Lesson one outline

Day one lesson plan – Muessel 45mins

Title Slide – 10 mins

·         Brief personal intros

·         Can anyone tell me what Savvy means?

·         General objectives for the course

o   Encourage participation – mistakes are good

o   Show of hands – Have you ever traded anyone for something?

o   If I had 8 pieces of chalk and Kwabena had 3 erasers what would be a fair trade, how many pieces of chalk for one eraser.  Tally votes on board, comment on how its hard to agree on how much chalk you should give up for an eraser. 

Slide 2 – What is money? - 5 mins

·         Explain coins & paper currency

o   Made by the government, used to buy stuff.

o   Now say that each piece of chalk is worth $1 and an eraser is worth $3.  Now how many pieces of chalk would you trade for an eraser.  Tally results and explain how money makes it easier to tell how much stuff is worth. 

Slide 5 & 6 – Animals & Food – 5 mins

·         Years ago before money people used to trade things – like animals.

·         Comment on how much of a hassle that must have been – imagine if you had to herd animals instead of carrying a wallet. 

o   Ask the kids what problems might come from trading food – hopefully they have some creative answers. 

Slide 8 – Why bartering didn’t work out 2.5 mins

·         Basically just read caption – kids should have basic idea from chalk example

·         Make fun of Baaaaaad joke on slide

Slide 10 – Metal 2.5 mins

·         Just read caption – common metals traded were gold, silver, iron, and bronze

·         Money had to be weighed to tell how much it was worth. 

Slide 12 – A smart king invented money – 5 mins

·         Very similar to the money used today because it was made and controlled by the government.

·         Money fun facts – Two truths and a lie – see if the kids can pick out which isn’t true

o   The smallest coins ever used were smaller than apple seeds.  People carried them in their mouth so they wouldn’t get lost or stolen.   TRUE

o   A mile of pennies laid out is worth $3,466.  False, its only worth $844

o   The largest bill ever printed was $100,000.  True, it had president Woodrow Wilson on it. 

Exercise – 1 worksheet – 15 mins

·         Kids can work in groups – encourage collaboration

·         Walk around and help the kids as necessary

·         Brief discussion of worksheet & have the kids raise their hands to make a list of takeaways (give hints as needed)

Slide 13 – Touch on what we will go over next time.