VCEE RMC PWCS Book Crate#2 : simplebooklet.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS Unit Introduction Page 4Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Pages 5-9by Judi Barrett Lesson: Productive ResourcesHenry Hikes to Fitchburg Pages 10-16 by D.B. Johnson Lesson: Productive ResourcesHome in the Woods Pages 17-22by Eliza WheelerLesson: Productive ResourcesOne Hen: How One Small Loan Pages 23-34Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway Lesson: Productive ResourcesOverall Application Pages 30-38Lesson: Productive Resources[Featuring: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Henry Hikes to Fitchburg,Home in the Woods, My Rows and Piles of Coins, One Hen: How One SmallLoan Made a Big Difference]Lynne F. Stoverstoverlf@jmu.edu

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INTRODUCTIONContent Crate #2 contains picture books, lessons, and activitiesfeaturing the concept of productive resources. Productive resourcesare the natural, human, and capital resources used to make goods andservices. Natural Resources include trees, minerals, and water. HumanResources are the workers. Capital Resources are the tools ofproduction and include machines, vehicles, and buildings.While the books in this set all feature lessons and activities based onthe concept of productive resources, enrichment and extensionactivities are also included. In some cases, discussion questions areprovided for classroom use as well as to help the teacher reading thebook to the students be aware of the story’s inclusion of productiveresources. Lessons include a story synopsis, defined economicconcepts, and a structured lesson plan. It is to be noted that theselessons and activities do not need to be taught in any specific order butare book dependent.The featured lessons are stand-alone and can be taught independentlyor as part of an instructional unit. They were developed for elementaryclassroom teachers but can be modified for use by resource teacherssuch as reading specialists, English as a second language instructors,librarians, and gifted education educators. Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #1 Prince William County Public SchoolsLynne F. Stoverstoverlf@jmu.edu

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett Synopsis: In the imaginary town of Chewandswallow the availability of food is dependent on climatic conditions. But that doesn’t mean that the town’s citizens are not dependent on productive resources to supply their other goods and services. Time: 20-25 minutes Grade Level: 2-5 Materials: •Book: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett•Activity Posters: Productive Resource Posters•Activity Cards: Productive Resource Student Cards•Tape•ScissorsObjective: •Students will describe the differences between human resources(people at work; labor), natural resources (water, wood, coal) and capitalresources (tools, machines, buildings)Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 5

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Virginia History and Social Science Standards of Learning: Procedure: 1. Prepare activity posters (1 copy), activity cards (1 copy) and collectmaterials prior to class. Activity posters and cards should be run offon card stock and cut prior to the lesson.2. Introduce the lesson by telling the students that the town ofChewandswallow was just like any other small town with oneexception.3. Read the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to the class.Reading time 11 minutes.YouTube read along link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mGkYkgTdVw4. Ask the class what makes Chewandswallow different from othertowns [possible answers: weird weather, too much food, no grocerystores]. Tell the students that while there is a difference, the peopleliving there still have to specialize in the creation of various goodsand services in order to take care of the citizens’ wants.5. Hold up each resource poster and ask the students to deﬁne, usingthe pictures as clues, what each productive resource is. HumanResources - people who work; Natural Resources - gifts fromnature; Capital Resources - tools, buildings and machines.6. Take each of the resource posters and tape them up in variouslocations in the classroom.7. Distribute a resource card to each student. Ask them to think aboutwhat productive resource their card represents and then instruct thestudents to move to the displayed poster that best deﬁnes theircard.2.8The student will describe natural resources (water, soil, wood, and coal), human resources (people at work), and capital resources (machines, tools, and buildings).2.10The student will explain that scarcity (limited resources) requires people to make choices about producing and consuming goods and services.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 6

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools 8. Once there, ask them to consult with the other members of theirgroup to make sure that they are in the correct resource group. If inthe wrong group, they should relocate.Inform the students that once each group is conﬁdent that the cardsin their area are correct, they may say “productive resources” as agroup and sit down near the poster.9. Instruct each student to tell the class what was on their card andwhat resource it was.Extension Activity: Posters and resource cards drawn by the students may be used to create a bulletin board. Capital Resource Human Resource Natural Resource Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 7

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson Synopsis: Henry may be a bear but he is aware that many kinds of resources are necessary for the creation of goods and services. Time: 20-30 minutes Grade Level: 2-5 Materials: •Book: Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson•Visual: Productive Resources•Activity Sheet: Game Board•Activity Sheet Cards: Game Pieces•Projection Tool•Envelopes•Scissors•GlueVirginia History and Social Science Standards of Learning: Procedure: 1. Prepare the Visual, Game Boards (1 per student or group) and GamePieces (1 per student or group) prior to class. The Game Boards workwell when run off on card stock. The Game Pieces should be run offand cut into eight cards, and glued on to 3 ½ inch colored paper usinga different color for each set to keep cards from getting mixed up andmakes cleanup easier. The game pieces can also be created so thatthey are self-checking. Dash marks are made on the back of the cardsto correspond to the marks next to the titles on the game boards.Therefore, -Natural Resources- (honey, sun, berries) are marked with2.8The student will describe natural resources (water, soil, wood, and coal), human resources (people at work), and capital resources (machines, tools, and buildings).Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 10

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools ONE dash. --Human Resources-- (painter, writer) are marked with TWO dashes and ---Capital Goods Resources--- (broom, shovel, wheelbarrow) are marked with THREE dashes. Prepare envelopes containing one game board and set of game pieces for each student or group. 2. Introduce the lesson by informing the students they will be hearing astory about two bears that make very different choices. Show them thecover of the book. Ask them what they think the story is about. Brieﬂydiscuss several of their responses.3. Read the book Henry Hikes to Fitchburg to the class. Reading time 4minutes. Read along YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR3R92nWBrw4. Display the Visual. Deﬁne Human Resources as the people who usetheir energy and knowledge to create goods and services. (This issometimes called Labor Resources.) Deﬁne Natural Resources as thethings that exist or grow in nature that are useful to people. (Water,timber, and silver are examples of Natural Resources.) Deﬁne CapitalGoods Resources as the buildings, equipment, machines, vehicles andtools used by people to produce goods and services. (These are usuallyexpensive things that do not get “used up”.)5. Distribute envelopes containing Game Boards and Game Pieces.6. Instruct the students to read the words on the game pieces, look at theillustration, and place the card in the correct category.7. Check for understanding. Natural Resources include the Sun, Berries,and Honey. Human Resources include the Writer and Painter. CapitalGoods Resources include the Wheelbarrow, Shovel and Broom.Extension Activity: Encourage the students to reread Henry Hikes to Fitchburg and ﬁnd other examples of Human, Natural and Capital Goods Resources. They may wish to record their ﬁndings on a chart and share the results with the class. Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 11

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Henry Hikes to Fitchburg Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D. B. Johnson Discussion Questions: 1. Henry and his friend both decide to go to Fitchburg, but they chooseto travel differently. What choice does Henry make about his travel?He will walk. What choice does his friend make? He will take thetrain.2. Every choice involves an opportunity cost—the next best choice wegive up when we make a decision. When Henry chooses to walk,what is his opportunity cost? His opportunity cost is taking thetrain.3. What is his friend’s opportunity cost when his choice is to take thetrain? His friend’s opportunity cost is walking.4. All choices have costs (negatives) and beneﬁts (positives). What aresome of Henry’s costs? His costs include the time and effort it takesto walk, sore feet, crossing rivers and swamps, building a raft,climbing a tree. For some, the opportunity to build a raft or climb atree would be a beneﬁt. Sometimes the listing of costs andbeneﬁts depends on the view of the individual responding.5. What are some of the beneﬁts to Henry of walking to Fitchburg?Henry’s walk includes noticing nature, picking and eatingblackberries, ﬁnding leaves and ﬂowers to press in his book,ﬁnding and eating honey.6. While Henry is slowly making his way to Fitchburg by foot and raft,what is his friend doing most of the day? His friend is working toearn the money he needs in order to take the train.7. Henry’s friend is a human resource with many skills and abilities. Allworkers are human resources. What jobs is Henry’s friend able todo? Henry’s friend ﬁlls a wood box, sweeps, pulls weeds, paints afence, moves bookcases, waters cows, cleans a chicken house, andcarries ﬂour.8. Why is Henry’s friend willing to do all of this hard work? What is theincentive for him to work hard all day? He wants to earn money forhis train ticket so he can get to Fitchburg in a quick manner.9. Why do the people pay Henry’s friend to work? Henry’s friend isproviding each of these people with a service that they value.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 15

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools 10. So, Henry’s friend beneﬁts by earning income, but what are hiscosts? Henry’s friend has to work all day at tiring and difﬁcultchores. He gets dirty from sweeping and cleaning the chickenhouse. He gets sweaty and tired from moving the wood, the ﬂour,the book cases, and the water.11. Do you think the relaxing ride on the train to Fitchburg was worth allthe work that Henry’s friend had to do to earn the money for histicket? Answers/opinions will vary.12. Henry’s friend participates in the economy of his town as both aproducer of services and a consumer of services. What service didHenry’s friend consume? His ride on the train is a service heconsumed.13. On this day, does Henry participate in the economy of his town? No,he doesn’t produce any goods or services nor does he consume anygoods or services. Henry is self-reliant.14. Henry and his friend both made a lot of effort to get to Fitchburg;Henry walked, forded streams, and jumped ponds. Henry’s friendworked as a human resource in his community. Who do you thinkmade the better choice and why? Henry’s choice was a good onefor him because he really enjoyed his walk despite the effort it took.Henry’s friend made a good choice also because he beneﬁtted hisneighbors by the work that he did and the money that he spent.He also travelled to Fitchburg quickly.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 16

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler Synopsis: It’s not easy feeding a family of nine during the Great Depression. Six-year-old Marvel along with her mother and seven siblings, are homeless after the death of her father during the Great Depression. To make it more difﬁcult, they are living in a deserted tarpaper one-room shack in the woods of Wisconsin. However, they are a resourceful group and manage to apply their skills and tools to use the bounty nature has provided them. Based on the author's grandmother's childhood; includes historical notes. Time: 25-30 minutes Grade Level: 3-5 Materials: •Book: Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler•Visual: Productive Resources•Activity Sheet: Productive Resources•Projection Tool•Writing ToolsObjectives: •Students will review the concept of productive resources.•Students will complete an activity sheet based on natural, human, andcapital resources.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 17

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Virginia History and Social Science Standards of Learning: Procedure: 1. Prepare visual, activity sheet (1 per student or pair), and collect materials prior toclass.2. Introduce the lesson by telling the students that the story is based on a bookabout a family that worked hard to survive during the Great Depression. Explainthat the Great Depression took place from 1929 to 1941 when the economy wasnot working. Banks failed, people were out of work and lost their homes andfarms. The Great Depression was worldwide, although it hit the USA the hardestand the longest.3. Read the book Home in the Woods to the class. Reading time 12 minutes.4. Display the Visual. Review the economic concepts with the class.5. Distribute the activity sheet and writing tools.6. Read the directions to the class. Students may work individually or in pairs.7. Check for understanding.Answer Sheet: Extension Activity: Challenge the students to think of other productive resources the Banks family used to keep their pantry full and their woodstove operating. Share these examples with the class. 2.8The student will describe natural resources (water, soil, wood, and coal), human resources (people at work), and capital resources (machines, tools, and buildings).USII.6The student will apply social science skills to understand the social, economic, and technological changes of the early twentieth century by: d) analyzing the causes of the Great Depression, its impact on Americans, and themajor features of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.Natural ResourcesHuman ResourcesCapital ResourcesBlueberries RaspberriesJam preserver- MomStove Pots & Pans Canning JarsSeeds Rich garden soilGardeners – Dal & BeaShovel RakeTrees LogsWood spitter- RayAx Hatchet Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 18

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Visual Productive Resources Natural Resources – the gifts of nature that are used to produce goods and services including land, timber, ﬁsh, oil and mineral deposits. Human Resources - people working to produce goods and services (farmers, builders, ﬁremen, cooks, doctors, painters, etc.) Capital Resources - goods made by people and used to produce other goods and services (hammers, computers, trucks, lawn mowers, factory buildings, machines, tools, etc.) Directions: Using the Word Bank, ﬁll in the chart with the matching natural, human and capital resources used by the Banks family EXAMPLE: Natural ResourceHuman Resource(s)Capital ResourcesTrout & Bait Fishermen- Marv & RichFishing poles Fish hooks BucketLynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 19

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Activity SheetProductive Resources Natural Resources – the gifts of nature that are used to produce goods and services including land, timber, ﬁsh, oil, and mineral deposits. Human Resources - people working to produce goods and services (farmers, builders, ﬁremen, cooks, doctors, painters, etc.) Capital Resources - goods made by people and used to produce other goods and services (hammers, computers, trucks, lawn mowers, factory buildings, machines, tools, etc.) Directions: Using the Word Bank, ﬁll in the chart with the matching natural, human and capital resources used by the Banks family. Word Bank Natural ResourcesHuman ResourcesCapital ResourcesLynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 20

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler Discussion Questions: 1. Marvel tells the story of her life during the Great Depression. Inthe United States, the Great Depression took place from 1929 to1941 when the economy was in crisis. Banks failed, people wereout of work and many people lost their homes and farms. TheGreat Depression was felt worldwide, although it hit the USA thehardest and the longest. This story takes place in 1932. Howmany years ago was that? If answered in 2022: 90 years ago.Adjust accordingly.2. When the story begins it is summer and Marvel’s family,consisting of her mother and seven siblings, are homeless. Why?Their dad died leaving them without an income to pay forhousing.3. Scarcity is the condition of not being able to have all the goodsand services you want. What do you think Marvel thought theone-room shack in the woods was lacking? Possible answers:space, furniture, beds, food, indoor plumbing.4. The family needed to use human, natural, and capital resourcesto get the tar-paper shack ready to live in. What human resourcesdid the family members provide? Mum cooked and canned. Theyounger children swept the ﬂoor, picked vegetables and pulledweeds. The older children chopped wood, washed clothes andtook care of the baby. What capital resources were in the tar-paper shack when they arrived? There was a rusty oven, apotbelly stove, some old furniture, glass jars and a hand-cranked water pump. What natural resources did the family ﬁndin the woods? They found wood for fuel, fresh water, ﬁsh in thestream, berries, wild animals for hunting, and rich soil forgrowing a vegetable garden.5. The family worked hard to save things that would help themduring the winter. What do they save? They preserved fruit,vegetables, and jams in glass jars that they store for later use inthe root cellar.6. Work is any activity we do for which someone will pay us. Whatsort of work did Mum do in the autumn to earn money? Shewalked into town to do chores for other people.7. When they needed supplies, the family walked to town andvisited Bennet’s General Store. They can only buy basic items likeﬂour, soap, and oil. Why do you think this is so? Mum does notLynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 21

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools earn enough money to buy everything the children want. There is a scarcity of money. 8. The brothers and sister invent a favorite new game. They name itGeneral Store. What are some of the services they pretend toprovide? Services are activities people do to satisfy economicwants. Pumping gas, managing a bank, selling hats andjewelry, displaying bakery items. What pretend goods do thechildren create to sell at their store? Goods are tangible objectsthat can be bought and sold. Decorated hats, rock jewelry, mudpies, and fuel for the wheelbarrow.9. During the cold winter days, the family kept warm around thepotbelly stove. They used their time productively. What do theydo? They sewed quilts and learned how to read.10. In the spring Marvel and Bea traded Mum’s loaf bread andblueberry jam for fresh milk and eggs at a neighbor’s farm.What’s another name for trade? Barter: trading a good or servicedirectly for another good or service, without using money orcredit.11. The author’s note in the back of the book shares that the eightsiblings recount the ﬁve years they lived in the tar-paper shack assome of the best times. Why do you think this is so? Would youwant to have this experience? Answers will vary.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 22

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway Lesson Synopsis: This lesson reviews productive resources as they relate to some of the characters in One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Difference by Katie Smith Milway. What could be better than a competitive race around the room while solving puzzles and reviewing economic concepts? Time: 20 – 30 minutes Grade Level: 2 – 4 Materials: •Book: One Hen: How One Small Loan Made A Big Difference by KatieSmith Milway•Visual: Author Puzzle•Activity Sheet 1: Kojo’s Mom•Activity Sheet 2: Kojo•Activity Sheet 3: Poultry Farmer•Projection Tool•Ziploc BagsObjectives: •Students will review the terms natural resources, human resources, andcapital resources.•Students will participate in a class problem solving activity.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 23

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Virginia History and Social Science Standards of Learning: Procedure: 1. Prepare the visual, activity sheets and collect materials prior to class.For each group of students, you will need a copy of all three activitysheets printed on a different colored card stock. Cut up each puzzleand place the same colored pieces in a Ziplock bag.2. Introduce the lesson by telling the students that after reading the bookand a brief review they will be participating in a competitive classactivity.3. Read the book One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Differenceto the class. Reading time 14 minutes. YouTube read along link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUu-tawb3lU4. Review the concepts of natural resources, human resources, and capitalresources. Natural Resources are gifts from nature, such as land, waterand trees. Human Resources are human effort directed towardproducing goods and services (labor). Capital Resources are goodproduced and used to make other goods and service (tools).5. Explain to the students that they will use this knowledge to assemblepuzzles.6. Display the Visual. Review its contents and how it correlates to theconcepts you just reviewed. This works well if you have two versions ofthe puzzle; one as a whole sheet and the other cut up in the threepuzzle pieces.7. Divide the class into three teams (two teams will work for smallerclasses) and give each group a predetermined ﬂat surface on which toassemble the puzzles.8. Give each team a Ziploc bag with a complete puzzle set letting themknow there are three puzzles in each bag and each puzzle will need aNatural, Human and Capital Resource to be complete.2.8The student will describe natural resources (water, soil, wood, and coal), human resources (people at work), and capital resources (machines, tools, and buildings).3.8The student will demonstrate an understanding of diﬀerent cultures and the natural, human, and capital resources they used in the producGon of goods and services. Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 24

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools 9. Instruct the teams that one student from each team is to take the bagto the ﬂat surface, remove a piece and try to place it correctly. (Thisshould become easier as the relay progresses.) That student thenreturns, giving the bag to the next person in line, who then repeats thesame procedure until all three puzzles are completed.10. The winning team gets bragging rights.11. Review the content on the puzzle pieces, discussing the importance ofthe productive resources involved.Extension Activity: Students may create their own puzzle using the optional “Create Your Own Puzzle” activity sheet provided on page 27. Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 30

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway Discussion Questions: 1. At the beginning of the story, Kojo is not in school. His family does nothave the money for the books and the uniform school children musthave. What is Kojo doing instead of going to school? He is working.2. Kojo is working to earn money for his family by collecting and hauling(or carrying) ﬁrewood to the market. Why would his neighbors pay forthe wood he has collected and brought to the market? They will payhim for ﬁrewood because it is a scarce resource. There is no longerany wood available near towns and villages; it was used up a longtime ago. So, people who work at jobs all day need someone to collectthe ﬁrewood they want in order to cook their food.3. Kojo’s mother and other families in her village have each contributed asmall amount of money to a collection. Each family’s contribution issmall, but all together, the money is enough to help the families—oneat a time—to invest in a big, expensive purchase. If your family wantedto buy an expensive item such as a new car or a new roof for yourhouse, where would your family go to borrow the money? Most familiesin America would go to a bank or credit union to borrow the money.4. For the people in Kojo’s village, borrowing money from the bank wasnot a choice they had, so they found a way to help themselves and tohelp each other. Have you ever borrowed a book from the library or amovie from a Redbox? What must you do when you borrow a movie ora toy or some money? You must return what you borrowed.5. Why is it important to you to return what you borrow? How is returningyour friend’s toy or your sister’s clothes a good choice for you, theborrower? Returning what I borrowed shows the lender that I amtrustworthy. That lender will then loan to me again and again. Thelibrary lets me have a new book every week I return the old one. TheRedbox lets me have a new movie after I return and pay for the oldone.6. When Kojo’s mother has a turn to borrow the money, what does shebuy? She buys a cart to allow her to transport more wood to marketthan she can carry herself.7. How does the choice of a cart—a valuable capital resource—help Kojo’smother repay the loan quickly? The cart is a capital resource thatincreases her productivity. She can haul more wood to meet thedemands of consumers in the market and thereby increase herLynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 31

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools earnings. These extra earnings can be saved together until they equal the amount of the original loan. 8. What will Kojo’s mother do with the “extra” money she makes after shepays back her loan? She may invest in a donkey to pull the cart or newshoes to protect her feet or a sharper axe to make collecting woodeasier.9. When Kojo has a chance to borrow a small amount of the money, hebuys a brown hen. How is Kojo’s choice of a hen like his mother’schoice of a cart? Kojo’s hen is an investment; it will help him to earnincome. The cart helps Kojo’s mother in the same way.10. Why does Kojo always keep some of the eggs his hens lay as food for hismother and himself? Why doesn’t he sell all of the eggs? Kojo’s familyhas a scarcity of food, and the eggs are very nutritious. Kojo isinvesting in his family’s health. If Kojo and his mother are strong andhealthy, they will be able to take care of the chickens and sell eggs atthe market. They understand that it is important to feed yourself tokeep yourself strong and healthy.11. As Kojo earns, he continues to invest in his chicken business by buyingmore hens and making the coop as clean and spacious as he can. Kojoinvests in his business, until, one day, his mother says that it is time forKojo to invest in himself. How does Kojo invest in himself? By going toschool and then to college, Kojo increases his human capital—helearns more and learns to do more. Educated people are moreproductive people and are therefore more valuable in the labormarket—generally speaking.12. After college, Kojo takes a big risk. What does it mean, “to take a risk”?When we make a choice whose outcome is uncertain, we are taking arisk; we might get an outcome we value less than the price we paid.Here’s an example--you may choose one and only one pint of icecream to take home from the store. If you choose your favorite ﬂavor,you are risking very little. You can be fairly certain you are going tolike the outcome—the ﬂavor. But you must give up the possibility ofﬁnding a ﬂavor you like even better. So, if you choose to try a brandnew ﬂavor, you risk not liking the ﬂavor and your choice to take a riskon something new was not more valuable than your opportunity cost—a scoop of your favorite ﬂavor. But what if you take that risk andchoose something you’ve never tasted before and it turns out to beyour new favorite ﬂavor? Then your risk paid off for you.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 32

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools 13. Kojo takes a big risk when he spends all the savings he and his motherhave from the chickens they raised and the many dozens of eggs theysold at market to buy land and build a large poultry farm. He also getsa bigger loan from the bank to buy more chickens. What might be abad outcome for Kojo? If Kojo’s farm fails and he cannot repay theloan, he could lose the farm and his ﬁnancial investment: losing all hehas worked to achieve would be the worst outcome.14. What might be a good outcome? If Kojo’s farm is successful and hecan quickly pay back the loan and support his family; that would bean outcome that is far more valuable than his opportunity cost—hisfamily’s savings.15. Did Kojo make the choice that was best for him or was his opportunitycost (his life-savings) too high? Kojo’s risk was a good one because theoutcome of his choice was good for him, his mother, his neighbors,and his community.16. Kojo and his mother were not the only ones to take a risk and invest inKojo’s farm. Who else took a risk on Kojo? The banker who made theloan to Kojo risked Kojo never being able to pay back the money.17. Who would not take a risk on Kojo’s farm? The ﬁrst banker who turnedhim down for a loan as he wasn’t certain he would get his moneyback. He thought Kojo was too big a risk.18. When Kojo’s hens lay so many eggs he cannot collect them all himself,what does he choose to do? Kojo hires men and women in his villageto help him. These people give Kojo their time, skills and strength—their human capital—and Kojo gives these workers’ wages; Kojo payshis workers for their work.19. When Kojo’s hens are laying more than enough eggs to feed all of thevillagers, what does Kojo do with the surplus eggs? He takes them tosell in the next village where there isn’t a surplus of eggs.20.Kojo is a valuable human resource who farms and sells eggs—avaluable natural resource. His job title is “chicken farmer.” Lumusi isalso a valuable human resource; what is her job title? She is a teacher.21. Kojo’s farm is a successful business because it provides the fresh eggsmany people want, and it provides employment to many people in hisvillage and district. Why would a neighbor want to work on Kojo’sfarm? Kojo gives his workers a wage; that is, money. The worker canuse this money to pay for a home and food for their family. As KojoLynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 33

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools was able to make his house bigger as his family grew bigger, Kojo’s workers are able to give more to their own families. 22. As Kojo’s poultry farm grows bigger and more people come to work inthe village, the village begins to grow into a town. Why do some of thepeople that come to town open shops and markets instead of workingon the farm? People who work on the poultry farm are specializedproducers; they spend all day collecting, packing, and transportingeggs. They need someone else to bake the bread and grow thevegetables and teach the children. So some of the people coming tothe village open shops and offer services such as repairing trucks andteaching children. Together, all of these specialized producersbecome an interdependent economy.23. Why does Kojo make a small loan to the young girl who wants to buy amechanical grain mill? Kojo thinks she will be able to repay the loan;her new grain mill will help many families in the town. They will behappy to have help grinding their grain; it is a service they will bewilling to buy. Kojo also wants to inspire others to keep sharing andlending.24.Kojo’s farm is very successful and earns a proﬁt—that is, the farm earnsmore money than it needs to pay all of its expenses. Kojo’s farm waspart of his family, then part of his village, then part of his town, and nowpart of his world where the eggs he raises are shipped to countries allover Africa. Part of Kojo’s responsibility is to pay taxes to thegovernment of Ghana, where he lives. How does the governmentinvest some of its tax revenue to help the people of Ghana? Thegovernment builds schools, roads, and health clinics to help thepeople of Ghana.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 34

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Overall Application Productive Resources Synopsis: When sharing a picture book featuring economic and ﬁnancial situations with students it is helpful to prepare them for speciﬁc terms and situations that may be unfamiliar to them. This quick activity works both as an introduction and/or review for these titles: 1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barret❖Concepts: productive resources, goods & services, choices2. Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson❖Concepts: productive resources, money, saving, barter3. Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler❖Concepts: productive resources, scarcity, goods & services4. My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tololwa Mollel❖Concepts: productive resources, wants, saving5. One Hen: How One Small Loan made a Big Difference by Katie SmithMilway❖Concepts: borrowing, lending, saving, earning, entrepreneurship,investingTime: 10-minute introduction, extended time for activity completion Grade Level: 3-5 Materials: •Books: Copies provided in Content Crate #2: Productive Resources•Visual: Productive Resources•Activity Sheet: Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge•Projection Tool•Writing ToolsObjectives: •Students will select and read a picture book featuring productiveresources.•Students will complete a self-selected writing project.•Students will gain knowledge of speciﬁc economic terms and concepts.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 35

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Procedure: 1. Prepare the visual, activity sheet (1 per student or pair), and collect thematerials prior to class.2. Introduce the lesson by telling the students that they will be workingon an activity that allows them to make choices as to what three tasksthey wish to complete.3. Explain that the tasks that they will be doing are based on theirknowledge of productive resources.4. Display the Visual. Review the contents with the students.5. Distribute the activity sheet and writing tools. Review the directionsand nine possible tasks with the students. Students may workindividually or in pairs. If time is limited, allow students to complete theproject as an extended activity or homework.6. Encourage students to share their responses with the class. Note:Answers for #8 are 1. saw 2. hammer 3. tractor 4. computer 5. sewingmachineLynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 36

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Productive Resources •Capital Resources are manmade resources such astools, buildings, and vehicles used in production. Alawn mower is a capital resource.•Natural Resources are gifts of nature. The bag ofgrass clippings that can be turned into compost is anexample of a natural resource.•Human Resources are people at work. A neighborwho mows lawns on the weekends is a humanresource.•Goods are tangible things such as food, clothes, andcars. The neighbor’s hat, shirt and shoes are examplesof goods.•Services are physically intangible things such asmedical care, haircuts, and education. Mowing lawnsis an example of a service.•Entrepreneurs are people who organize, operate, andassume the risk for a business venture. A neighborwho has a lawn service business is an entrepreneur.Lynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 37

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Reading Makes Cents Content Crate #2 Prince William County Public Schools Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge Directions: Select a featured picture book as reference. Choose and complete three activities in this grid: horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. You may use the back of this paper if more space is needed. Record the number of your choices below. Productive resources are: •Natural Resources – gifts from nature, such as land, water and trees•Human Resources- human effort directed toward producing goods and services (labor)•Capital Resources – goods produced and used to make other goods and service (tools)Activity choices include: #_______ #________ #_______#1 List ﬁve productive resources found in this book. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. #2 The main characters in this book are human resources. List the skills, talents, knowledge, and values that one of these characters has. Place a star after each item that you also possess. #3 Write an acrostic poem featuring a natural resource found in the book. An acrostic is a poem in which the ﬁrst letters of each line spell out a word. Illustrate this poem. #4 Capital resources are tools used to make other goods. List four capital resources found in the story. 1. 2. 3. 4.#5 Write a short review of the book. Include- Title: Author: Illustrator:#6. The type of natural resources available often depends on what part of the world they come from. Pick one of the pair of places and list three different natural resources found in each one. Canada – Mexico Africa – North America Hawaii – Alaska #7 How would having food fall from the sky effect the capital resources needed to make a meal? #8 Unscramble these capital resources. 1. was2. maherm3. rartatoc4. pcomtrou5. weings hinemac#9 How were the following economic terms represented in the story? Illustrations count. •Natural Resources•Human Resources•Capital ResourcesLynne F. Stover stoverlf@jmu.edu 38