Idaho Social Studies 3.SS.3.1

Social Studies3rd GradeEconomics

The Standard

Explain the concepts of supply and demand and the role of the consumer and producer.

Idaho Content Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify producers as people who make goods or provide services, and consumers as people who buy or use them. They compare how many items are available with how many people want them. They explain what can happen when there is not enough for everyone.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given four muffins and ten students who each want one, a student names the baker as the producer and the students as consumers. They identify four muffins as the supply and explain that demand is greater than supply.
Common Misconceptions: Students may call shoppers producers because they hand over money. They may think demand means how many items a shop has, rather than how many people want to buy.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: A baker makes four muffins, and ten students each want one. Name the producer and consumers, identify the supply and demand, and explain why some students cannot buy a muffin.

Lesson moves

Have two students make four paper bookmarks while eight classmates each use a token to try to buy one.
Ask, 'If ten students want four bookmarks, who are the producers and consumers, and why can't everyone get one?'
Deal pairs cards showing three or ten apples and eight buyers, then have them label supply and demand and predict shortages.
Show a farmers market photo, identify a grower and shoppers, then ask what happens if five apples remain for ten buyers.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 3.SS.3.1, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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