Lesson Plan: Needs vs.

Wants

Standards
Missouri Learning Standards Social Studies:
2-4.B: Understanding the consequences of personal and public economic decisions. Explain
how to make decisions using cost-benefit analysis.

Missouri Learning Standards ELA:

R.L.2.3: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

National Social Studies Standards:

NSS.EC.K-4.1: Productive resources are limited. Therefore, people cannot have all the
goods and services they want; as a result, they must choose some things and give up others.

Common Core Standards ELA:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3: Understanding the consequences of personal and public
economic decisions. Explain how to make decisions using cost-benefit analysis.
Lesson Objectives/ Goals
Students will be able to determine needs vs. wants
Students will be able to show empathy for those living in poverty
Students will realize that material items dont always make us happy
Students will be able to identify the challenges faced by characters in a text

Assessment
Before:
The teacher will formatively assess students knowledge of needs vs. wants through
observing students conversations in the turn-and-talk

During:
The teacher will formatively assess students knowledge of wants and needs through
listening to their discussion about Jeremy and his needs/wants in the book.
The teacher will also formatively assess students knowledge of wants and needs through
conferring with groups during their discussions about their notebook entries and graffiti
board presentations.

After:
The Teacher will summatively assess students knowledge of wants and needs through the
exit slip questions. Students will respond to these questions:
o What is the difference between a need and a want?
o How can we work to not focus on what people do and dont have?

Lesson Structure/ Procedures

 1. Gather students at the carpet.
2. Have students turn-and-talk to a partner about the difference between a need and a
want
3. Call on 2-3 students to share their thinking
4. Read Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
5. Stop on p.7. Ask students to describe how Jeremy is feeling.
6. Stop on p.12 and ask students to make a connection with a neighbor about a time they
wanted something but couldnt have it. How did they feel?
7. At the end of the book, discuss Jeremys wants vs. needs.
8. Make an anchor chart with students with a Venn diagram of Needs vs. Wants. Have
students brainstorm needs vs. wants.
9. Discuss that sometimes people have what they want and sometimes people dont have want
they want. Some people arent able to afford what other people can and thats ok. That
doesnt make us any less of a person, we all come from different places in lives. Also talk
about things that make us happy that arent material items.
10. Have students write and draw in their writers notebook about a time they had something
they wanted and how that made them feel. And, about a time they didnt have something
they wanted and how that made them feel.
11. Divide students into groups of 3-4 students to share what they wrote.
12. Have students come up with strategies to not focus on haves and have nots in the
classroom. Students will use a graffiti response strategy and record this on large anchor
chart people with markers.
13. Groups will present these to the classroom.
14. Students will answer these exit slip questions. They can write or draw pictures:
a. What is the difference between a need and a want?
b. How can we work to not focus on what people do and dont have?

Materials Needed
A copy of Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
Large Unlined Anchor Chart Paper
Markers
Writers notebooks
Pencil/Pens (Writing materials for students)

Additional Information
nd
This lesson plan is targeted for 2 grade students. In this lesson plan, I want to build a stronger
classroom community as students learn not to focus on what their peers have and dont have. This
is a good lesson for students to learn. As an extension, we can discuss about how people like
Jeremy and his grandma are hardworking. Just because they dont have a lot of money, doesnt
mean there are any less than people with money. I would like to read additional books about
students in poverty such as Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pea and Something Beautiful
by Sharon Dennis Wyeth.