
This is a three week unit plan that I put together for my third grade son. It is an introduction to some basic business and economic ideas, using literature and games as the primary tools.
Concepts/Vocabulary:
*Allocation and distribution *Interdependence
* Economic Role of Government *Markets and competition
*Goods/Resources *Money/Banking
*Human Resources *wants/needs
*Incentives *saving
*Innovation
Day 1- Ump's Fwat- a funny story that is a great introduction to economics. This story is published by the Powell Economic Education Foundation. It is about a caveman named Ump who perfected a bat and turned it into a successful business. Concepts: Marketing a product and making a profit. You can download a PDF here. There is also a worksheet with questions about the story that can be used. I didn't get around to using it, but there is also an instructors guide that is available for this story,
Est. time: 30 min.

Day 2- Hands on Banking is a free courses designed to teach students how to take charge of their finances and set financial goals. It consists of online games and a fun tutorials. Concepts: Money/Banking
Est. time 1 hour + (This might be a good one to stretch over two days)
Day 3: Field Trip to a business of your choice. Because we had a friend there, we took a tourof the corporate offices of Starbucks.
Day 4- Read Aloud: How Santa Really Works by Alan Snow. Concepts: allocation and distribution
Est. time: 20 min.

Day 5-Read aloud and discuss- Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer by Carol Brendler
Concepts: Innovation, Interdependence
Est. time- 20 min.
Day 6- play Ka-Ching! Here's what the game's website says about it....
"Buy low, Sell high! Making money is the name of the game in this high stakes duel for dollars. Compete against your opponent to turn the biggest profit by strategically buying and selling stock cards. Buy cards at face value and then sell them in pairs for the greatest possible return, all while preventing your opponent from doing the same. Accumulate the most cash and you're in the money!"
Both Trent and I had so much fun with this game. Concepts: Money, multiplication, strategic thinking
Est. time- 30 min.
Day 7- Read aloud and discuss- The Flying Bed by Nancy Willard
Concepts: Goods/Resources, wants/needs
Est. time- 30 min.
Day 8- Play Ka-Ching!

Day 9- Read Aloud and discuss- One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway (We really loved this book!)
Concepts: Money/Banking, human resources, want/needs, innovation
Est. time- 20 min.
Day 10- Read aloud and discuss- When the Bees Fly Home by Andrea Cheng
Concepts: markets, human resources, producers and consumers
Est. time- 20 min.
Day 11- play Ka-Ching!

Day 12- Read aloud and discuss- My Rows and Piles of Coins
concepts: saving
Est. time- 20 min.
Day 13- play Monopoly or Monopoly Jr.

Day 14-Read and discuss Owney the Mail Pouch Pooch
concepts- economic role of government
est. time- 20 min.
Day 15- visit a museum of history and industry (if possible) We went to the one in Seattle.
* Another book recommendation, that my son used for his quiet reading time, was Little Leap Forward
** If you want to search for more resources related to business and economics, check out Rutgers University Econ Kids website. There is a wealth of information here, and is where I found a lot of the resources used in this unit plan.
Trent and I both enjoyed this unit- there was some good learning happening, and I do believe that his interest in business and economics has been sparked by this introduction. I hope that these plans can be a help to some of you.