Summary
This is an economics lesson to help students understand the difference between producers and consumers. First graders self-selected their own groups and products. They watched Arthur’s Pet Business to understand the concept of producers and consumers. In groups, students became producers and chose a product to sell to their classmates. They used a planning document to discuss their product within their groups. Students were given a choice of digital products; such as, computers, photobooth, pixie, and iPads. In addition to choice, students were allotted planning and scripting time for their commerical. They created commercials to persuade the consumers(classmates) to buy their product. At the completion of this lesson, students chose the product they would like to purchase and reflected on the lesson.
TIPC Ratings
Research and information fluency was not the focus of this lesson. Students were required to utilize prior knowledge to create a new product and therefore this are was not scored.
This lesson falls into the Approaching range for Communication and Collaboration. Students worked collaboratively while discussing solutions to the proposed questions. Students were engaged in great discussion and were able to clearly share their ideas and thoughts with each other. They were also excited when their peers came up with great ideas.
This lesson falls into the Ideal/Target range for Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. Students had to become producers and come up with a product together to sell to their classmates (consumers). They made commercials about a product they agreed they wanted to sell. They had to think critically about products that most of their classmates would buy and they also had to agree on a product together. In addition to coming up with a product, each group had to tell why their product was important and how it was to be used. Also, students had to problem solve when they came to a disagreement. Students had to make choices that were the best for their group and for their commercial.
This lesson falls into the Ideal/Target range for Creativity and Innovation. Students were extremely creative with their products they chose to sell. As I walked around during their planning time, students were engaged in deep discussion on why it was important to choose the right product to sell. They would say, “We are producers and we must choose the best product to sell.” I found the reflection piece to be fascinating. Students were able to express their thoughts about the lesson and they were able to connect this lesson the real world.
