What is Given from the Heart : simplebooklet.com

Lynne Farrell Stover JMU Center for Economic Education stoverlf@jmu.edu What is Given from the Heart Written by Patricia C. McKissack Illustrated by April Harrison Swartz & Wade Books 2019 Book Synopsis: Times are hard for nine-year-old James Otis. He and his mother are living in a dilapidated house after losing their farm due to the death of his father. Things get worse when there is a flood and the dog runs away. Despite their own poverty, James Otis and his mother problem solve how to help the Temples, a family who has lost everything in a fire. Using a treasured tablecloth for the material to sew a new apron, and writing a book featuring seven-year-old Sarah Temple as the main character, the mother and son duo give gifts from their hearts. LESSON Goods & Services Introduction: James Otis has to decide what to donate to the “loving box” the community is putting together for the Temple family who lost everything they own in a house fire. He and his mother have little to give so coming up with something is going to be a challenge. Time: 20-25 minutes Grade Level: 2-4 Materials: • Book- What is Given from the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack • Visual – Economic Concepts • Activity Cards “Loving Boxes” Goods & Services Cards (runoff on card stock or printed on 3X5 cards) • Activity Sheet- Goods and Services • Writing tools Students Will: • Understand that productive resources are limited. Therefore, people cannot have all the goods and services they want; as a result, they must choose some things and give up others • Define and compare goods and services as they participate in a card sorting activity Virginia Standards of Learning – History and Social Science Economics 1.7 The student will explain the difference between goods and services and describe how people are consumers and producers of goods and services. 1.8 The student will explain that people make choices because they cannot have everything they want. Civics 1.10 The student will apply the traits of a good citizen by a) focusing on fair play, exhibiting good sportsmanship, helping others, and treating others with respect.

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Lynne Farrell Stover JMU Center for Economic Education stoverlf@jmu.edu Procedure: 1. Prepare and collect materials prior to class. Run off the Activity Cards on cardstock and place in card decks. Create enough decks as needed for each student pair or small groups. 2. Introduce the lesson telling the students that the story in today’s lesson is based on a book about a boy and his mother who are struggling with limited resources. Explain that the boy will decide to make a choice to help someone else. 3. Read the book What is Given from the Heart to the students. This takes between seven and eight minutes. 4. Display Visual 1 and review the listed concepts by relating each term to its connection to the story. 5. Explain to the students that they will now be participating in a fun sorting activity based on the concepts of goods & services. 6. Place the students in pairs or small groups. 7. Draw a card from one of the decks, show it to the students and ask them if it is an example of a good or a service. Students should be able to state that a good is an object and a service is an action. 8. Distribute the card decks. Tell the students to place them face down on a flat surface. 9. Explain that one student is to turn over a card and tell if it is a good or a service and have their choice verified by the other students. That card is to be left face up in place. They are then to turn over another card. If the types of the cards match (both goods or both services), the student is to remove the two cards and put them in front of them. If they don’t match, turn the cards over and return them to the card display. The next student may then take their turn. 10. Continue to play until all the cards have been sorted. The student with the most cards wins bragging rights. 11. Conclude the lesson with the assessment activity sheet. 12. Distribute Goods and Services activity sheet and writing tools. Read the directions to the students. Check for understanding. Part I Answers: 1. Service, 2. Good, 3. Good, 4. Good, 5. Service, 6. Service, 7. Good, 8. Service, 9. Service, 10. Good. Part II Answers will vary.

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Lynne Farrell Stover JMU Center for Economic Education stoverlf@jmu.edu Visual What is Given from the Heart Economic Concepts Choice- You cannot have all the goods and services you want, so you must choose some things and give up others. Decision Making – Reaching a conclusion after considering alternatives and their results. Goods- Things that can be bought and sold such as toys, books, and food. Philanthropy- promoting the welfare of others; giving to good causes. Poverty – the condition in which a person lacks the financial resources and essentials for a minimum standard of living. Scarcity- the condition that exists because people’s wants are greater than the resources to satisfy those wants. Services – Activities performed by people such as childcare, and delivering items.

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Lynne Farrell Stover JMU Center for Economic Education stoverlf@jmu.edu Assessment Sheet What is Given from the Heart Goods and Services A GOOD is an object that can be touched, like a book or a pencil. A SERVICE is an action performed by a person such as baking bread or cutting hair. PART I Directions: Read each statement. In the blank, write if it is a good or a service. 1. James Otis sweeps the porch. ____________ 2. A broom is used to sweep the porch. ____________ 3. Mama gave James Otis gloves for Christmas. ____________ 4. James Otis has a puzzle with missing pieces. ____________ 5. James Otis writes a book for Sarah. ____________ 6. Mama sews an apron for Mrs. Temple. ____________ 7. Mama uses a tablecloth to make the apron. __________ 8. Reverend Davis teaches about giving. ____________ 9. The church members collect items for the loving boxes. ____________ 10. Food, toys, tools, and books are in the loving boxes. ____________ PART II If you were asked to help Sarah and her family after their house fire, what goods and services would you donate? List at least three of each. Goods Services

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Lynne Farrell Stover JMU Center for Economic Education stoverlf@jmu.edu What is Given from the Heart by Patricia McKissack Discussion Questions: 1. James Otis and his mother are going through some difficult times. What are some of the bad events they experienced? [James Otis’s father died, they lost their farm, they had to move to a run-down house, their house got flooded, and the dog ran away.] 2. James Otis’s mother is optimistic. This means she sees the good in a bad situation. What does she tell her son to help him feel better? [“Long as we have our health and strength, we are blessed.”] Do you think this is true? Why or why not? [Answers will vary.] 3. Two weeks before Valentine’s Day James Otis learns that something bad has happened to a family in his community. What happened? [Irene Temple and her daughter, Sarah, lost they belongings in a house fire.] 4. Every choice involves an opportunity cost—the thing we give up to get the thing we want more. James Otis’s mother used her tablecloth to make an apron for Irene Temple. What was her opportunity cost for providing an apron to donate to the Temple’s love box? [Her opportunity cost was not being able use the tablecloth for special meals. She felt that giving a gift that would be appreciated was more important than covering the table.] Why do you think James Otis’s mother to used her tablecloth? [Their family was poor and did not have money to purchase cloth at the store, so they used what they had.] 5. James Otis’s mother asks him to find something to donate to the love box that their church is putting together for the Temples. He has very little to give, but still feels he should help out. As he goes through his possessions, he finds reasons why they would not be appropriate to give to Sarah. Why did he think the blue ribbon he won is the spelling bee was not a good idea? [It would only be important to him.] Why would his sparkling rock not help? [She couldn’t eat a rock.] Why was his whistle not a good idea? [It had his spit all over it.] What makes his box of

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Lynne Farrell Stover JMU Center for Economic Education stoverlf@jmu.edu crayons a bad idea? [They have been used and some crayons are missing.] Why couldn’t he give her a puzzle? [Two pieces were missing.] What was wrong with his old Halloween costume? [Superman’s cape was lost.] 6. All choices have costs (negatives) and benefits (positives). What are some of James Otis’s costs in making a special book for Sarah Temple? [His costs include the time and effort it took him to write the story and draw the pictures, the use of his paper, and the wearing down of his crayons and pencil.] 7. What benefits did James Otis incur by creating a special book for Sarah Temple? [He used his creativity to make something unique. It was a joy to discover his gift gave Sarah so much pleasure. His mother was very proud of him.] 8. The church trustees delivered love boxes to the homes of the less fortunate every Valentine’s Day. When James Otis and his mother returned home, they discovered a love box on their front porch. What do you think was in this box? [Answers will vary.] Why do you think James Otis and his mother appreciated this gift so much? [Likely answers include: They had so little. They felt that their community supported them. They had helped someone else, and had been helped back in return.] 9. The love box that Sarah Temple and her mother received was filled with clothing, food, tools, and toys. If your class was creating a love box to help a family, what would you donate, and why? [Answers will vary.] Lesson Extension: Challenge the students to create their own love box. Distribute paper, markers, crayons, and scissors. Instruct the students to draw and cut out an item they would like to donate to a family. [The item must be something that belongs to them, no fair drawing a new house or fancy vehicle.] Collect the items in a box and discuss how

What is Given from the Heart

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