Social Studies K to 1
Economy and Technology

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

It is expected that students will:

• demonstrate understanding of money as a means of exchange
• identify different occupations in their community
• describe the role of technology in their lives

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Economy and Technology in other grades click on an icon below.

• Discuss with the class what it means to trade something. Then organize a Trade Day and have each student bring an unwanted object from home to trade with others.
• Set up a Store Centre in the classroom, using authentic items such as empty cereal boxes and soup tins. Invite students to carry out transactions, using real or play coins as the means of exchange.
• As a class, graph the kinds of work done by students' parents, grandparents, and caregivers. Invite parents, grandparents, and caregivers to class to discuss their occupations and the tasks involved. Afterward, highlight the different occupations at various centres (e.g., printing, drama, reading, writing, art).
• With the class, conduct field studies of various workplaces in the community. Invite students to create visual representations of the different occupations observed, the people who work in them, and the tools they use.
• Visit a senior citizens' home or invite community elders to class. Ask these individuals to talk about chores and games from their youth. Help students to make a list of the chores and games identified, then ask them to compare these with their chores and games today. Invite them to reflect on why these may have changed (e.g., new technology).
• Have students imagine a day with no electricity. Ask them to work in groups to discuss what this experience would be like and chart or draw pictures to illustrate the similarities and differences between life with and without electricity. Some students might contribute personal experiences of a time without electricity.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• Have students demonstrate their knowledge of money by making collages or posters using pictures that show ways people use money. Ask questions such as:
  • Have you ever used money in any of these ways?
  • Who do you know that uses money in these ways?
  • Can you think of other ways money is used?
  • Why do you think we need money?
• Ask students to brainstorm various occupations they know about and discuss what people do in these jobs. Record their responses on a chart and notice the extent to which they are able to:
  • identify a variety of occupations
  • describe what people do in various occupations
  • identify non-traditional occupational roles
• After students have discussed occupations and visited workplaces in the community, ask them to role-play the various jobs they talked about or observed in a guessing game, "What's My Job?" One student acts out a job, using props, while others try to guess the occupation. Prompt students with questions such as:
  • What helped you to guess the job?
  • Did the props suit the job?
  • Were they used correctly?