I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Economics

Essential Question:

Why does every economic decision have a cost?

Bridge:

Kinesthetic Activity

Content:

Definition of Opportunity "Costs"

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To create an experience of confusion when sensible decisions are not made.

Activity: Give each child a songbook and have them each select their favorite song. After each child has his/her song identified, tell the children that we will ALL sing our favorite songs at the same time! Try this for about one-minute, or as long as it takes for confusion to reign.

Assessment: Student involvement in singing and confusion.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To analyze the experience of confusion and its causes.

Activity: Teacher-led discussion of the experience. Ask students how the confusion could have been avoided. Why do we choose one song at a time? What happens to the other songs when we are singing the one we have chosen?

Assessment: Student involvement in discussion.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To use bodily movement to represent "decision-making."

Activity: Working with partners, have child portray what someone looks like who is trying to make a decision.

Assessment: Quality of student pantomimes.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To teach the concept of opportunity costs and decision-making.

Activity: Teacher will present a lesson defining opportunity costs and the relationship to decision-making. Emphasize that there are costs every time a decision is made.

Assessment: Verbal check for understanding.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To check for understanding of the concept of "opportunity costs."

Activity: Students work through a teacher-prepared worksheet on which they have to demonstrate decision-making and the cost of their decisions. Students must choose between pairs of options, such as, "Doing homework" or "Washing the dishes;" "Rent a movie" or "Play with a friend," and the like. They should circle each decision that they believe would be the best. Have students share their worksheets and decisions with a partner and tell why their decisions are best for them, and what the opportunity cost is for each decision.

Assessment: Quality of student performance on worksheets and sharing with partners.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To extend what children have learned about "scarcity" and "opportunity costs".

Activity: Distribute finger puppets to each child. Working in partners, one child will be Sally or Sam Scarcity, and the other child will be Mr. or Miss Opportunity Cost. Guide the children into creating their own dialogue between their characters, with prompting such as: What would Sally (Sam) say to Mr/Miss Opportunity Cost? How does Sam (Sally) feel about always being scarce? Does Mr/Miss Opportunity Cost like having to make choices? How can Sally (Sam) and Mr/Miss O.C. work together?

Assessment: Teacher observation of student dialogues.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: Learners will evaluate their learning.

Activity: Teacher-led discussion eliciting new insights or ideas children had during their puppeteering.

Assessment: Quality of contributions from the children.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: Students will share what they have learned.

Activity: Solicit volunteers to perform their finger puppet dialogues for the class.

Assessment: Enjoyment of all the children.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: