A couple days ago, The Wall Street Journal had this very interesting article in the regular column about student financial literacy in the personal finance section. It's about dealing with the "I wants" that accompany growing up. The idea is simple. If the youngster claims to want a specific item, particularly a pricey one, offer going half-and-half with them. They can use their allowance, birthday money from relatives, or money from their "jobs" for their portion. The lesson for the children is a good one. I have used this strategy a number of times, and it really does help my children prioritize those wants. It's amazing how something they absolutely "must have" can fade when it involves their own funds. And when they do purchase something that way, they frequently take better care of the item than they do with other things they received as gifts.
It actually reminds me of an old "Curtis" comic strip. In it, Curtis asks his mother if he can go see a film ("Gut-Eaters from Mars" comes to mind, but the title is not material). His mother suggests he use his allowance. His response? "But that's my money." Anyone else care to share their experiences?
Showing posts with label Middle School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Middle School. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, December 3, 2009
One of My Holiday Traditions
Many of you are already aware of this, I'm sure. But it is a tradition on this blog. PNC Wealth Management has released its annual Christmas Price Index, tracking the cost of Christmas as set forth in the classic 12 Days of Christmas.
It has games and lesson plans to use with the index. Just something to keep in mind as you get closer to the holidays and the students have a little more trouble focusing.
It has games and lesson plans to use with the index. Just something to keep in mind as you get closer to the holidays and the students have a little more trouble focusing.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Resources for Middle School
For one reason or another, I've been reading a lot of books for children and young adults lately. As a result, I found several that I would recommend for those who teach middle school, and who are looking to integrate economics, history and literature. I was able to add two of them to my carousel near the top left of this blog. So if you think you're interested, I would appreciate it if you ordered them through that route, and help support this service.
The first recommendation (and the one I could not add to my carousel, is A Day No Pigs Would Die. It is the semi-autobiographical story of a boy, a Shaker, in the early 20th century northeastern U.S. The boy is given a pig as a reward for helping a neighbor's cow. And over the course of a year, the boy learns to treasure the pig, but also learns some important lessons about living. When his father, a butcher, shares fears that he may be dying; it becomes more important that the boy make some hard choices and face facts about being responsible.
The book contains a description of hog-butchering so may be intense for some students. But the decision-making and resource management make it an appropriate way to integrate some fundamental economics while adding color to discussion about early 20th century life in the U.S.
The second recommendation is Lyddie. You can find it on the carousel. This is a well-researched book about the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts in the mid-19th century. Lyddie, her mother and siblings have been abandoned by Lyddie's father. Although Lyddie and her brother try to keep the farm running, her mother decides to let out the land and to place the older children in positions to earn an income. Lyddie's first position is as domestic in a nearby inn. Lyddie is fired after she takes a day off (with her supervisor's permission) to go back and visit their home. She then decides to go work in the Lowell mills, having heard of them from other girls who have stayed at the inn. Again, the book has abundant examples of scarcity, choices, and managing resources to meet a goal. For Lyddie is determined to get the family farm back and to wait for her father.
The final piece of literature I'm recommending is Zlata's Diary (also on the carousel). This is the true story of an 11 year-old girl in Sarajevo in the early 1990s. Zlata is sometimes referred to as the "Anne Frank of Sarajevo." Her descriptions of life in the besieged city and the way the family dealt with scarce resources is moving and well-described. Again, integrating world studies, basic economics and literature is quite doable and should raise interest among the students.
Finally, I have one non-literary resource to recommend. This one is FREE. And while it is actually for grades K-12, I choose to mention it here because I think it can be particularly useful in the middle grades. It is the Nifty Fifty economic term cards available from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. It is actually a set of 100 cards - 50 economic terms and 50 definitions - accompanied by some suggested classroom applications. From memory games to "term a week", there are ideas here that could meet the needs of most, if not all social studies teachers.
I hope you share comments about the books or the cards. Everyone will benefit from further insights.
The first recommendation (and the one I could not add to my carousel, is A Day No Pigs Would Die. It is the semi-autobiographical story of a boy, a Shaker, in the early 20th century northeastern U.S. The boy is given a pig as a reward for helping a neighbor's cow. And over the course of a year, the boy learns to treasure the pig, but also learns some important lessons about living. When his father, a butcher, shares fears that he may be dying; it becomes more important that the boy make some hard choices and face facts about being responsible.
The book contains a description of hog-butchering so may be intense for some students. But the decision-making and resource management make it an appropriate way to integrate some fundamental economics while adding color to discussion about early 20th century life in the U.S.
The second recommendation is Lyddie. You can find it on the carousel. This is a well-researched book about the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts in the mid-19th century. Lyddie, her mother and siblings have been abandoned by Lyddie's father. Although Lyddie and her brother try to keep the farm running, her mother decides to let out the land and to place the older children in positions to earn an income. Lyddie's first position is as domestic in a nearby inn. Lyddie is fired after she takes a day off (with her supervisor's permission) to go back and visit their home. She then decides to go work in the Lowell mills, having heard of them from other girls who have stayed at the inn. Again, the book has abundant examples of scarcity, choices, and managing resources to meet a goal. For Lyddie is determined to get the family farm back and to wait for her father.
The final piece of literature I'm recommending is Zlata's Diary (also on the carousel). This is the true story of an 11 year-old girl in Sarajevo in the early 1990s. Zlata is sometimes referred to as the "Anne Frank of Sarajevo." Her descriptions of life in the besieged city and the way the family dealt with scarce resources is moving and well-described. Again, integrating world studies, basic economics and literature is quite doable and should raise interest among the students.
Finally, I have one non-literary resource to recommend. This one is FREE. And while it is actually for grades K-12, I choose to mention it here because I think it can be particularly useful in the middle grades. It is the Nifty Fifty economic term cards available from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. It is actually a set of 100 cards - 50 economic terms and 50 definitions - accompanied by some suggested classroom applications. From memory games to "term a week", there are ideas here that could meet the needs of most, if not all social studies teachers.
I hope you share comments about the books or the cards. Everyone will benefit from further insights.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Econ in Literature - Upper Grades
I don't often recommend literature to integrate economics at the upper grades. I suspect I tend to see the curriculum as too segmented at that stage, and less able to be integrated. Not that the subject matter doesn't lend itself to integration, I just think many upper grade teachers, myself included quite often, tend to think of "our subject areas". Consequently, the idea of interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary activity doesn't come up frequently enough.
Let me make an exception. While working on another project (integrating economics to values and character education), I came across Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff. (I'm not linking to it because I'm adding to my carousel at left.) The book is for upper grades (7-12) and should be pre-screened. It has some mature themes. And while I don't think there's anything students should be shielded from, parents, administrators, etc. may think otherwise.
The story is about a 14-year old inner city high school student with aspirations to college. She has a supportive mother and is trying to earn good grades and enough money to get to college and out of her neighborhood. She takes a job babysitting two young children. Their mother is a 17-year old working a dead-end job. Unfortunately, things get worse quickly.
I won't go into the plot. Suffice it to say there are a number of opportunities to discuss scarcity, choice and opportunity cost on a very real, very basic level. And Wolff's writing style is engaging. There are 66 chapters in a 200 page book. That should tell you something. It's easy to read and extremely engaging.
And if you're looking for something to engage students on a different level, particularly if you want to bring decision-making and choices to basic issues, this book may be the way to do it. It may be that someone in your English department is already using it. This could be your opportunity to meet some people in that other wing and suggest a “cross-disciplinary” adventure. It would be worth doing.
I hope someone is familiar with the book and I welcome comments.
Let me make an exception. While working on another project (integrating economics to values and character education), I came across Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff. (I'm not linking to it because I'm adding to my carousel at left.) The book is for upper grades (7-12) and should be pre-screened. It has some mature themes. And while I don't think there's anything students should be shielded from, parents, administrators, etc. may think otherwise.
The story is about a 14-year old inner city high school student with aspirations to college. She has a supportive mother and is trying to earn good grades and enough money to get to college and out of her neighborhood. She takes a job babysitting two young children. Their mother is a 17-year old working a dead-end job. Unfortunately, things get worse quickly.
I won't go into the plot. Suffice it to say there are a number of opportunities to discuss scarcity, choice and opportunity cost on a very real, very basic level. And Wolff's writing style is engaging. There are 66 chapters in a 200 page book. That should tell you something. It's easy to read and extremely engaging.
And if you're looking for something to engage students on a different level, particularly if you want to bring decision-making and choices to basic issues, this book may be the way to do it. It may be that someone in your English department is already using it. This could be your opportunity to meet some people in that other wing and suggest a “cross-disciplinary” adventure. It would be worth doing.
I hope someone is familiar with the book and I welcome comments.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Books for Economics in the Upper Elementary and Middle School
I don't usually listen to recorded books, but my wife recently convinced me to try listening to one she found at our local library's "clearance sale." I'm glad I listened - both to my wife and the book.
A is for Aarrgh!, while written for middle-school students, was a funny and entertaining passage back to the time of our cave-dwelling ancestors. It focuses on one particular tribe and one specific young member of the tribe. He's not a very good hunter or gatherer. But he is good at making "mouth noises." And it is this peculiar gift that moves the story.
The young man in question, whose name will become Mog once he gets around to naming people, will be the inventor of language. Prior to his efforts, it seems communication is restricted to assorted grunts emphasized with clubs and rocks when appropriate. But it is not the invention of language that makes this a good and useful book. It's the economic lessons within...but you probably suspected that.
Among the economics concepts scattered throughout this story are "specialization," "exchange," "money,' "choice" (always), and even a little "role of government" and "income distribution."
Whether you and your students pick up the book or listen to an audio-tape, it will be an enjoyable way to develop some teachable moments in economics.
A is for Aarrgh!, while written for middle-school students, was a funny and entertaining passage back to the time of our cave-dwelling ancestors. It focuses on one particular tribe and one specific young member of the tribe. He's not a very good hunter or gatherer. But he is good at making "mouth noises." And it is this peculiar gift that moves the story.
The young man in question, whose name will become Mog once he gets around to naming people, will be the inventor of language. Prior to his efforts, it seems communication is restricted to assorted grunts emphasized with clubs and rocks when appropriate. But it is not the invention of language that makes this a good and useful book. It's the economic lessons within...but you probably suspected that.
Among the economics concepts scattered throughout this story are "specialization," "exchange," "money,' "choice" (always), and even a little "role of government" and "income distribution."
Whether you and your students pick up the book or listen to an audio-tape, it will be an enjoyable way to develop some teachable moments in economics.
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