Georgia SS1E4

Social Studies1st GradeEconomic Understandings

The Standard

Explain that people earn income by working and that they must make choices about how much to save and spend.

Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students connect doing a job with receiving money. They decide whether to use money now or keep it for something later.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can name a job and explain why the worker receives income. Given a small amount of pretend money, they can choose amounts to spend and save.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think money comes from stores, banks, or machines rather than from work. They may also think saving means never spending, or that they can spend the same money twice.
How to Assess It: Give each student a picture of six dollars and ask: “How could you spend some and save some? Draw and label your choice.”

Lesson moves

Give pairs ten play dollars, picture cards of items, and envelopes labeled “Spend” and “Save” to make and explain a plan.
Ask students to draw one item they would buy now and one item they would save for, then explain their choices.
Play a sorting game where students match job cards to income, spending, or saving scenarios.
Use a classroom store menu and a weekly allowance amount to plan one purchase and set aside money for a larger item.

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