Aligned with Grades 3- 4
Louisiana Believes Standards:
Social Study Standards
3.8.3 Describe the basic concepts of supply and demand and explain how competition affects the prices of goods and services
4.9.1 Develop a logical argument to support the choice of a particular want after all needs are met4.9.8 Differentiate between money (currency), checks, debit cards, and credit cards and identify advantages and disadvantages of each type of monetary exchange
4.9.9 Define budget, income, and expense and explain the benefits of making and following a budget
45 minutes
Location: Oakland or Magnolia Store
Description
This lesson will allow younger students to see how people worked hard, spent money on needs and not wants, used credit to pay for goods, and to practice using a budget.
Objectives
- Students will use a budget.
- Students will sort expenses as needs or wants.
- Students will calculate expenses.
- Students will explain why it is important to spend money on wants after all needs are met.
Resources / Teacher Pre-Work
- Game parts: Character Information, Brown bags, wage papers (Make sure all is labeled for lower grades)
- Worksheet 1 per group
- Reflection papers, 1 per student
- Pencils
- Calculators
Introduction
- Ranger makes a connection to what they have learned about sharecropping already that day if relevant (ex: If they have visited the Slave/Tenant Cabin already).
- Give background on Sharecropping, Explain to students the purpose of the store during the Sharecropping Era
Simulation
- Have students divide into smaller groups we have (6) characters so divide them accordingly. You may omit or double characters to make groups even.
- Have groups choose a volunteer to read their profile out loud so everyone can hear about each of the characters.
- Hand out Budget paper and explain, “People worked hard on these plantations even after slavery because they needed a way to provide for themselves and their families. Their goal was to save up money so they could afford land of their own. You will be drawing purchases out of a bag and recording them in the family’s budget, once you’ve totaled up how much you’ve spent for the year you will see what salary you made. This is very similar to how sharecroppers lived because they bought on credit all year and didn’t know how much money they made until after the cotton was harvested.” Ask students if they know what credit is and discuss why it may be bad to use credit.
- Ask students to “Now, I want you to take a second and think about what kinds of things families in 1900s would come to this store and buy.” Give them a few seconds. “Ok, turn to your group members and tell them what kind of things you think your family would need to purchase.” Give them a minute or two. “Who wants to share what they think they need to buy?” Listen as students share, once a few have shared start a conversation about wants and needs, “Who can tell me the difference between wants and needs?” make sure it is clearly defined as goods we buy that we either need to live or want to have for enjoyment. “Now you will discover what your characters purchased and decide if they bought mostly wants or needs” Pass out brown paper bags to appropriate groups. Students will work in groups until all recording and calculating is finished.
- Once students are finished, “Now that everyone is done, I will read your wages, and you will record them on your budget.” Read and show the group the salaries and hand them to their groups so they have them for reference. The students should finish calculations and see if they made money or are in debt to the store.
- “Now that you know whether or not you’re in debt to the store and by how much, talk to other groups and see if they have money in savings or a debt, ask them what type of worker they are too. Are they sharecroppers or tenant farmers?”
- Call everyone back together and pass out reflection papers.
- If you’re short on time, ask the teacher if she would rather you send the papers with her. Then do a verbal reflection by reading the paper and having a few students answer.
References Miller, C. E. (2004).
Slavery and Its Aftermath: The Archaeological and Historical Record at Magnolia Plantation (Unpublished master's thesis). The Florida State University.
