Estimating how much things cost
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Age group
Students ages 8 and 9
When
April and May
time required
10 hours and 30 minutes
Broad areas of learning
Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities
Activity summary
During this activity, students become familiar with the prices of consumer goods. They examine flyers from grocery stores and other retailers. They develop guessing games to become more familiar with prices of products that they or their parents use. The activities ends with students evaluating their own knowledge through the preparing of a grocery list that respects their food and budget limitations.
Financial and cooperative skills
- Determining how much goods and services cost
- Responsible spending
- Becoming part of a democracy
- Working in a team
Competencies
Subject-specific competencies
Subject | Competency | Progressions of learning |
|---|---|---|
Mathematics |
|
|
Cross-curricular competencies
- Exercises critical judgment
- Adopts effective work methods
Preparation
During this phase, students become familiar with the prices of everyday consumer products.
Time required
60 minutes
Teaching material
Task 1
Compare the prices of different items
Task 1 objective
By the end of this task, students will be able to determine the value of everyday items and compare their prices.
Instructions
- Create teams of 2 students.
- Hand out the worksheet for The Price Tag Game and explain it to each team.
- Give the students time to carry out the task described on pages 1 and 2 of the exercise.
- Bring the group back together for discussion and place the prices on the board in ascending order. Students can also compare the answers with the notes they made on their worksheets.
- Ask the students to comment on the way prices are set for products.
Time required
120 minutes
Task 2
Prepare a guessing game
Task 2 objective
By the end of this phase, students will be aware of the real prices of certain products.
Instructions
- Create 4 teams with students from the class.
- Each student uses store flyers to choose one product. He or she then cuts out a picture of the product, glues it to the posterboard, and writes or glues the price on the back.
- Gather up all the posterboard pieces.
- Arrange the teams across from one another, with Team A opposite Team B, and Team C opposite Team D. Teams A and B start.
- Give each team a piece of paper and a pencil.
- Select one image from the posterboard and show the students the image of the product. Let them consult for a moment before they write down the estimated price of the item.
- The team that comes closest to the actual price gets a point. The team that has the most points wins.
- Repeat steps 6 and 7 with teams C and D..
- Ask the students if it was easy to estimate product prices, and why or why not.
Teaching material
- Grocery flyers
- Glue, scissors, pencils
Development
Students become familiar with grocery prices and make sensible consumer choices.
Time required
120 minutes
Task 1
Estimate grocery prices
Task 1 objective
By the end of this phase, students will be able to estimate the prices of certain grocery items.
Instructions
- Create the same teams as in the previous task.
- Tell students the object of the game: Each team must match the products that are displayed to them with their prices.
- Give posterboard pieces to the students (8 per team).
- Each team chooses 2 sets of 4 grocery products and glues each of them on a piece of white posterboard. On the back, the team glues or writes the prices of the products.
- For each product, the students write the price on a piece of yellow posterboard.
- The students mix up the prices and images within the product sets and then attach them using paperclips.
- Collect all the product-price sets.
- Have the teams face off: A vs. C, and B vs. D.
- Display a set to the first team. Suggestion: display the products and prices on the board.
- The team should work together to match products and prices. Then reveal the prices by turning the product posterboards over.
- Teams get points for correct matches. The team that gets the most points wins.
- Ask the students whether this task was easier than the previous one, and why or why not.
Teaching material
- Grocery flyers
- Glue, scissors, pencils
Time required
90 minutes
Task 2
Be a responsible consumer
Task 2 objective
By the end of the task, students will be able to compare similar products for the purpose of choosing the one that best meets their needs.
Instructions
- Give each student a copy of Making Smart Choices:
- Read the first scenario with them.
- Give the students a few minutes to make their choices and justify their answers.
- Have students break into groups to discuss their choices and justifications.
- Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 for the second scenario.
- After working through both scenarios, discuss good consumer habits with the students.
- Show the students the Overconsumption video and discuss the needs and wants they experience when they go to the grocery store.
Evaluation
Students make a grocery list, staying within their food and budget limitations.
Time required
4 hours
Teaching material
Task 1
Evaluate a problem-solving approach
Task 1 objective
By the end of this task, students will have evaluated their ability to solve a complex problem.
Instructions
- Give each student a copy of The Grocery Store.
- Read and explain the task to the students.
- Give the students time to work.
- Once all the students are done, collect their worksheets for corrections. Follow up with a discussion with the students about any difficulties they encountered while completing the worksheet.