Standard
Standard: 13
- Students will understand that: Income for most people is determined by the market value of the productive resources they sell. What workers earn primarily depends on the market value of what they produce.
- Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Predict future earnings based on their current plans for education, training, and career options.
Standard: 1
- Students will understand that: 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.
- Students will be able to use this knowledge to: Identify what they gain and what they give up when they make choices.
Standard: 1
- Students will understand that: Most people earn wage and salary income in return for working, and they can also earn income from interest, dividends, rents, entrepreneurship, business profits, or increases in the value of investments. Employee compensation may also include access to employee benefits such as retirement plans and health insurance. Employers generally pay higher wages and salaries to more educated, skilled, and productive workers. The decision to invest in additional education or training can be made by weighing the benefit of increased income-earning and career potential against the opportunity costs in the form of time, effort, and money. Spendable income is lower than gross income due to taxes assessed on income by federal, state, and local governments.
Standard: 3
- Students will understand that: People who have sufficient income can choose to save some of it for future uses such as emergencies or later purchases. Savings decisions depend on individual preferences and circumstances. Funds needed for transactions, bill-paying, or purchases, are commonly held in federally insured checking or savings accounts at financial institutions because these accounts offer easy access to their money and low risk. Interest rates, fees, and other account features vary by type of account and between financial institutions, with higher rates resulting in greater compound interest earned by savers.
Concepts
In the story, A Chair for My Mother, a little girl and her family save money in a jar to buy a chair after their furniture is destroyed in a fire. In this lesson, students will learn that characters in the book are human resources who save part of the income they earn. Students will identify other human resources and state how the mental and physical work of those human resources allows them to earn income. Finally, students name strategies to reach a savings goal.
Introduction
In the story, A Chair for My Mother, a little girl and her family save money in a jar to buy a chair after their furniture is destroyed in a fire. In this lesson, students will learn that characters in the book are human resources who save part of the income they earn. Students will identify other human resources and state how the mental and physical work of those human resources allows them to earn income. Finally, students name strategies to reach a savings goal.
We would like to thank the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for allowing us to reprint this lesson. Visit Econ Lowdown TM , the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ website of award-winning free classroom resources for use by pre-K through college educators who teach economics, personal finance, money, banking and the Federal Reserve. For an interactive whiteboard (SMART/Notebook or ActivInspire/flipchart) lesson please visit: https://www.stlouisfed.org/education/a-chair-for-my-mother .
Learning Objectives
Resource List
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Process
Conclusion
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Extension Activity
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Assessment
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