Summary: Alex goes to the store with his mother and is really excited when he sees a train set, he really wants. Usually, his mother buys him a toy or two every trip to the store. When Alex saw the train set, his mother had told him the toy was too expensive and that maybe he could get it for his birthday. When Alex found out all he had to do was earn money by working, he finds multiple jobs to earn the $60 for his train set. At the end, Alex is sad to see his money go but he knows that is the price you pay when you want to purchase something! I like this book because it puts monetary value and wants and needs into perspective for children!

This book teaches children all about money. It teaches them what money is, how they can earn money, how they can save money, how they can earn money, how they can save money, how they spend money and how to give it away. It teaches them the value of money and also touches on need and wants. It introduces children to different forms of money including cash, cards and even crypto. This book is targeted towards ages 4-10 years old.

This lesson teaches students about needs and wants. The compelling question is “Can we get everything we need and want?” Followed by the three supporting questions “What do we want? What do we need?”, “How do goods and services meet our needs and wants?”, and “What happens when there isn’t enough for everyone?” With this lesson, they sort images of needs and wants, identify needs and wants and determine ways it could be satisfied through goods and services, and participate in a discussion of options people have when faced with scarcity. For the summative assessment, in small groups, construct arguments, supported with evidence, that addresses the questions of whether or not we can ever get everything we need and want. As an extension, create two-sided collages with images of needs (or goods) on one side and wants (or services) on the other. This inquiry-based lesson plan effectively supports the social studies curriculum by engaging students in critical discussions about needs, wants, goods, services, and scarcity. Through activities such as image sorting and collaborative argument construction, students develop analytical skills and a deeper understanding of economic concepts. The conclusion of the lesson is a summative assessment that encourages students to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios, fostering critical thinking and communication skills.

Williams, R. (2001). The coin counting book. Charlesbridge.

Grade Levels: Kindergarten through 3^rd grade (depending on how the book is used)

This book introduces the concept of money through coins. It teaches students about pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters as well as the special characteristics that they possess. This book also helps teach students how to count coins and how a total number of coins worth a lesser amount, can total up to the worth of a coin with a higher cent assigned to it. It also explains the idea of adding up money to determine the total amount of money an individual has.

O’Leary, S. (2016). A family is a family is a family. Groundwood Books. 

Grade Levels: Kindergarten through 2nd grade  

This book ties in with the sociology aspect of social studies as it tells the story of a teacher who asked her students what they think makes families special. All of the student's answers were different in special, unique ways. This book highlights the concept of family dynamics and cultural traditions and how they may look a little different for each family, depending on how they function. Every family has characteristics and traditions that are unique to them, which is what makes a family special.

Link: https://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/en/play/peter_pigs_money_counter.html

 Grade Levels: This website has games and activities for preschool through twelfth-grade students. Each category is divided into grade-level ranges, and it is very easy to choose the designated grade level you want to work with. 

This website contains content all about economics. It covers counting money, budgeting, saving, credit, identity theft, and how to sell and purchase items online. Not all of these aspects covered in this website apply to all grades, but certain concepts are assigned to given grades regarding lessons and games. I like how it introduces the topic of saving money for young students by allowing them to have a piggy bank, place their weekly "paychecks" in it, and watch the total amount of money increase over time. This website also has resources that are easily accessible as it contains four main category options: Learn, Teach, Play, and Resources. The "Learn" category is where readings and quizzes can be found. The "Teach" category stores all of the lessons covering economics. The "Play" category includes a wide variety of economic games. The "Resources" category contains infographics, charts, newsletters, videos, and financial calculators. 

Three Aspects: 

-   Lesson plans: This website contains lesson plans for preschool through twelfth grade and focuses on the concept of saving and spending money safely. 

-   Videos: This website contains videos appropriate for older grade levels. The videos walk students through the budgeting process and how to maintain economic growth successfully. 

-   Games: This website contains games divided into grade-level-appropriate sections (preschool through twelfth grade). The games cover a wide variety of economic aspects, allowing students to practice counting money, saving money, making money sense through operating a cash register, and more. 

Link:  https://sociology.mrdonn.org/

Grade Levels: This website has content geared toward various grade levels, from kindergarten to eighth grade. 

This website covers the social studies content area of sociology. It starts out with an introduction to sociology and an explanation of the founding fathers who helped create the concept of sociology. This website covers topics of culture, social class, social interactions, social change, and population, all of which help further students’ understanding of sociology. 

Three Aspects: 

• Lesson plans: This website contains lesson plans with assigned grade levels that range from kindergarten to eighth grade all of which address a concept of sociology. The lesson plans are broken down into the aspects of sociology and are located under the lessons tab. 

• Readings: This website includes grade-level appropriate readings about sociology and its concepts. You can lower or increase the Lexile level of the readings to support students at all reading levels. It also contains a microphone that students can click on, and it will read the passage to them. The readings have follow-up quiz assessments to see if students comprehend the material. 

• Games: This website contains games that introduce sociology concepts to students from kindergarten to eighth grade. One of the games on this website is The Sociology Game Show, which is set up similar to Jeopardy. Students pair into teams and answer various questions about the content they have been learning. Teachers can preview the questions before the students play and can edit the questions to cover all aspects of the content students are learning.