Unit Plan 30 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Working and Saving for Goals

Focus: Discuss why people work and how earning, saving, and responsible spending connect to goals, while exploring simple choices, trade, and opportunity cost through classroom simulations.

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: Social Studies (Economics • Community & Inquiry Skills)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students dig deeper into how work and money connect to goals. They explore why people work, how they earn income, and how they make decisions to save and spend responsibly. Through simple games and market role-plays, students experience choices, trade, and opportunity cost—noticing what they give up when they choose one option over another. By the end of the week, each student will create a “Goal & Choices Plan” that explains a goal they might have, how they could work toward it, how they would save and spend, and what trade-offs they might face.

Essential Questions

• Why do people work, and how does working help them meet needs, wants, and goals?
• What does it mean to save money, and why might people save instead of spending right away?
• How can we spend responsibly and make good choices when we cannot have everything we want?
• What is opportunity cost, and how do our trades and choices show what we give up?
• How can simple simulations (class markets and games) help us practice making thoughtful money decisions?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Explain why people work, including earning money, helping others, and reaching personal or family goals.
2. Describe earning, saving, and spending and connect each to meeting short-term and long-term goals.
3. Participate in simple market role-plays and simulations where they must make choices with limited “class bucks” or items.
4. Use the term opportunity cost to describe at least one thing they gave up when choosing or trading for something else.
5. Create a “Goal & Choices Plan” that shows one goal, a way to work toward it, and a plan for saving, spending, and trade-offs.

Standards Alignment — 3rd Grade (C3-based custom)

• 3.C3.Econ.3 — Describe why people work; connect earning, saving, and spending to meeting goals.
  • Example: Plan how a class might save for a field trip over four weeks.
• 3.C3.Econ.4 — Explain choices, trade, and opportunity cost in simple scenarios and simulations.
  • Example: In a market role-play, describe what you gave up to make a trade.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can explain why people work and give at least one reason beyond “to get money.”
• I can describe how people earn, save, and spend to reach goals.
• I can participate in a market or trading game and tell what I gave up to get something I wanted.
• I can use the words choice, trade, and opportunity cost correctly to talk about my decisions.
• I can create a Goal & Choices Plan that shows a realistic goal and how I could work, save, spend, and make trade-offs to reach it.