracting
Cognitive Domain; Contracts can be extremely detailed or a short outline of what a child is supposed to accomplish during school. Some of the guidelines for a contract are: beginning and ending date, description of task, expected grade, and the student’s signature.

Negotiable Read/Relate Options
Cognitive Domain; The teacher selects a topic and then develops some important points for that topic. Each read section is accompanied by a specific tool to relate a project or assignment to the reading. The topic for social studies is justice. My favorite read section dealt with the definition of justice; a judge, fair treatment, and fair, upright, or moral standards. The relate topic was to create an outline of a story that could be shown on “People’s Court” or another show that is similar.

Observations
Affective and Cognitive Domain; Observations can be conducted formally or informally. Formal observations are usually done by the teacher. Informal observations can be created by the student themselves. They can be as simple as a checklist or they can be very complex with spaces for recording observations, conclusions, and anecdotes.

Portfolios
Cognitive Domain; Collection of student work that has been compiled over a long period of time. They can be used as a tool of assessment because they measure growth and improvement. Portfolios can give the students an opportunity to learn about what they have been learning, should show growth in the student’s academic skills, and should be done by the student. Educators should decide what they want the portfolios to look like, what they want in them and the selection criteria and time limit for selection. A portfolio is a compilation of the child’s best work throughout the year. It should be passed on to the next grade level if it is possible. The social studies example asked the students to keep at least one sample from each month of the school year. Some of the items that were included are: map, post card, essay test, biography of explorer/inventor, and a campaign speech.

Quotation Reactions
Affective Domain; Post various quotes around the room. Books that are filled with quotes from famous people are available. Students can respond in writing to the quotes. Quotes can encourage students to take a stand and either defend or disagree with a particular opinion. The social studies topic is on Americans. I really like the idea of choosing a quote and designing a mobile for it. The students that are artistic are able to show their creative side for a project like this. I also like the idea of choosing a quote and then creating a bumper sticker from it.

Response Cards
Cognitive Domain; Response cards can be a quick and easy way for the teacher to assess the entire class at once. The first idea is to give each child a mini-chalk board or white board and have them answer various questions on it. The student must hold the board up in the air after he answers each question. The other idea is that each student gets five cards that are numbered 1-5 or A-E. The teacher asks a variety of multiple choice questions. The students choose which answer they think is right and holds up the appropriate card.

Satisfying Case Studies
Cognitive and Affective Domain; Case studies allow students to visualize situations that could happen. They should have real places, characters, and situations in them. Data or details should be provided so the students can reach a conclusion. A social studies example could involve a person or event that is important to history or culture. The students could read a scenario and develop a conclusion.

Tic-Tac-Toe Game Boards
Cognitive and Affective Domain; The teacher should prepare a tic-tac-toe game board and write three different review questions in each box. The students need to work in groups of three. Two students play and the third judges the responses. Each player needs to answer a question correctly in order to put an “X” or an “O” in the box. The first person to get a straight line wins. A social studies example could involve review questions that would relate to a chapter or unit of study.

Undertaking Project Evaluations
Cognitive Domain; Allow the students to do a project instead of a test at the end of a unit or chapter. The students can have a chance to be creative and show off their knowledge. Some examples of project formats are: centers, photo essays, games, and pamphlets. A good example for social studies is the “M is for MAP, GLOBE, or ATLAS” section. This section has a different question for each of Bloom’s Taxonomy levels.

Value Related Exercises
Affective Domain ; This strategy is a decision-making process. The students have to make decisions about what their values, attitudes, or appreciations. This can be done as a whole group discussion or as an individual or small group activity. This could be used in social studies for a unit on individuals and their values, morals, and habits.

Ways to Use Journals and Logs
Cognitive and Affective Domain; Learning Logs or Journals can be used as a daily writing assignment, a collection of notes for the classroom, or a record of things we forget. The social studies example is responding to Newspapers. The students are to read through a newspaper and pick out the stories that interest them. They have to tell why certain stories caught their attention and why certain stories did not.

eXamples of Skill Packs
Cognitive Domain ; Skill packs are groups of cards that have multiple choice questions on one side and then point values of 1-4 on the other side. They are grouped according to skill level. The students stack the cards with the question side up. The student writes down the questions and then checks his answer and gives himself a point. The player with the most points wins. The social studies example is on U.S. History. The cards have three different choices to select from. The most surprising question is: “You can get just about any kind of breakfast cereal in the ‘Cereal Bowl of America.’ This Michigan city where cereals are made is: (a) Grand Rapids, Michigan; (b) Lansing, Michigan; (c) Battle Creek, Michigan.” The answer is (c) Battle Creek, Michigan. The student gets three points for answering the question correctly.

Yes/No or Either/Or Choices
Affective Domain ; The teacher selects questions that have a yes/no or either/or choices. The questions are things that involve personality traits. The teacher uses things that are in his field of study. The social studies teacher could ask a question such as: “Are you more like the state of Maine or the state of Texas?” The students would have to think about their appearance, social habits, intellectual abilities, etc.

Zest for Pair and Share Testing Teasers
Cognitive Domain ; The students work in groups of four. The teacher gives each group the same information, but it is divided into four sections. Each group member is responsible for teaching the others their information. The “All Subject Areas” section was based on Famous People of the Past. This could be used for social studies. The people chose for each card could be presidents or someone that is influential in the civil rights movement.

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Letter to Parents

2007-04-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

We have just completed a social studies unit on understanding the values and uses of money. Your child is required to complete a project with at least 3 other students. This project will illustrate your child’s knowledge and understanding of the material that we have covered throughout this unit. We are going to spend 2 days in class working on this project; anything that is not finished will need to be completed at home and returned to school the next day.

The project requirements are:

Each child is required to complete one section of the poster. Your child should put any information that is useful on his section of the poster.
Your child is responsible for explaining his section to the rest of his group members.
The posters should be colorful and include pictures to elaborate on your child’s understanding of the material.
All writing needs to be done neatly by hand or typed and glued onto the poster. Writing should be free of spelling and mechanical errors.

Items to be included on poster:

Goods and Services: Choose 2 goods and 2 services that are the most important in your community. Why are they important to you and your community?
Money: Where is money made? Who makes money? What happens to old money? Write 3 facts about money that surprised you.
Foreign Money: Choose a country (other than the United States of America). Describe the money and how it is used. Draw or paste a picture of your country. Include a picture of the money that is used in your country.
Wants and Needs: Describe the differences between wants and needs. What are some of your wants and needs?
Saving Money: Describe three benefits to saving your money? How can people save money when they go shopping?

Have Fun! Thank you for helping your child succeed in social studies,

Sincerely, Ms. Sampsell

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Unit Assessment: Poster and Rubric

2007-04-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

Understanding the Value and Uses of Money

Grade Level: First Grade

Primary Unit Goal: Students will learn the value and uses of money. They will learn that money is used all over the world to buy goods and services. They will learn about the value of saving their money.

Themes for Unit:

Day 1: Students will learn about the various goods and services that are in their neighborhood.

Day 2: Students will learn the various uses of money and how money is made.

Day 3: Students will explore the differences in various currencies around the world.

Day 4: Students will discuss the various wants and needs that their families have.

Day 5: Students will do a simulation activity of a real-world market.

CEF’s:

CEF (1)2.1: “develop awareness of economic concepts: wants/needs, goods/services.”

CEF (1)2.2: “develop an awareness of the value and purpose of money.”

CEF (1)3.1: “locate places on a simple picture map.”

NCSS Standards Addressed:

IVb. Describe personal connections to place-especially place as associated with immediate surroundings.

IVg. Analyze a particular event to identify reasons individuals might respond to it in different ways.

IVh. Work independently and cooperatively to accomplish goals.

VIIb. Distinguish between needs and wants.

VIIc. Identify examples of private and public goods and services.

VIId. Give examples of the various institutions that make up economic systems such as families, workers, banks, labor unions, government agencies, small businesses, and large corporations.

VIIe. Describe how we depend upon workers with specialized jobs and the ways in which they contribute to the production and exchange of goods and services.

VIIg. Explain and demonstrate the role of money in everyday life.

Poster:

Part 1: Goods and Services

Part 2: Our Country

Part 3: Money

Part 4: Wants & Needs/ Saving Money

Letter to Parents

Rubric

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Unit Plan: Understanding the Value and Uses of Money

2007-04-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

Unit Plan

I. Descriptive Characteristics

Unit Title: Understanding the Value and Uses of Money
Teacher: Jessica Sampsell
Grade Level: First Grade
Number of Days Required: 6 days
Time of Year Presented: 3/4 of the way through the year.

II. Rationale/Overview

Primary Unit Goal: Students will learn the value and uses of money. They will elarn that money is used all over the world to buy goods and services. They will elarn about the value of saving their money.
Justification for Time of Year: According to the social studies and math textbooks for the first graders, money and goods/services are taught towards the end of the year. They need to know about communities and how they work before they can be intorduced to the ways money plays into goods and services.
Imporatance for Unit from Child's Perspective: Money is the source for how our society functions. The students will need an understanding of money and how money is used in society. Knowing the values and uses of money will help students learn how to save, spend, and keep track of their money.

NCSS Standards Addressed:

IVb. Describe personal connections to place-especially place as associated with immediate surroundings.
IVg. Analyze a particular event to identify reasons individuals might respond to it in different ways.
IVh. Work independently and cooperatively to accomplish goals.
VIIb. Distinguish between needs and wants.
VIIc. Identify examples of private and public goods and services.
VIId. Give examples of the various institutions that make up economic systems such as families, workers, banks, labor unions, government agencies, small businesses, and large corporations.
VIIe. Describe how we depend upon workers with specialized jobs and the ways in which they contribute to the production and exchange of goods and services.
VIIg. Explain and demonstrate the role of money in everyday life.

III. Scope and Sequence:

Day 1 Theme: Students will learn about the various goods and services that are in their neighborhood.

Objectives:

CEF (1)2.1: "develop awareness of economic concepts: wants/needs, goods/services.

Activities:

Students will read (with teacher's assistance) the lesson "Goods and Services" from their social studies textbook, About My World.
Teacher will help students construct a T-chart of the various goods and services in their community.
Teacher will hang up the chart in the classroom so the students can refer back to it throughout the unit.

Day 2 Theme: Students will learn the various uses of money and how money is made.

Objectives:

CEF (1)2.2: "develop an awareness of the value and purpose of money."

Activites:

Teacher will have the students feel a bag of shredded paper. They will discuss how it feels and what they think it is. Teacher will inform students that the shredded “paper” is money. They will discuss why the money is shredded.
Students will fill out (with teacher assistance) a KWL chart about money. Teacher will post this chart in the classroom for the students to use as a reference.
Students will watch the 15 minute video streaming movie: “Learning about Money.”
Students will discuss the movie and fill out the remainder of the KWL chart. They will correct any misconceptions that were written on the chart before they watched the movie.

Day 3 Theme: Students will explore the differences in various currencies around the world.

Objectives:

CEF (1)2.2: “develop an awareness of the value and purpose of money.”
CEF (1)3.1: “locate places on a simple picture map.”

Activities:

Students will split up into three groups: Group 1: will explore the differences in the various paper currencies of the world. Group 2: will explore the differences in the various coin currencies of the world. Group 3: will use trade books to see how people use money around the world.
In each group, the students will look at a simple map or an atlas of the world and locate the country that the particular money or story is from.
Each group will spend 15 minutes in their centers. Afterwards, we will meet together to discuss the findings that each student has made.
Students will (with teacher assistance), make a bubble map on Kidspiration that lists the various currencies that they looked at and how they are used around the world.

Day 4 Theme: Students will discuss the various wants and needs that their families have.

Objectives:

CEF (1)2.1: “develop awareness of economic concepts: wants/needs, goods/services.”
CEF (1)2.2: “develop an awareness of the value and purpose of money.”

Activities:

Discuss wants and needs with the students. Students will realize the differences between wants and needs.
Students will read (with teacher’s assistance) the lesson “Wanting More or Less” from their social studies textbook, About My World.
Students (with teacher's assistance) will discuss the various wants and needs that their families have.
As an extension, students will make a poster using pictures from a magazine or grocery store flyers to illustrate their family’s wants and needs.

Day 5 Theme: Students will do a simulation activity of a real-world market.

Objectives:

CEF (1)2.1: “develop awareness of economic concepts: wants/needs, goods/services.”
CEF (1)2.2: “develop an awareness of the value and purpose of money.”

Activities:

Teacher will split the students up into two groups: one group will be the goods/services providers; the other group will be the consumers.
Every student will be given play money and coins. The consumers will have to choose which goods and services to spend their money on. They will have to make decisions on what their particular wants and needs will be. Every time that money is exchanged, the students will need to make a note of the transaction so that they can keep track of their spending and saving.
Students will answer the following questions for homework: Did you have enough money for everything? Did you spend too much on one particular item? Do you think you could have spent your money better?

Day 6 Theme: Students will learn the value of saving their money.

Objectives:

CEF (1)2.2: “develop an awareness of the value and purpose of money.”

Activities:

Students will discuss the simulation that was played the previous day. They will use the homework questions from the night before to guide the discussion.
Teacher will ask students what they know about saving.
They will discuss how saving their money could have helped them buy something they needed during the simulation market day.

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Simulation of a "Real World Market"

2007-04-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

Simulation of a “Real World Market”

Goals/Objectives:

Goal: Students will learn the importance of distinguishing between wants and needs.

CEF (1)2.1: “develop awareness of economic concepts: wants/needs, goods/services.”
CEF (1)2.2: “develop an awareness of the value and purpose of money.”

NCSS Standards Addressed:

IVg. “Analyze a particular event to identify reasons individuals might respond to it in different ways.”
IVh. “Work independently and cooperatively to accomplish goals.”
VIIb. “Distinguish between needs and wants.”
VIIc. “Describe how we depend upon workers with specialized jobs and the ways in which they contribute to the production and exchange of goods and services.”
VIIg. “Explain and demonstrate the role of money in everyday life.”

Objectives: Students will be able to:

Recognize the difference between wants and needs.
Spend money in a business-like atmosphere.
Keep track of where and what they spent their money on.
Count change back after “selling” an item.

Prerequisites:

Students will have an understanding of what money is.
Students will have an understanding of good/services and how they help people.
Students will have an understanding of wants and needs.

Materials/Equipment:

Description and Quantity:

Goods/Service Providers Job Descriptions
Name Badges for each student.
Items for the store (see the List of Items for Store).
Shopping at the Class Store worksheet for each student.
Wants/Needs List for each student.
Role Reminder Sheet for each student.
Spending Log for each student.
Transaction Log for each student.
Discussion Questions for each student.
Play money: $10 ($5 bill, $4 in ones, $0.75, $0.20, $0.05) for each student.
Plastic Baggies for each student’s money.

Distribution Method:
The teacher will select students to distribute the money and spending logs to each student. The students will make their own name badges to pin to their shirts.

Collection Method:
The students will turn their Spending Logs and their Transaction Logs into the teacher at the end of the lesson.

Procedures: ***This lesson is designed to take 2 – 2½ hours total. It could be used as a continuous lesson over several days. ***

A. Motivational Instruction:
The teacher will tell the students that they are going to be in a simulated market during class today. The students will complete a Shopping at the Class Store worksheet; which will prepare them for making change.

B. Developmental Activity:
The teacher will split the class into two groups: goods/services providers and consumers. The students will discuss their roles within their groups using the Role Reminder Sheet. This sheet asks questions that are designed to remind the students of the responsibilities that goods/services providers and consumers have. The goods/service providers will receive their job information.

Culminating Activity:

The goods/service providers will go to their positions and get ready for the consumers to enter their place of business: 1. Roles (see attached paper for job details): Pencil Sharpener, Paper Stapler, Salesman, Greeter, Cashier, Banker, and Janitor
The goods/service providers will need to keep track of all transactions that are made on the Transaction Log.
The consumers need to fill out their Spending Log. They must put their money into a pouch to carry with them. They will make a list of the various school supplies that they need; then they will make a list of things they want. This will be carried with them throughout the store.
The consumers need to keep track of their spending on the Spending Log. They need to balance their Spending Log after every transaction.
The students need to do a final balance after 30 minutes of shopping.
The consumers and goods/service providers will switch roles so that each student gets an experience with the different roles.
Start over at the beginning of the Culminating Activity for the second experience.

D. Extension:

Allow the students to compare the goods and services that were purchased with the items on their wants/needs list.
Students will do the Discussion Questions that relate to today’s experience for homework.
Tell the students that they will meet in groups to discuss their questions tomorrow.

Student Assessment/ Evaluation:

A. Observation:
Teacher will observe the students as they are discussing in their groups. Teacher will walk around the room to ensure that everyone is on task during the market simulation.

B. Formal Assessment:
Teacher will check each student’s Spending Log for accurate spending an understanding of the material.

C. Rubric:
Observation Assessment Rubric:

Student participated throughout all activities: +/
Student participated in some of the activities: +
Student did not participate at all: -

Formal Assessment Rubric:

No attempt at all: 0
Completed the Spending Log, but did not understand the concepts: 5
Finished the Spending Log and understood all the concepts: 10

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Wants and Needs within a Family Unit

2007-04-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

Wants and Needs within a Family Unit

Goals/Objectives:

Goal: Students will learn the importance of distinguishing between wants and needs.

CEF (1)2.1: “develop awareness of economic concepts: wants/needs, goods/services.”
CEF (1)2.2: “develop an awareness of the value and purpose of money.”

NCSS Standards Addressed:

IVg. “Analyze a particular event to identify reasons individuals might respond to it in different ways.”
IVh. “Work independently and cooperatively to accomplish goals.”
VIIb. “Distinguish between needs and wants.”

Objectives: Students will be able to:

Conduct a whole class discussion on wants and needs.
Read and make inferences from the story, Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn.
Recognize the difference between wants and needs.

Prerequisites:

Students will have an understanding of what money is.
Students will know about goods and services that are available in their neighborhood.
Students will have an understanding of the basic needs for survival (food, water, shelter)

Materials/Equipment:

Description and Quantity:

Overhead
Markers
Things I Want writing prompt (on yellow paper)
Things I Need writing prompt (on green paper)
Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn; ISBN # 1-880000-13-x.
Poster paper for each student.
Magazines or grocery flyers with pictures of various household items and food.
Crayons, glue, and pencils (students should already have these).

Distribution Method:
Teacher will pass out poster paper to each student. Students will already have their own crayons and pencils to work with.

Collection Method:
Students will turn in their posters; teacher will grade them and hang them up in the hallway.

Procedures:

A. Motivational Instruction:
The teacher will pass out the writing prompt: Things I Want (yellow) to half of the class and Things I Need (green) to half of the class. They are to write about the things they want or the things they need. The students will partner up with a person who has the opposite paper from then after about 5-7 minutes. They will get 2-3 minutes to share their ideas with their partner. Then each child will be able to say one thing that they want or need to the rest of the class (the teacher can write these things down on the board for later reference). The teacher will say: “Today’s lesson is about wants and needs that families have. We are going to be reading a story about wants and needs; then we will create posters that show our own families wants and needs.”

B. Developmental Activity:
The teacher will read Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn. She will tell the students to think about the various wants and needs that are presented in the story. At the end of the story, the class will discuss the wants and needs that Sam was faced with at the market.

C. Culminating Activity:

The teacher will ask the students what they know about wants and needs. Questions that can be asked are: 1. What are some of the needs that your family has? 2. How does your family decide between wants and needs? 3. What are some “needs” that you have that is not something that you need to live?
Divide the class into groups of three or four students. The groups write down the wants and needs for their family’s grocery list.

D. Extension:
Students will create posters that illustrate their understanding of wants and needs. They will glue pictures of items from magazines and grocery flyers into the correct category: “Wants” or “Needs”.

Student Assessment/ Evaluation:

A. Observation:
Teacher will observe students while they are responding to initial discussion questions about wants and needs. Teacher will continue to walk around the room as students are discussing in their small groups and working on their posters.

B. Formal Assessment:
Teacher will check each student’s poster for understanding of the material.

C. Rubric:

Observation Assessment Rubric:

Student appropriately participated throughout all activities: +/
Student participated in some of the activities: +
Student did not participate at all: -

Formal Assessment Rubric:

No attempt at all: 0
Finished the poster, but did not understand the concepts: 5
Finished the poster and understood all the concepts: 10

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Artifacts

2007-04-27T03:52:00.001-07:00

These are three of my favorite artifacts from my Social Studies Methods Class.

Classroom Observations

Chataqua Presentation

Who Am I?

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Unit Assessment

2007-04-27T03:15:00.000-07:00

Planning this unit assessment was a little difficult for me. This was my first in-depth assessment that I have had to create on my own. I am pleased with the work that I was able to accomplish for this assessment. I learned a lot while creating the rubric and assessment plan. I would no longer send this home as a group project. This would be a great project for the students to work on while they are in class. I would be able to assist anyone that needed help if they were right there by me. I could also observe the groups working together during class.

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