Understanding Needs and Wants

Lesson Overview

Curriculum Area: Social Sciences
Level: NZ Curriculum Level 2 (Year 4)
Unit: Decisions for Sustainability – Lesson 1 of 5
Duration: 60 minutes
Class Size: 10 students

Big Idea:
Understanding the difference between needs and wants helps us make responsible decisions for ourselves and our communities.

Key Concepts:

• Needs are essential for survival (e.g., food, water, shelter).
• Wants are things we like but can live without (e.g., toys, games).
• People’s needs and wants shape personal choices and community decisions.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Identify and categorise needs and wants.
• Explain why some things are essential for survival.
• Reflect on how needs and wants impact personal and community choices.

Lesson Sequence

1. Whakawhanaungatanga (5 minutes) – Welcome & Warm-Up

• Greet students warmly and sit in a circle.
• Ask: “If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?”
• Allow each student to share their answer.
• Introduce today’s topic by explaining that we’ll learn about what we need versus what we want.

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2. Learning Through Play (10 minutes) – Sorting Game

Materials: Large picture cards (food, house, clothes, toys, pets, lollies, beach trips, water, school books, chocolates, WiFi)

• Place all picture cards in the centre of the room.
• Tell students they will sort the cards into two categories: Needs and Wants.
• Let students work together to decide which category each item belongs to. Encourage discussion and debate.
• Discuss why some items might be difficult to categorise (e.g., clothes – we need them, but do we need fancy clothes?).

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3. Real-Life Scenario Discussion (10 minutes) – Community Decisions

• Pose a scenario: “Imagine you are on a small island with only a few things. What would you take with you?”
• Give students a list of 10 items (book, blanket, food, tent, water, TV, surfboard, matches, sunglasses, pet dog).
• In pairs, students choose five items together and explain why they chose them.
• Discuss as a class:
  • Were there disagreements between pairs?
  • Which items were essential?
  • Could some "wants" become "needs" in different situations?

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4. Creative Thinking (15 minutes) – Needs & Wants Collage

Materials: Old magazines, glue sticks, scissors, A3 paper, pens

• Provide students with magazines and ask them to cut out different images.
• They will create two sections on an A3 paper: Needs and Wants.
• Students label and glue images accordingly.
• Encourage students to explain their choices in a short class gallery walk.

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5. Reflection & Wrap-Up (10 minutes) – Personal Responsibility

• Ask students to think about their own lives.
• Provide each student with a worksheet with two columns:
  • My Needs: List 3 things
  • My Wants: List 3 things
• Share and discuss as a class.
• Pose a final question: How can understanding needs and wants help us make good decisions?

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Assessment & Reflection

• Informal assessment through discussion and participation in sorting activity.
• Observation of students’ decisions during the scenario task.
• Needs & Wants collage as a formative assessment of understanding.

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Teacher Reflection

• Did students grasp the difference between needs and wants?
• Were students engaged in discussions?
• Did they identify why some needs and wants could change depending on the situation?

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Next Lesson Preview

Lesson 2: Making Wise Choices – How do people balance their needs and wants when making decisions?

This lesson sets a strong foundation for making connections between personal choices and sustainability in future lessons!