Summer campers field test economics lesson
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The Central High School economics instructor recently attended professional development (PD) sponsored by the Birmingham branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, Teaching Economics through Children’s Literature and PD on the new Alabama social studies standards sponsored by the Alabama Department of Education.
The two PD sessions were an inspiration to create economics lessons for elementary students using children’s books, that eventually the high school economics students could teach to the elementary students.
The Central Elementary summer camp provided an opportunity to test a lesson using the book “Whoosh!”
The story is about the Alabamian Lonnie Johnson who as a child was always tinkering and inventing. As an adult his hard work and creative genius landed him a job at NASA, but he did not forget his childhood passion and went on to invent the Super Soaker.
Besides economics standards, the lesson also includes literacy, geography, science, and STEM standards, as well as the objective of making learning economics fun and engaging.
The lesson started by having students identify their prior knowledge. The students had no problem identifying the Super Soaker. They also had to identify Coosa County on a map of Alabama counties.
The book provides an opportunity to compare where we live to where Lonnie grew up in Mobile, to where he won his first science fair at the University of Alabama, to where he attended college at the Tuskegee Institute.
Lastly the students identified the NASA icon and investigated a 3D model of the solar system to discuss NASA’s mission and connect with Lonnie’s work.
The economics segment of the lesson required students to contrast a need and a want; producers, sellers and consumers; and how much different items cost. The lesson then provides an opportunity for students to build knowledge by reading and discussing “Whoosh!”.
The lesson concluded by assessing what the students learned using Super Soakers and large A, B, C, and D boards donated by Coosa County Schools science coach Shelley Wood. The students had to answer questions correctly by squirting the correct answer board with their Super Soaker.
In addition, the students received NASA lapel pins to wear thanks to donations from 1989 Central graduate Sheldon Lauderdale who currently works as a program analyst for NASA.
The lesson was truly a collaborative effort of many, but would not have been possible without the help of Literacy Everywhere! grant director Meg Masters. Through grant funds Masters was able to order a classroom set of the “Whoosh!” book, as well as a classroom set of Super Soakers.
In addition, Masters created a learning box that can be checked out by teachers that includes everything needed for the lesson.
A special thank you to the CES literacy camp teachers for allowing us to test the lesson.
