4th+Grade+Economics

=Unit Template=

Overview of the unit. This would have the “big ideas” for the unit. What you want the kids to “get out of the unit”. What are the big questions your class is working with / studying.
 * Economics across the United States **
 * * Suggested Materials
 * Key Vocabulary
 * Essential Question(s)
 * Enduring Understandings
 * Unit Objectives
 * Beginning the Unit
 * As the Unit Continues
 * Toward the End of the Unit ||

=Suggested Materials= Here's what you need – Suggested materials Kids Discover-Money Harcourt Brace Social Studies States and Regions Our Region-Junior Achievement Sim City =Key Vocabulary= economy capital resources business entrepreneur expenses goods income interdependence human resources loss profit taxes products distribution capitol population distribution economic distribution product distribution import export opportunity cost trade services supply demand

= = __ Essential Questions: __ ·  What is the responsibility of individual states or regions to work together in support of the country? __Enduring Understandings:__ · Resources play an important role in the United States economy. · Each region maintains a certain economy that affects the entire country. · Regions offer different economic opportunities across the United States. __ Unit Objectives: __ · Students will investigate the interconnection of various regions of the United States and their interdependence on each other for the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.
 * Through a study of the economy of Connecticut and surrounding regions, students will learn how people in a state, region, or country identify and use resources to meet their needs.

=Beginning the Unit=

//Launching a unit// l How do you have a discussion / experience at the beginning of a unit to: excite, prompt imagination, enthusiasm, interest. l How do you find out what students already know about the essential questions? l Mini-lessons ideas, l Creating a plan to study a unit Prompt the imagination of the students by asking if their environment affect their daily lives or do their daily lives affect their environment? Could possibly launch a Sim City, 4th grade Junior Achievement project, Class community that implements the use of developing an economy.

=As the Unit Continues=

l Creating a plan to study a unit l Specific mini-lessons / activities that support the unit l A timeline to help students / teachers think about how to plan their unit [Have Luke insert link to Junior Acievement-Lolly} Visit Kiva.org to talk about microloans []

Visit Heifer: []

Use the site to have conversations about how people can use the resources around them to solve problems and get what they need. Discuss how the internet allows us to be "globally connected"

Have students create a "loan" plan for a person in a country of their choice. They could use indidivuals listed on these websites for ideas, could create a "fictionalized" character to create a loan for or use a character from a trade book.

Students could also write a "mock" loan. They could inhabit a persons life from another country in order to write a loan request that would demonstrate an understanding of the resources available in another country.

Make an argument to buy one animal on the Heifer site. Argue why that animal would the best choice given the community needs. You could provide a "budget" to a student or groups of students have them create a spreadsheet or chart depicting how they would make their spending choices and why.

Compare and contrast how you could use that budget across different communities. What does 250$ buy you in the US? A Wii, clothes, new shoes? What does 250$ buy you in a developing country? Create a chart, poster, report that depicts this.

Use Hot Shot Business ([]) to have discussions about using resources to manage your business. Create a plan for running future "businesses" and consider how a business might look in another country.

=Toward the End of the Unit=

How do you assess students? Could consist of: Rubrics to evaluate final student work Checklists for observing students during social studies time Performance assessment Any communication documents to help parents know about a unit of study What types of “celebrations” might happen at the end? What mini-lessons might you need for wrapping the unit up? Student reflection **Student Reflections**: Student presentations-- How did their business succeed/fail? Student modifications--what or how would they do things differently? Create a product representative of a region Student Celebrations

Tips for managing the unit How do you schedule the unit? How do you structure the class to support the unit goals?