Cultural Lit. 12: Economic Concepts and Definitions

Summary

Students will identify producers and consumers in SE Utah and Four-Corners communities, after receiving direct instruction and carrying out activities in cooperative group settings, in 1-2 class periods.

Materials

Recommended: Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock. 2001. Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
See chapter 2 for ideas for graphic organizers.
1. Graphic organizer
2. Economics Concepts and Definitions, handout for teacher.
3. Paper, pencil.

Background for Teachers

Guarded Vocabulary:
Producer, consumer, supply, demand, market, entrepreneur, resource, capital, free-market.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will identify producers and consumers in SE Utah and Four-Corners communities.

Instructional Procedures

Introduce lesson to capture student's attention:
Teacher refers students back to Cultural Lit. 11: Natural Resources and the Economy, and asks the students to name some occupations in their community. Teacher takes notes on board, projection device or flipchart.

Problem/Prediction:
How can you get the students really thinking?

Teacher tells students that they are going to learn some economic theory and terminology and then in the next lesson use it to examine the jobs in their community and SE Utah and the Four-Corners-region. Teacher writes 'producers' and 'consumers' on the board, projection device or flipchart, and asks students if they can define the terms.

Teacher Instruction:
Using Economics concept and terminology handout, teacher will read the information to students and, clarify, simplify, embellish, tell stories to illustrate examples, as needed for students to comprehend. Teacher makes the connection for the students during the reading between the occupations listed on graphic organizer from Cultural Lit. 11: Natural Resources and the Economy, and if they are examples of producers or consumers or both.

How will you end your lesson?
Students show and share their graphic organizers across cooperative groups.

Strategies for Diverse Learners

How will you help ELL students?

Guided Practice:
Teacher is writing notes on board for students to copy onto graphic organizer, and asking questions to check for comprehension of vocabulary and concept.

Extensions

Students will work in table groups of four or in pairs and copy the teacher generated notes onto graphic organizer.

Assessment Plan

Observation of student participation, completed graphic organizer.