 |
| Grade: | K-3 |
| Title: | Production Lessons Using a Series of Photo Essays |
| Duration: | Three 45-minute class periods |
| Economic Concepts: | Economic Resources, Production, Consumption, Choices |
|
|
 |
Economics Outcome:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the historical development and current status of economic principles, institutions, and processes needed to be effective citizens, consumers, and workers in American society.
Indicators:
* Identify economic resources within a community
* Describe the impact of economic specialization on the growth of communities |
|
|
 |
Students will be able to:
* Create a mural to show the sequence of steps in a production line.
* Label the economic resources used in the production of a product.
* Participate in a production line and make choices regarding resources used in the production process. |
|
|
 |
| Production, economic resources, assembly line, artisan |
|
|
 |
Books in the "Changes' series, 1 for each group of 4-6 students
- From Wax To Crayon, by Michael H. Forman (Children's Press, 1997, ISBN 0-516-20708-3)
- From Metal To Music, by Wendy Davis (Children's Press, 1997, ISBN 0-516-20707-5)
- From Plant To Blue Jeans, by Arthur John L'Hommedieu (Children's Press, 1997, ISBN 0-516-20738-5 )
- From Cow To Ice Cream, by Bertram T. Knight (Children's Press, 1997, ISBN 0-516-20706-7)
- From Mud To House, by Bertram T. Knight (Children's Press, 1997, ISBN 0-516-20737-7 )
- From Wheat To Pasta, by Robert Egan (Children's Press, 1997, ISBN 0-516-20709-1)
Literature Annotation: Each of these books follows the production of a product from the natural resources to the finished product. Any one or more of the books may be used to follow the steps of this lesson plan.
- Mural size paper, 1 long strip for each type of production studied
- Crayons, construction paper, glue, scissors
- Charts: Natural Resources, Human Resources, Capital Resources; 1 of each type chart for each group
- 3-4 apples, box of raisins, peanut butter, spreading knife, napkins, 1 sharp cutting knife for teacher, miniature marshmallows
|
|
|
 |
| Knowledge of productive resources will be helpful. Producers must make choices about best allocating their scarce productive resources. |
|
|
 |
Motivation: Set up an assembly line simulation in the following manner:
- Select 5 students to wash their hands and be part of a production line activity that will produce "Apple Smiley Faces".
- Arrange 5 desks in a row to make the assembly line. Have the 5 students stand behind the desks.
- Worker 1 cores and slices an apple into quarter inch slices. (You could be worker 1 for safety reasons.)
- Worker 2 places one apple slice onto a napkin and spreads peanut butter onto the slice.
- Worker 3 places two miniature marshmallows onto the apple slice for eyes.
- Worker 4 places 5 raisins in a smile pattern onto the apple slice.
- Worker 5 delivers the apple slice to the market (to the students in the classroom.)
Continue the assembly line until all students have received a product (Apple Smiley Face.)
|
|
|
 |
- Introduce or review the terms natural, capital and human resources. Have the students identify the resources used in the production of the apple treats:
Natural Resources- apples, grapes, sugar cane for the marshmallows, peanuts, sun, soil, air, water
Capital Resources- knife, peanut butter jar, napkins, desks
Human Resources- students, apple grower, raisin maker, peanut farmer, marshmallow maker, truck drivers, salespeople at the grocery store (accept all correct answers)
- Discuss other ways the Apple Smiley Faces could have been produced (for example, each worker could do all jobs to make a complete Apple Smiley Face from scratch) and how to decide which way is best. Introduce the word artisan and define it as one worker using his own resources and skills to create all the parts of a product from start to completion.
- Tell the students that each group of 4-6 people will be reading a book about the production process of a certain product. Inform them that they will be creating a mural to illustrate the steps in the production process from the natural resources to the finished product, create posters to identify the three kinds of economic resources used in the production of that product, and present the mural and the posters to the rest of the class. Distribute the "Changes" books to the groups, have them read for information about the production of a certain product. Distribute the mural paper, crayons, construction paper, glue, and scissors. Have the students cut the construction paper into the shapes of some of the machinery used in the production process, i.e. the dump truck that carries the copper ore to the factory or the big vats where the liquid wax is dyed to make crayon colors. These construction paper cut-outs should be glued in sequence onto the mural paper. Then students will add the workers and other details with crayon. Large arrows might be added between the steps in the production process. Allow time for the creating of the murals. Then distribute the three kinds of resource posters to each group and have the students complete each chart for their product. Finally, have the groups report back to the whole group.
|
|
|
 |
- In what ways were all of the production processes similar? different? (Production always involves the combination of the productive resources, but those resources are specific to the product.)
- In these examples, were the products produced by artisans or in an assembly line production? (Accept all correct answers based on the books used.)
- How is the assembly line type of production different from one artisan making a product to sell? (Each worker in the assembly line specializes in one aspect of the job. An artisan does all of the steps by himself.)
- How would a shortage of resources affect the production processes you read about? (The shortage of a resource might necessitate a choice to produce less of a product or a need to change the product in some way.)
|
|
|
 |
| Tell the students that they will be producing stamps to use on letters that will be written to classmates during the school year. In Production Area A, they will work as artisans to personally develop individualized stamps. In Production area B, they will take parts on an assembly line production of stamps.
Teacher directions:
Production Area A
Materials: For each student you will need a ruler, crayons, pencil, scissors and a direction worksheet.
Production Area B
Materials: a rubber stamper with a design, 1 pair of scissors, 1 red and 1 blue crayon, 1 ruler, 1 direction card for each part of the assembly line.
Note* The assembly line production can involve the use of a computer and a program like Kid-Pix. The direction sheets would need to be changed so that each worker on the assembly line would take a turn on the computer doing his part of the production. Workers might rotate down a row of computers in the lab, always doing the same job.
Divide the students into two groups. Distribute the direction cards to the students in Production Area A first and let them begin working as artisans. Distribute job cards tom the assembly line workers in Production area B. Have the students read the directions for their jobs. Make certain that they understand that they are to do only the job assigned to them on each stamp. Start the assembly line workers on their tasks.
After ten to fifteen minutes, halt the production and have the groups switch places. Begin production again.
|
|
|
 |
- Identify 3 economic resources you used to produce the stamps. Next to the resource circle N if it is a Natural Resource, C if it is a Capital Resource, and H if it is a Human Resource.
- Explain how your group produced the stamps when you were in the artisan group.
- Explain how your group produced the stamps when you were in the assembly line group.
- What job did you have on the assembly line?
How is this job an example of specialization?
- Would you rather be an artisan producing a product or an assembly line worker producing a product?
- What are some advantages and disadvantages of that kind of production?
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Print Version of Worksheet (Acrobat 3k)
|
|
|
