Money Lesson Plan: Production, Distribution, and Consumption

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Money Lesson Plan. 

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Money, and supports the standard of examining the positive and negative aspects of different forms of currency and barter systems. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students: 

  • What is something you have or know of that is valuable? What makes it valuable?  

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Read aloud the description on the Money topic page.
  • Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
  • Have students read one of the following Related Reading articles: “Way Back When” or “Trivia.” Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Students take the Money Challenge and Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about money while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

  • Make-a-Movie: Create a documentary-style movie that analyzes forms of currency from around the world throughout history. 
  • Make-a-Map: Make a concept map that compares and contrasts different forms of currency over time. 
  • Creative Coding: Code a meme that represents the characteristics of a particular currency.  

More to Explore

Money Magic: Manage a magician’s budget in this interactive game.

Shady Sam: Use strategies to maximize profits at the expense of borrowers in this game.

Economics Unit: Continue to build understanding around money with more BrainPOP topics.

Teacher Support Resources:

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Related:

    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3