Lesson 2, Part 3: Practice

Guided Practice

1. It is time to play store! Watch your teacher play the consumer and one of your classmates play the producer. The producer will offer your teachers four goods. Vote for which good your teacher should buy. Ask your teacher to talk about the worth of the good bought compared to the worth of the goods not bought.

2. Your teacher will show you pictures of consumers and will help you name the goods or services being bought.

Independent Practice

1. Your teacher will put you in groups of two or three. Your teacher will tell you who is the producer and who is the consumer. The producer will write the names of four toys on a piece of paper. The consumer will draw some money on a piece of paper. The consumer should pick one of the toys. Now switch places. Working on your own, write a paragraph with at least four sentences about your choice. What was the worth of the toy that you chose? What was the worth of each toy that you did not choose? Put your name on your paper and turn it into your teacher.

2. Your teacher will show you pictures of producers. For each picture, write the name of the goods or services being sold. Put your name on your paper and turn it into your teacher.

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Teacher's Notes

Guided Practice

1. Bring four goods to class. Try to choose items that your students might purchase: a pencil, sunglasses, candy, a banana, and so on. Choose a volunteer to play the storekeeper ("producer"). Have the class raise hands or call out to vote for which good you should buy. Be prepared to explain to the class the value to you of each good. It might be interesting to show that the class chose a good for you that has a lower value than one or more of the goods not chosen.

2. Find five or six online photos of consumers. Project the photos one at a time. With each photo, ask student volunteers to name the goods or services being bought. Give hints if necessary. An alternative is to bring in magazine or newspaper ads.

Independent Practice

1. Divide the class into groups of two or three. Designate one student in each group as the producer. The other student will be the consumer. Tell the producer to write the names of four toys on a piece of paper. The consumer should draw a picture of a dollar bill or any form of imaginary money. The consumer should choose and pay for one of the toys. Have the students switch places and repeat the exercise.

Students should work independently to write paragraphs describing the value of the chosen toy compared to the value of each toy not chosen. Students should focus on estimating value and comparing values across goods. It should be clear that the chosen toy has the highest value. The paragraphs should have at least four sentences, including topic and closing sentences. This is an interdisciplinary exercise that requires students to use composition and grammar skills. Collect the paragraphs and read them to gauge student understanding.

2. Find five or six online photos of producers. Project the photos one at a time. With each photo, students should work independently to write the name of the goods or services being offered for sale. Collect the papers to gauge student understanding of the role of producers.

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COPYRIGHT © 2009 by Robert D. Sandman
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