Curriculum
Authentic Learning and Creativity: Grades 4-5
Purchasing Power
Download Student Activity Sheet(s) in PDF format.
Read a Letter to Educators about authentic learning and creativity from CyberSmart!
Overview
Students are guided through a multi-lesson project to collaborate in making real-world purchasing decisions using mathematical and critical thinking skills and accessing Internet resources to collect information.
Objectives
- Identify, describe, and investigate a real-world problem related to making a purchase.
- Collaborate with other students to plan, conduct research, and analyze data.
- Apply a problem-solving process that includes reflection.
National Educational Technology Standards for Students © 2007
Source: International Society for Technology in Education- Communication and Collaboration
- contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
- Research and Information Fluency
- plan strategies to guide inquiry.
- evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
- process data and report results.
- Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
- identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
- plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
- collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
Advance Preparation
Develop a pacing plan for this task that will allow students enough time to identify an item to purchase, gather information, make the necessary calculations, and reach a conclusion.
Site Preview
The use of these sites is for educational illustration purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation or commercial endorsement. Before using these sites, please evaluate them in light of your school's guidelines about limiting students' exposure to consumer products and advertising. You may want to choose alternate sites to illustrate this lesson.
The follow sites are suggested as possible starting points if you choose to use the scenario suggested under Introduce. Alternately, you may wish to use others or allow students to find their own online resources.
Optional strategies for using Web 2.0 tools with your students are recommended throughout this lesson plan.
Materials
- Student Sheets (one set of 2)
Introduce (offline)
- Develop a shopping scenario of your own choosing or use the following: Our class has decided to raise money for a worthy cause by holding a school-wide walkathon. Each student who participates will get a free T-shirt. Our class has to design the T-shirts, get them printed, and arrange for delivery to the school. Since the cost of the T-shirts will be paid from the money students raise, we want to get the best price we can.
Teach 1
- Put the students into project teams of two to three students. At this point you may wish to discuss some ground rules for student collaboration (for example, all members of the team should contribute to each step in the process).
- Distribute the student sheets.
- Have students complete the Plan section. Allow each group to discuss and then present their plan to you before proceeding to the next step.
Teach 2
- Have students use online resources to find prices for the items they wish to buy. If you have decided to show students the T-shirt vendor sites listed under Site Preview, they should go online to www.becybersmart.org or www.cybersmartcurriculum.org, click on STUDENT LINKS, and then click on the triangle. Then have them find the title of this lesson and open the links.
- If students plan to purchase multiples of the same item (for example, T-shirts for a fundraiser), they will have to consider unit costs, which may vary with the number of items purchased. When planning to purchase a non-brand-name item, students also need to compare the quality of the items.
If you have your students do online research, you may want to have them use social bookmarking and other Web 2.0 tools to facilitate sharing of appropriate Web resources.
Teach 3
- Once each group decides what deal is best, have students present their findings to the class. After all groups have presented, hold a discussion to reach a class consensus.
- Next, guide students to determine their audience. Ask:Who needs to know about your research and results? The answer will vary depending on the nature of the purchase. If you followed the scenario about the T-shirts and the fundraiser, students may want to present a one-page written proposal to the school principal or district business administrator for approval.
- You may wish to have students share their answers to the Reflect questions in a debriefing session.
Have students use Web 2.0 tools, such as the safe blogging tool available from ePals to publish the results of their project.
Assess
The following items assess student mastery of the lesson objectives.
- Ask: What did you need to know to complete this project? Students should reflect on the mathematics, technology, and other concepts and skills they utilized.
- Ask: How did you make sure that all the members of your team helped solve the problem? Students should discuss the collaboration ground rules you established (for example, all members of the team should contribute to each step in the process).
- Ask: For what other kinds of family purchases could you use a process like the one you just completed? How could the Internet help? Students should other real-life situations in which their families might want to use this process (for example, before buying a new appliance or a contract for mobile phone service).
Extend with CyberSmart! Africa Digital Storytelling Videos
- Start by exploring the videos made by school children in a rural village in Senegal. These videos were created by Senegalese elementary school students in partnership with CyberSmart! Africa. (Note: The children speak French. English subtitles are provided.)
- Have students go online to collaboratively research the prices of common articles in Senegal, Africa and compare to prices in their home area. Or alternatively, have them reflect on what articles might be more costly or cheaper in Senegal.
Extend with Epals for Global Connections
Begin a conversation about digital storytelling by having students watch the student-made digital stories from Cybersmart!'s Africa Digital Storytelling Project. Then, go to ePals Digital Storytelling Classroom Project for a well-developed unit having students explore digital storytelling as a way to tell a story, promote cross-cultural understanding and build meaningful connections with others. See also the Digital Storytelling Teacher Forum to connect safely to other classrooms.
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