Unit Plan 28 (Grade 4 Social Studies): Scarcity and Choice
Limited resources and opportunity cost come to life as students analyze real community choices using maps, charts, and texts, then justify the best option in a “Scarcity & Choice” case study.
Focus: Explain limited resources and opportunity cost using state and community examples (time, money, land, natural resources). Students investigate real-world choices—like upgrading a park vs. repairing roads—by gathering and using information from maps, charts, and short texts to decide which option best serves their community.
Grade Level: 4
Subject Area: Social Studies (Economics • Inquiry/Skills)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students explore the idea that we can’t have everything we want because resources are limited. They learn that people, families, and governments must make choices about how to use time, money, and land, and that each choice has an opportunity cost—the next best thing they had to give up. Using simple state/community examples, students analyze short scenarios (e.g., funding a park upgrade vs. road repairs) and use maps, charts, and brief readings to make informed decisions. The unit ends with a “Scarcity & Choice Case Study” project in which each student explains a choice, the resources involved, and its opportunity cost.
Essential Questions
- What does it mean to say that resources are limited or scarce?
- How do people, families, and communities make choices about how to use time, money, and land?
- What is an opportunity cost, and why can we not always get everything we want?
- How can maps, charts, and texts help us understand real choices in our state or community?
- How can thinking about scarcity and opportunity cost help us make fair and wise decisions?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Define scarcity as having limited resources and explain why people and communities cannot have everything they want.
- Identify choices people and communities must make about using time, money, and land in state/community contexts.
- Explain opportunity cost as the next best choice that is given up when a decision is made.
- Use maps, charts, and short texts to gather information about at least one state/community choice (e.g., improving a park vs. fixing roads) and the resources involved.
- Develop a simple claim about which option is better for the community, supported by evidence from maps/charts/texts.
- Create a “Scarcity & Choice Case Study” mini-poster or one-page report that describes a real or realistic choice, the resources, and the opportunity cost, using at least one labeled source.
Standards Alignment — 4th Grade (C3-based custom)
- 4.C3.Econ.1 — Explain scarcity, choices, and opportunity cost in state/community contexts.
- Example: Choose between funding a park upgrade or road repairs; justify.
- 4.C3.Inq.2 — Gather information from multiple sources (maps, charts, primary/secondary texts, interviews, digital).
- Example: Use a state atlas, census table, and historical marker to study a town.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can explain scarcity and give an example of a limited resource in my community or state.
- I can describe a choice and identify the opportunity cost (what we gave up).
- I can use maps, charts, or short texts to learn more about a state/community problem or decision.
- I can make a claim about which option is better and support it with evidence from at least one source.
- I can create a case study that clearly shows the choice, the resources, and the opportunity cost in a way others can understand.