Earning Money Exploration

Grade Level

1st Grade

Duration

30 Minutes

Unit

Making Smart Money Choices (Lesson 3 of 5)

---

Standards Alignment

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) – Social Studies & Literacy Integration:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.7: Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• NCSS (National Council for the Social Studies) Standard:
  • Economics Standard 1: Productive Resources and Scarcity—Students understand how people work to produce goods and services and earn money.

---

Learning Objectives

• I can identify activities that involve earning money.
• Students will analyze images, determining which depict earning money.
• Students will strengthen collaborative discussion skills by sharing ideas in pairs.

---

Success Criteria

• Students can correctly categorize at least three pictures as activities that involve earning money or not.
• Students actively participate in paired discussion using complete sentences.

---

Materials Needed

• Earning Money Worksheet with 6-8 color-coded pictures (half earning money, half not earning money)
• Crayons or colored pencils (to match color coding for dyslexia-friendly support)
• Chart paper with the question: “What does it mean to earn money?”
• Timer or clock
• Story writing template for extension activity

---

Vocabulary

• Earn
• Work
• Money
• Activity
• Service

---

Lesson Procedure

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

1. Begin with a Question:

   • Display the chart paper asking: “What does it mean to earn money?”
   • Invite 2-3 students to share their ideas briefly.
   • Teacher models a short response, e.g., “Earning money means someone does work or helps others and gets paid.”

2. Introduce the Lesson:

   • “Today, we will look at pictures of people doing different activities. Our job is to find out which activities show people earning money.”

---

Guided Practice (10 minutes)

1. Worksheet Walkthrough:

   • Show the Earning Money Worksheet. Each picture is color-coded (blue for earning money, green for not earning money).
   • Review one or two example pictures together as a class.
   • Elicit why someone is earning money or not in those pictures.

2. Pair Work:

   • Pair up students (consider pairing mixed-ability partners).
   • Each pair will discuss their thoughts about each picture on the worksheet.
   • Students take turns explaining their choices to each other, using sentence starters like:
     • “I think this person is earning money because...”
     • “This picture is not earning money because...”

---

Independent Practice (10 minutes)

1. Completing the Worksheet:

   • Pairs work together to circle or mark pictures that show earning money.
   • Students use crayons to match the worksheet’s color coding system for added support due to dyslexia-friendly design.

2. Teacher Circulation:

   • Move around the classroom, supporting pairs who need additional help.
   • Ask open-ended questions to prompt explanation and reasoning.

---

Extension Activity (Optional for early finishers or advanced learners) (5 minutes)

• Creative Story Telling:
  • Students choose one picture from the worksheet.
  • Write or dictate a short story about the person earning money in that picture, where they work, and what they might do with their money.
  • Use a story template with prompts like: “My story is about a _______. They earn money by _____. They use their money to _____.”

---

Differentiation

Learner Type	Strategy
English Language Learners (ELL)	Provide sentence frames and vocabulary cards with images to support communication.
Students with Dyslexia	Use color-coded pictures and high-contrast fonts on worksheets; allow oral responses.
Struggling Readers	Pair with a peer mentor; use visual aids and allow verbal explanations before writing.
Advanced Learners	Storytelling extension; encourage adding details about choices in earning/spending money.

---

Assessment

• Formative:
  • Observation during pair work discussions to check understanding and engagement.
  • Review the worksheet to confirm at least three correct categorizations.
• Informal:
  • Listening to student explanations and reasoning during independent practice.
  • Optional story shares demonstrating deeper comprehension.

---

Reflection for Teacher

• Did students show clear understanding of what activities earn money?
• Were students able to work collaboratively with peers?
• How effectively did dyslexia-friendly options help students engage?
• Did the extension activity provide meaningful enrichment for advanced learners?

---

Note: This lesson integrates early economic understanding aligned with Common Core ELA standards, emphasizing communication, comprehension, and collaboration through age-appropriate, multisensory strategies.