Needs vs. Wants

Lesson Overview

Subject: Social Studies
Unit: Indigenous and Settler Lives (Lesson 1 of 8)
Year Group: Year 3
Lesson Duration: 60 minutes
Curriculum Area: UK National Curriculum – History & Citizenship
Level: Key Stage 2

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Distinguish between needs (essentials for survival) and wants (non-essentials).
• Compare and contrast how Indigenous and settler communities met their basic needs.
• Reflect on how needs and wants have changed over time.

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Lesson Structure

Starter Activity – 10 minutes

Engage: “Survival Sorting”

1. Display two large hoops (or create two columns on the board). Label them “Needs” and “Wants”.
2. Provide students with picture cards featuring different items (e.g., food, shelter, jewellery, clothing, toys, mobile phones).
3. Ask volunteers to place each card in the correct category and explain their choice.
4. Discuss, guiding students to understand why water is a need but chocolate is a want.
5. Briefly introduce the main lesson question:
   "How did Indigenous and settler communities meet their needs?"

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Main Teaching – 15 minutes

Exploring Needs and Wants in Different Communities

• Show images of Indigenous people (e.g., First Nations of Canada, Native Americans) and settlers (e.g., British settlers, European colonists).
• Lead a think-pair-share discussion:
  • What do all humans need to survive?
  • What extra things do many people want today?
• Explain how both groups met their needs differently:
  • Indigenous Communities: Used natural resources, hunted, fished, built homes from the land.
  • Settler Communities: Relied on trade, farming, and tools they brought with them.
• Highlight the trade and interaction between Indigenous and settler groups (e.g., Indigenous people teaching settlers how to survive).

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Group Activity – 20 minutes

Role-Playing Challenge: Meet Your Needs!

1. Divide students into small groups and assign them one of two roles: Indigenous community or settler family.
2. Give them a set of scenario cards describing different situations, e.g.,
   • “Winter is coming—how will you stay warm?”
   • “You need food but don’t have any farms—what do you do?”
   • “Someone in your group is sick—how do you help them?”
3. Each group must discuss and present how they would solve their problem using their assigned group’s resources.
4. Allow time for a brief reflection: What challenges did each group face? How do our lives today differ?

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Plenary – 10 minutes

Reflection: Then vs. Now

• Show a side-by-side comparison of a traditional Indigenous home and a modern UK household.
• Ask students:
  • What are the biggest differences?
  • Do we still rely on nature like Indigenous people did?
  • Could people today live without many of our “wants” (e.g., internet, cars, mobile phones)?
• End with an exit question:
  • Imagine you could only take three items to survive in the wilderness—what would you choose, and why?

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Assessment for Learning

✔ Observation: Participation in activities and discussions.
✔ Group Work: Responses in the role-playing challenge.
✔ Exit Question: Individual reflection on needs and wants.

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Differentiation and Support

🔹 For EAL/SEND students:

• Provide visual aids and keyword lists (need, want, Indigenous, settler, trade).
• Pair with a peer mentor for discussion activities.

🔹 For higher-ability students:

• Challenge them to consider ethical questions, e.g.,
  • Is it always clear whether something is a need or a want?
  • Would settlers have survived without Indigenous knowledge?

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Resources Needed

🟠 Picture cards (for sorting activity)
🟠 Images of Indigenous and settler life
🟠 Scenario cards (for role-play)
🟠 Two large hoops (or board space for sorting)

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Teacher Reflection Post-Lesson

✅ Did students grasp the difference between needs and wants?
✅ Were they able to explain how Indigenous and settler communities met their needs?
✅ What misconceptions arose that need to be addressed in the next lesson?

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🔥 Next Lesson Preview:
Lesson 2 – Shelters and Homes of Indigenous and Settler Communities

• How did different communities build their homes?
• Why were materials and construction methods different?

This highly interactive lesson sets the foundation for the Indigenous and Settler Lives unit by engaging Year 3 students in exploring fundamental survival needs. Teachers can extend this learning by incorporating hands-on activities, such as creating a mini Indigenous vs. settler “survival plan” in the next lesson.