Grade 8 -
Addressing Needs and Wants

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

• identify a range of resources that can be used to meet needs and wants of individuals and families
• give examples of ways in which needs and wants of individuals and families change over time
• describe how leisure time can be used to meet needs and wants of individuals and families
• suggest responsible marketplace practices for families
• describe how skills related to family life are transferable to the workplace

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Addressing Needs and Wants in other grades click on an icon below.

Suggested Instructional Strategies

• As a class, brainstorm needs and wants of individuals and families, classifying them as either physiological or sociological. Identify possible resources that can be used to meet each need or want (e.g., money, time, energy, skills, raw materials, facilities).
• Have students interview people of various ages to find out how their present food- and clothing-buying habits differ from when they were younger and how their social activities may have changed over time. Students then summarize and share their findings.
• Have students create posters or videos showing possible leisure activities for family members (e.g., eating together, doing yard work, sharing housework, bicycling). Ask: How do these activities address physiological or sociological needs and wants?
• Collect articles about current consumer issues. Have each student select an issue for independent study and propose responsible consumer practices that families can follow (e.g., recycling to reduce waste, comparative shopping to deal with resource limitations).
• Ask students to research the working and living conditions of women, men, and children who produce consumer goods (e.g., T-shirts, running shoes, coffee) in various countries. Have students show that in the global economy, purchasing these items for home and family use can perpetuate such working and living conditions. As well, ask them to suggest consumer habits that can help translate awareness into action (e.g., reading labels).
• As a class, brainstorm family activities that use skills that are transferable to the workplace (e.g., preparing a meal, baby-sitting, selecting clothing). For each activity, ask students to identify the skills involved and suggest a workplace application. Encourage students to develop their workplace skills by offering one of these services to others.

• To check on students' understanding of needs and wants, have them develop case studies in which they describe or invent families with at least three members. Then ask each of them to complete an outline or table describing each family member and the family as a unit, using the following headings:
  • Needs and Wants
  • Possible Resources
  • Use of Leisure Time
  • How These Might Change Over the Next Five Years
  Assess the extent to which their analyses are thorough, logical, and relevant.
• After students have created and shared their posters and videos showing family leisure activities, ask each to list five important ways that families can use leisure time to meet physiological needs and wants. Then ask each student to write a short paragraph about how he or she uses leisure time to meet personal physiological needs and wants. Look for evidence that students' responses are logical, relevant, and complete.
• When students research working and living conditions of workers in various countries, assess their reports and analyses for evidence that:
  • information about working and living conditions is clear, accurate, and relevant; sources are cited
  • the connection between workers' conditions and consumers is clearly explained and shows awareness of consumer responsibility
  • several consumer habits that could realistically lead to change are identified
• Periodically ask students to analyse the connection between the skills they are developing and potential careers by each identifying two specific skills they learned or improved on in a specific activity or assignment. For each skill, have them identify two potential workplace or career applications.

• Building Blocks to Better Relationships
• Product Testing Activities by Consumer Reports

• Supermarket Persuasion: How is Food Merchandised?

(Note: It is anticipated that existing classroom and school materials will also be used to support the learning outcomes until additional learning resources are identified as part of Continuous Submission.)

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