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VIRGINIAECONOMICEDUCATORAWARDS2023MALI GAME: ECONOMIC DECISION MAKINGPleasant Valley Elementary SchoolRockingham County Public SchoolsBRITTANY COVERSTONELESSON PLAN:
MALI GAME: ECONOMICDECISION MAKINGA game piece (lego piece, cube, etc)Game BoardEach group will need one dieTo prepare for this lesson, teachers will need to cut out cards and gold toplace in baggies.Economic decision makingDistinguishing between different types of resourcesOpportunity costTaxingGrade Level: Elementary SchoolMaterials:Time Required: 2 x 30 minutesLesson Description: Students will go back in time to Ancient Mali and participate in authenticeconomic decision making. On day 1, students will review natural, capital, andhuman resources by looking at situation game board cards. On day 2, studentswill review opportunity cost and play a board game which will have them weighthe opportunity cost between two decisions. Students will also get anintroduction on how taxing works by the king taking a portion of every paymentthey receive.Economics and/or Personal Finance Topics: 3.8 The student will demonstrate an understanding of different cultures andthe natural, human, and capital resources they used in the production ofgoods and services.3.9The student will recognize that because people and regions cannotproduce everything they want, they specialize in what they do best and tradefor the rest.3.10 The student will identify examples of making an economic choice and willexplain the idea of opportunity cost (what is given up when making a choice).Standards:
Day 1:1. Review capital, human, and natural resources with students. Havestudents brainstorm examples of each.2. The teacher will project the “Situation Cards”. As a class, students willdiscuss the decision they would make and identify the type of resource ofeach choice.Day 2:1. Review opportunity cost with the class. Give students examples andhave them identify the opportunity cost of each. Example: Choosebetween enrolling in the Mali University or paying a griot to tell you aboutwhat they read in a book.2. Get students in groups of 4-5.3. Each group will need a gameboard, one copy of situation cards, 3 copiesof gold & tax cards, and 6 copies of gold. Cut out cards and gold.4. Put the gameboard in a freezer bag. Put the coins, situation cards, andgold & tax cards in sandwich bags.5. Hand out game supplies.6. Go over directions with the students and play a sample round wherestudents can watch and ask any questions.7. Students will play the game. The teacher will walk around and monitorstudent understanding. Ask questions like, “Why did you make thatdecision? What did you lose when you made that decision? What did yougain? What do you notice about how much money the king has?”8. Have a class discussion after students play the game. The teacher willlead the discussion and ask questions that will lead students tounderstand how decision making affects lives, how citizens do not get to keep all of the money they make with taxing, reflect on what students would have done differently, etc.Procedure: Mali Game: Economic Decision MakingBy: Brittany CoverstoneStudent learning will be assessed on Day 1 through class discussion andstudents identifying the different resources on their situation response sheet.On Day 2 student understanding will be assessed informally by the teacherwalking around and initiating discussion through leading questions. Studentunderstanding will also be informally assessed through group class discussionwhere the teacher checks student understanding of opportunity cost,economic decision making, and the effects of taxing.Assessment:
Students can make some of their own situation cards based on decisionsAncient Mali citizens may have had to make and use them when playing thegame. Modifications for this activity include reading the cards aloud within thegroup and partnering up with someone in a student group to help makedecisions.Extension and Modifications:Mali Game: Economic Decision MakingBy: Brittany Coverstonehttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PdDMjGVNjDu2kLnCHC5YgaxDAgaB9W-1?usp=sharingStudents learned about the different types of economic resources bycompleting the "Situation Response Sheet" and through class discussion onday 1. Students learned about opportunity cost and taxation in Ancient Maliby playing the Ancient Mali Game on day 2. The class discussion following thegame was meaningful and showed how students mastered these economicconcepts in an authentic way. Students chose to play this game multipletimes and changed their decisions as needed to reach Timbuktu. Supplemental Materials Found Here: Explain how this lesson/unit teaches or reinforces the economic/personalfinance concepts above.Brittany CoverstonePleasant Valley Elementary SchoolRockingham County Public Schools