1st Grade

Standard 1-6: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how and why people make economic choices and the importance of those choices for families.

Suggested Vocabulary:

Suggested Literature:

• Adler, David A. The Babe & I. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1999. A young boy helps his family through the Great Depression by selling newspapers, and in doing so, meets his Yankee hero, Babe Ruth. (330L)
• Blood, Charles and Link, Martin. The Goat and the Rug. Sagebrush Educational Resources. Geraldine, the goat, and her Navajo friend make a rug. The hair clipping, carding, dyeing, and weaving are described. (NC660L)
• Bryan, Ashley. Beautiful Blackbird. New York: Atheneum, 2003. This book is a good starting point for a discussion on individuality as well as how community strengthens us. It helps children to understand the social themes of independence and interdependence. (540L)
• Bulla, Clyde Robert. Shoeshine Girl. New York: HarperTrophy, 2000. Ten-year-old Sarah Ida
  matures after working a job while staying with her aunt for the summer. (330L)
• Carle, Eric. Pancakes, Pancakes! New York: Scholastic, 1990. Jack wakes up hungry for an enormous pancake for breakfast, but first he must get the flour from the miller, an egg from the black hen, milk from the spotted cow, and butter churned from fresh cream. (NA)
• Conford, Ellen. A Job for Jenny Archer. Boston: Little, Brown, 1990. Thinking her family is
  poor because her parents refuse to buy her the things she wants, nine-year-old Jenny Archer turns
  to real estate as an occupation and puts her home on the market. (400L)
• Czernecki, Stefan and Timothy Rhodes. The Hummingbirds’ Gift. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1994. This story tells the legend of how the Tarascan Indians of Mexico learned to weave the traditional straw figures, panicuas, that offers them income in the years when drought limits the production of wheat. (710L)
• DeGross, Monalisa. Granddaddy’s Street Songs. Winnipeg, Canada: Hyperion Books for
  Children, 1999. A grandfather describes the typical day of his job selling produce in the city as a
  youth. (NA)
• de Paola, Tomie. Charlie Needs a Cloak. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982. A shepherd shears the sheep, spins the wool, dyes the cloth, and sews a new red cloak. (AD500L)
• DiSalvo-Ryan, DyAnne. Grandpa’s Corner Store. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. Community support, enlisted by a loyal andloving granddaughter, helps save Grandpa’s corner grocery store when a megastore opens in town. (AD380L)
• Gershator, Rachel (Retold by) Only One Cowry. New York: Orchard, 2000. A young man’s cleverness proves an asset when the first king of Dahomey decides to find a queen, but offers for dowery only one paltry cowry shell. Through trade and barter, the young man achieves what was thought impossible among his fellow villagers. (680L)
• Hall, Donald. The Ox-cart Man New York: Puffin Books, 1979. A nineteenth century family’s move, and how they provide for themselves, is detailed through a year. (AD1130L)
• Hutchins, Pat. You’ll Soon Grow into Them, Titch. Kerala, India: Mulberry Books, 1983. The tables finally turn for Titch, who’s been inheriting his older siblings’ outgrown clothes. (300L)
• Igus, Toyomi. When I Was Little. East Orange, NJ: Just Us Books, 1992. This story of a boy and his grandfather helps students understand the difference between economic wants and needs, compare modern and early transportation, and to compare modern and old-fashioned ways. (AD680L)
• Jack and the Beanstalk. New York: Troll Books, 1979. The story of Jack, who bartered his mother’s cow for riches.(NA)
• Krull, Kathleen. Supermarket. New York: Holiday House, 2001. The book tells how modern supermarkets work, organize, display, and keep track of the items they sell. (AD630L)
• Martin, Charles E. For Rent. New York: Greenwillow, 1986. Some island children have been given a present – a little shed in the cove. They fix it up and make it into rental property and find out that being landlords is hard work. The rent from the shed helps pay for a class trip to Washington, DD. (not rated)
• Mitchell, Margaree King. Uncle Jed’s Barbershop. New York: Scholastic, 1994.
  Set in the early 1900s, Uncle Jed is saving money to buy his own barbershop. When his niece needs an operation, he gives her parents his savings. During the Great Depression, he loses $3000 when his bank closes. He always believes in dreams, and he continues working hard until his dream comes true. (AD710L)
• Morris, Ann. Teamwork. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1999. This novel focuses on how people around the world work together as a team to accomplish a task and get a job done. (210L)
• Numeroff, Laura. If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. Harper Collins; 1991. If you give a mouse a cookie he will ask for a glass of milk. You may get more than you bargained for. (AD660L)
• Polacca, Patricia. Chicken Sunday. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Children want to turn a profit to buy Miss Eula an Easter hat. This book presents an opportunity for many kinds of discussion. (650L)
• Schoeder, Alan. Carolina Shout! New York: Dial Books, 1995. Trace a unique way of marketing
  products through one girl who listens to the shouts of the city. (NA)
• Schwartz, David M. If You Made a Million. New York: William Morrow, 1994. This book
  explores earning, spending, saving, and borrowing money in large amounts with Marvelossimo,
  the Mathematical Magician, as guide. (AD840L)
• Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman. Mitchell is Moving. New York: Aladdin, 1978. A dinosaur’s exuberance about moving cools considerable when he realizes how much he misses his next-door friend. (480L)
• Shaw, Nancy. Sheep in a Shop. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,1991. Inventive sheep are able to buy birthday presents. (150L)
• Slawson, Michele Benoit. Apple Picking Time. New York: Dragonfly Books, 1994. Anna‘s family picks apples in a community where apples are an integral part of the economy. (410L)
• Smothers, Ethel Footman. The Hard- Times Jar. New York: Frances Foster Books. Emma’s mother teaches her a lesson about hard times. (NA)
• Stanley, Sanna. Monkey for Sale. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. Set in the Congo, this story describes the visit of two girls to market and the chain of barters they make to rescue a monkey. (NA)
• Stevens, Janet. Tops and Bottoms. San Diego: Harcourt, 1992. Hare and Bear barter and partner to raise food. Engaging tale of the ups and downs of partnerships and the work ethic. (580L)
• Swain, Ruth Freeman. How Sweet It Is (And Was): A History of Candy. New York: Holiday House, 2003. Cartoon illustrations highlight the history of candy and sweets. (NA)
• Viorst, Judith. Alexander Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978. Alexander has a dollar, and it has so many possibilities. Somehow the money seems to disappear. (AD570L)
• Viorst, Judith. Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move. New York: Aladdin, 1995. Alexander refuses to move away if it means leaving his favorite friends and favorite places. (730L)
• Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth. Recycle Every Day! New York: Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books, 2003. This story follows a rabbit family for a week and chronicles their recycling activities. The illustrations are created from their recycled material. Recycle Game and Activity included. (NA)
• Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Going to Town. New York: HarperCollins, 1932. This book is about a young pioneer girl and her family who leave their home in the Wisconsin woods to make their first trip into town to visit the general store. (AD600L)
• Williams, Vera B. A Chair for My Mother. New York: William Morrow & Co., Inc., 1985. A family struggles to buy a new chair after their furniture is lost in a terrible fire. (660L)
• Williams, Vera B. Something Special for Me. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1986. Rosa can spend the money the family has saved for her own birthday, and she has to make a choice. (760L)
• Ziefert, Harriet. A New Coat for Anna, New York: Dragonfly Books, 1991. In post World War II hard times, Anna’s mother finds a way to make Anna the coat she so desperately needs. (690L)

Suggested DataStreaming Video:

**Important Notes:
The video clips from United Streaming should not be relied on to teach the indicators, they are offered here as additions to your instruction as they often touch on one part of the indicator, not the whole indicator.

Type the underlined phrase or title in the keyword search to bring up the video, and then select the parts you want to use.

• 1-6.1 – Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
• 1-6.2 – If You Made A Million
  parts best used: What are Checks?
  What is Borrowing?
• 1-6.3 – Where We Live, Work, and Play: Businesses
  part best used: Manufacturing Services
• 1-6.4 – Baseball Bat Factory
• Bread Baking

Pacing Suggestion:

14-16 days

Assessment Suggestions:

• Assessment should be created through checklist, observation, journal reflections, and authentic activities graded by a rubric.
• Sample rubrics