Students sort everyday items into needs and wants — learning the economics idea that we can’t have everything, so we make choices about what matters most.
Students will be able to…
You’d love a new video game — but you need food and a warm coat. When you can’t have it all, how do you decide what comes first?
Project this and sort each item into “Need” or “Want.” Tap an item, then tap the bucket — the tool checks your sort and explains the idea.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
A new game OR a winter coat — which first?
Students investigate by sorting.
Students analyze scarcity.
Students conclude with a decision.
Students plan a simple budget.
Aligned to the C3 Framework for Social Studies and Common Core literacy in social studies.
Compare the benefits and costs of individual choices.
Identify positive and negative incentives that influence the decisions people make.
Identify examples of the goods and services that governments and people provide.
Write opinion pieces on topics, supporting a point of view with reasons.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Give students a pretend $20 and a list of needs and wants with prices, and have them decide what to buy, needs first. A printable budget worksheet is in the Social Studies library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.