Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level/Subject: 3rd/ Social

Central Focus: Supply and Demand
Studies
Essential Standard/Common Core Objective: EX.3.E.1.2
Communicate how supply and demand affects the choices
an individual can make.
Date submitted: 4/5/16
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.8
Date taught: 3/15/16
Describe the logical connection between particular
sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison,
cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence)
Daily Lesson Objective: Students will independently create comic strips with three causeand-effect situations found in a passage provided by the teacher with 80% accuracy.
21st Century Skills: collaboration,
Academic Language Demand (Language Function and
social skills, creativity
Vocabulary):
Demand: listen, speak, write, read
Function: create- students will create personal
experience passages
Vocabulary: supply, demand, economy
Prior Knowledge: Student should have already been exposed to cause-and-effect
relationships. Students should be able to read accurately and fluently at a third grade level.

Activity

1. Focus and Review

2. Statement of
Objective
for Student

3. Teacher Input

Description of Activities and Setting

In my hand are 10 pieces of candy (individually wrapped:
mini snickers, Hersheys kisses, etc.). Raise your hand if you
want a piece? Ahhh, almost everyone raised their hand. There
is a high demand or want for these candies! Do I have a lot of
candies, enough for everyone? So I dont have a lot which
means my supply is low. Hmm well, since soooo many people
want these, and there arent that many, youll do a lot or pay
a lot for them. Maybe someone will do 10 jumping jacks for a
piece. Maybe that price is too low, anyone willing to pay the
price of 20 jumping jacks?
Now friends, you just saw one of the most important lessons
in economics called supply and demand.
Say to students Today, we are going to learn about supply
and demand and how it determines the price of something.
We are also going to look at how supply and demand affects
us as individuals.
First lets look at our essential questions and learning goals
for todays activities review the essential question and
learning goals of the lesson.
Video: Tis the Season to Fight It Out for a Toy (2:04)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LaT__6UNxk
Show video of shoppers fighting it out for toys. I
recommend just using the first 1:13 of the video, which
focuses on the Cabbage Patch Doll.

Time

5 mins

10 mins

Discuss the following questions with students:

Describe what you saw in the video.
What caused the shopping demand shown in the
video?
How many dolls were in the store compared to the
number of shoppers? (240 dolls to 600 shoppers)
How many dolls were shoppers allowed to buy? (one
per customer)
Why? (to allow as many customers to get a doll as
possible)
What might happen to the price of a doll if there are
more customers than dolls? (the price might increase)
What might happen to the price of a doll if there are
more dolls than customers want to buy? (the price
might decrease)
Do you think the company that makes the dolls made
more dolls to sell? Why or why not? (the company
probably made more dolls because there was a high
demand customers were willing to buy them)
Introduce the Supply and Demand vocab posters and define
them using the poster. Supply is how much of a product or
service is available for people to buy. Demand is how much of
a product or service people are willing to buy.
The price of something will depend on the supply AND
demand. Imagine there is a new video game that everyone is
talking about. Everyone wants to get it, but the store is
running out. Demand is high, but supply is low. You will start
to worry you wont get one at all. You start feeling almost like
you would do anything to get it, right? Even pay more? People
are willing to pay more for things they want that are hard to
get. In this case, the store is going to charge more (or raise
the price) because so many people want something there isnt
a lot of.
The same is true in reverse, if demand is low (nobody wants
it), but supply is high (there are a lot to sell) the store is going
to lower a price and hope people buy it because its a bargain!
Depending on how much there is of something, and how bad
people want it, the price will change.
4. Guided Practice

Student will now create the 3D Graphic Organizer that will

help them visually understand supply and demand. The
completed 3D Graphic Organizer shows the relationship
between supply, demand, and price. The teacher should hand
out the graphic organizer sheets and work together as a class
to fill in the blanks of the organizer. It is critical that students
fill in this graphic organizer correctly because they will use it
for reference in other phases of the lesson.

20 mins

Next, as a class, the teacher should go through the practice

questions on the PowerPoint: Supply and Demand in a
Markey Economy. There are 8 situations in which students will
need to decide as groups, and then as a class if the supply will
increase or decrease and if the demand will increase or
decrease depending on the situation. Depending on student
involvement and resources, students could write their
answers on group white board and hold it up before students
begin sharing answers orally. (For timesake-3/4 questions
discussed as a group should be sufficient if teacher feels
concept is being grasped.)

5. Independent
Practice

6. Assessment
Methods of
all
objectives/skills:

7. Closure

Now that students have a grasp of what supply and demand

means, have them apply this to their own life. Tell students
they are going to independently create a short story about a
time supply and demand impacted them. For example, this
could be a time that they did not get something because
the supply was too low and demand too high, or they did get
something because the supply was high and the demand was
20 mins
low. After students tell about the time supply and demand
impacted them, they need to reflect on that experience and
how it made them feel. Some students may say I dont have
a time where this has happened to me in which the teacher
should respond Then make one up!. After they create their
short story, supply them with 3 activities that they may
choose to work on when they are finished.
The teacher should keep record of students who did not successfully
create their 3D graphic organizer. There is no partial credit for this
assessment, either they did it 1/1 or did not, 0/1.
The short story should be composed of at least two paragraphs, one
containing the story and one with a reflection about the experience. This
assignment will be out of 4 points, 2 points for each paragraph.
As a summing up activity, have students share their stories
with their classmates. Make sure to clap for each student after
5 mins
they share their personal experience!
The students completion of the short Story should show their
understanding of Supply and Demand and proves that they can
successfully relate this economics topic to their own life.

8. Assessment
Results of
all
objectives/skills:
Targeted Students
Modifications/Accommodations: Struggling
students should conference with the teacher
before beginning to write their short stories.
Early finishers should choose another
activity from the independent practice to
work on.

Student/Small Group
Modifications/Accommodations:
The teacher should provide scaffolding during the
teacher input and guided practice phase of the
lesson to keep students on task and help learners
who might get stuck or dont understand

Materials/Technology:
(Include any instructional materials (e.g., worksheets, assessments PowerPoint/Smart Board slides, etc.) needed to implement the lesson at
the end of the lesson plan.)

Powerpoint for Guided Practice, Graphic Organizer template, YouTube video of crazy shoppers,
paper and pencil
References: CCSS website, Supply and Demand informational text worksheet, 2014 ~ Sally
Camden ~ The Reflective Educator
Reflection on lesson:
What an experience this was! At the beginning of the IMB two-week immersion, I was
absolutely scared to death. I had worked really hard prior to the two-week immersion to learn
each of the students names and figure out some things about each of them. I felt very
comfortable with the students as well as the classroom rules and procedures. I was scared
because to be honest, I didnt want to mess up. I was so worried about saying the wrong thing or
forgetting something. Interestingly enough, these nerves would end up helping prepare me for
the lesson.
Because I was so nervous, I decided to make a PowerPoint slide to not only display the
activities but mostly to remind me of the phases of the lesson and what would be coming next.
This was honestly probably the most important thing I did. It helped me as the teacher stay on
track and keep the class focused. It also helped me manage my time and keep the pace of the
lesson on track. The students also loved the visual of the PowerPoint and getting to know exactly
what was coming next. The PowerPoint also really helped with the students questions. Instead of
saying What are we doing again Ms. Griffin?, all the of the students were able to look up at the
board when they needed to read the directions of that particular activity.
Overall, I am so incredibly happy with how this lesson turned out. The students were really
engaged and excited for me to teach them. They loved the video on the cabbage patch doll
craze because they had read about cabbage patch dolls earlier in the year. They also loved the
PowerPoint on supply and demand situations. I think this lesson was powerful for them because
most of them come from a very high socioeconomic background. Not getting something they
want because of the price was almost foreign to them. At first I thought they wouldnt be
interested because of this but it actually made them more intrigued. I remember one student
saying So you mean, some people dont get toys because they cost too much?. The class

quickly understand how supply and demand affect the price of something but it was interesting
to hear responses when I asked he apply this idea to their own life. Some students were deep in
thought trying to figure out how supply and demand affected them. The results of their thoughts
was amazing. Their paragraphs turned out better than I expected!
After reflecting on the lesson with my cooperating teacher, she gave me some good
suggestions for future lessons. She explained that she often has students read through the
objective of the lesson but often doesnt take time to break down that objective and help explain
what is expected of students. She said that she is trying hard to do this in every lesson with
students and this is something I should think about doing during future lessons. I have to say,
she is absolutely right. I didnt even think about pulling apart the objective because I was
honesty so focused on getting to the activities and worrying about time.
This was probably my favorite lesson of the entire two-week clinical experience. I think it was
my favorite because students did a lot of reflecting on their personal lives and experiences. It
was important for me to teach them the required standard but I believe it was even more
important for me to relate this topic to their life and get them to think about how their lives are
different from others and how economic concepts really influence the attitudes we have. If my
students took away one thing from this lesson, I hope it is for them to be grateful and blessed to
have the things they do. I didnt realize I would be working with a class of academically gifted
students or that they would all come from privileged lifestyles. This ended up being a great
lesson to teach them in my opinion.

Essential Question, Learning Goals, Supply and Demand Vocab Poster:

The following three sheets are the three activities students can complete if they finish
early:
Supply and Demand Highlighting Sheet
Cause and Effect Worksheet
Supply and Demand Situations Sheet

Highlight the causes in YELLOW

Highlight the Effects in GREEN

In our economy, people trade goods and services for money. People pay
money for gas at a gas station. They also pay money to be served a meal at a
restaurant. The law of supply and demand explains the price of a product or
service.

What is Supply and Demand?

Supply is how much of a product or service is available for people to purchase.
Demand is how much of a product or service that people are willing to buy. For example,
a t-shirt company might make 500 shirts. The company would have a supply of 500 shirts
available to sell to shoppers. How many t- shirts people want to buy represents the
demand for the shirts.

Supply in a Market Economy

Supply can affect the price of goods and services in the market place. Supply is
how much of something is available to be bought by consumers. When there is a limited
supply, the price goes up. Some products or services cost a lot of money because there
is a low supply. For example, diamonds are expensive because they are rare. Also,
professional athletes often get paid millions of dollars because there are so few people
who can play at their level of skill.

 2014 Created by Sally Camden ~ The Reflective Educator ~www.thereflectiveeducator.com

Sometimes the opposite is true. Instead of a limited supply, there is a large

supply. When this happens, prices go down. There is more than enough for everyone
to have what they want or need. If a store has too much of a product, they will
lower the price hoping customers will buy it.
There is an inverse relationship between supply and price. The less there is, the
higher the price. The more there is, the lower the price. We say it is an inverse
relationship because when one goes down, the other goes up.

Demand in a Market Economy

Low demand leads to low prices. If a company makes an unpopular product, there
will be low demand. Consumers w o n t be interested in buying it. Another reason for low
d e m a n d is the time of year. There is very low demand for Christmas trees in August.
However, demand goes up for the trees the closer it gets to December. When there is
low demand, the price drops.
High demand causes prices to increase. When lots of shoppers want a toy, for
example, there is a high demand. Stores might charge customers more money to buy the
toy. Sometimes weather conditions influence the demand. When there is a lot of snow,
more people want snow shovels and salt to get rid of the snow. This can also cause the
price of these i te ms to increase.
There is a direct relationship between demand and price. More demand leads to a
higher price. Less demand leads to a lower price. The law of supply and demand
affects the prices w e pay for goods and services in our economy.

 2014 Created by Sally Camden ~ The Reflective Educator ~www.thereflectiveeducator.com

Name

Whats the Price?

Directions: Read each statement in the Cause column. Predict what
will happen to the price and explain why.

Cause

Effect
th

Today is the day before the 4 of July

holiday and the fireworks stand is almost
out of fireworks. What will happen to the
price of fireworks?

The price will

because

There are lots of holiday ornaments still

on s t o r e shelves the day after
Christmas. What will happen to the price
of the ornaments?

The price will

because

The price will

because

The price will

because

The price will

because

An oil well explosion reduces the amount of

oil available to make gasoline for cars and
trucks. What will happen to the price of
gas?

A car dealer has too many cars of last years

model still on his lot left to sell. The new
models will be delivered next week. What
will happen to the price of last years
model cars?

A bakery accidentally bakes too many

cupcakes one morning. Instead of 30
cupcakes, they now have 300. What will
happen to the price of the cupcakes?

Supply and Demand Situations

Experiment #1
Mr. Newman has a big bag of M&Ms. He is selling 1 M&M at a time to
scholars. There is more than enough for everyone to get an M&M. There is
still a demand for M&Ms but not as many people want them as the candies
from before.
The supply is _________________. The demand is _______________.
Therefore, the price can be:
Low
High
Experiment # 2
Ms. Marotta has a huge bag of dental floss. She is selling each container of
floss to scholars at AFBES. She has over 500 containers, more than all of
the scholars and teachers combined. It seems however that nobody wants
to buy their floss from Ms. Marotta.
The supply is __________________. The demand is ________________.
Therefore, the price can be:
Low
High
Experiment # 3
There are 25 cans of soda in a vending machine. Each can of soda is the
same price. There are 75 thirsty scholars on line to buy a drink.
The supply is __________________. The demand is _________________.
Therefore, the price can be:
Low
High

Experiment # 4
Turtles cost $100 at the local pet store. There are 500 turtles for sale this
week. Five children came in looking to buy one turtle each.
The supply is __________________. The demand is __________________.
Therefore, the price can be:
Low
High

Experiment # 5
Tickets to the Hannah Montana concert can be hard to get. Thousands of
teenagers want to see the concert, but there are only 500 seats in the
theater.
The supply is ________________. The demand is ____________.
Therefore, the price can be:
Low
High
Experiment # 6 - challenge
Every classroom needs textbooks, and needs a lot. Luckily, there are lots of
textbooks out there to buy.
The supply is _______________. The demand is ______________.
Therefore, the price can be:
Low
High
Explain why:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Experiment # 7 - Challenge
The new BMW is a fantastic car. They are going to make a lot for people to
buy, plus thousands of people have said they will pay for the new
automobile.
The supply is _______________. The demand is _________________.
Therefore, the price can be: ___________________________________.
Explain why:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

3D graphic organizer for students:

o I can explain the law of supply and demand.

o I can predict the price of an item based on the law of
supply and demand in a market economy.

Suppl
y

Dema
nd

Suppl
y

Dema
nd

Answer Key: