Grade K-2
,
Lesson

Forecasting Economics – Using Weather to Teach Wants

Updated: September 12 2023,
Author: Marsha Masters

Introduction

Ask students:

weatherWhat type of weather do you prefer on a play day? Sunny, windy, rainy, snowy, or stormy? Today’s lesson shows how something like the weather can influence the choices we make. We live in a world of scarcity; therefore, we have to make choices. Economics teaches us to make “good” choices. So what we choose to wear to go out and play on a snowy day will likely be very different than what we wear on a sunny day.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify their favorite type of weather for play.
  • Combine their results with their classmates’ and graph the results for everyone.
  • Define economic wants and explain how wants are personal and may differ from person to person.
  • Illustrate how weather can influence the choice of what to wear and how to play.

Resource List

 

Process

Share the following poem and document to help the students understand economic choices.

Ask students to describe their favorite weather day. [Answers will vary. Allow students to share. Create a graph of class findings.]

Ask students if their favorite weather day was right now, what kind of clothes or other items would they want to have. [Answers will vary. Example: The students might want sunglasses, sunscreen, shorts, flip-flops, stocking caps, boots or a hat.]

Tell students that today they are going to learn economics from the weather.

Introduce the concept of economic wants. Explain that economic wants are desires that can be satisfied by consuming a good (an object), a service (an action), or a leisure activity.

Let’s review goods and services. Goods are objects or things that we can use, enjoy, or consume to satisfy our wants. A few examples of goods include toys, books, clothes, food, and games. Services are actions that satisfy consumers’ wants. Someone cutting your hair, mowing your lawn, or cleaning your house would be examples of services.

Tell students to think about Suzy. Suzy loves sunny days. She wants to be dressed for the sunny day, so she will enjoy being outdoors. Would Suzy want a coat or jacket? [Answers may vary, but most will agree she would not.] What would be an economic want Suzy might have to feel comfortably dressed for the sunny day? [Answer may include: She might want a swimsuit, shorts and t-shirt, or a lightweight dress. She might like to wear flip-flops or sandals, so her feet won’t be hot.]

If Suzy is thirsty, what economic want might satisfy her thirst? [Answers may include: Suzy might like a bottle of cold water, a glass of lemonade or iced tea, or a cold soft drink.]

Tell students to imagine now that Suzy has an economic want to play outside on the sunny day. Would she want a pair of snow skis? [Answers may vary, but most will say no.] Think of some goods that might satisfy Suzy’s economic wants.  What might satisfy Suzy’s economic want for something to play with outside? [Answers may include: Suzy might want a jump rope, a beach ball, a bat and ball, or another good that would satisfy that want.]

Let’s pretend that Suzy and her family are at the beach. What services might Suzy’s family want to help them enjoy their stay at the beach? [An example of an acceptable answer: Suzy’s family might want to enjoy the services of the hotel they’re staying at while at the beach. Her family might rent a boat to go on a deep-sea fishing excursion. They might want to go to a water park.]

Now, let’s meet Sam. Sam loves winter weather. He loves a day when it is cold and snowy.

What is an economic want that Sam might have to satisfy his desire to stay warm while playing outside? [Examples might include: Sam would want a coat or jacket, gloves, scarf, sweater, or boots.]

Do you think Sam would want a swimsuit to stay warm while out playing in the snow? Why or why not?
[No, Sam would not want a swimuit to play in the snow. It wouldn’t satisfy his desire to stay warm while playing outside.]

What are some goods that might satisfy Sam’s want for something to eat or drink on a cold, wintry day? [Examples might include: Sam might want a cup of hot cocoa, a bowl of soup, or a cup of hot cider.]

Let’s think about Sam’s family. What are some services that Sam’s family might want if it were snowing that would satisfy their want to be safe and warm during the snowy weather? [An example of an acceptable response: Sam’s family might want someone to shovel the snow out of the driveway, so they may safely travel. If they were at a ski resort, they might hire an instructor to give them skiing lessons. If the heat weren’t working in their house, they would want a heating repair service to come fix the furnace.]

If Randy’s favorite type of weather was a rainy day, what economic wants might be on Randy’s list? [Examples might include: Randy would like to have an umbrella, a raincoat, or rain boots.]

Tell students it is important to remember that people have different economic wants. Sometimes it is just a personal choice. Sometimes it is because of the weather. The economic wants are not right or wrong. It is a decision each person makes after he or she thinks about the good and bad points of each good or service. 

Click on the link to meet Sid, the Science Kid at https://pbskids.org/sid/games/weather-surprise  . You will be challenged to determine if Sid’s economic wants are based on the weather. Click on the weather wheel, and then select the goods Sid would want for that weather day. When you have chosen the goods, click on the check mark to see how satisfied Sid is with your suggestions. 

Conclusion

Remind students that today they learned economics from the weather.

What is an economic want? [An economic want is a desire that can be satisfied by consuming a good, service, or a leisure activity.]

Do we have the same economic wants every day? [No, we have different economic wants based on the weather and activities for the day.]

If Rosa goes out on a rainy day, what are two economic wants that Rosa might have to stay dry in the rain? [Rosa might like rain boots, a rain-coat, or an umbrella.]

If Stan goes out on a sunny day, what are three economic wants that might satisfy Stan’s thirst? [Answers may include drinks such as lemonade, ice water, Kool-Aid, punch, iced tea, or a soft drink.]

snowbootsIf it is snowing, would you want a pair of flip-flops or snow boots to keep your feet warm? Why? [If it were snowing, you would want a pair of snow boots to keep your feet warm.]

If Anita’s family is on vacation in a snowy location, what services might Anita’s family want? [They may enjoy the services of the hotel where they are staying, they may wish to attend ski classes, they might want to visit an ice skating rink, or they may want a guide to help them find the best places for sledding.]

Extension Activity

Science and Math Connections:

  1. Select a time each day that students will record the temperature. Graph results.
  2. Investigate the career of a meteorologist. Research the capital resources a meteorologist uses to do his/her job. Invite the meteorologist to class and have him or her share what a day is like as a meteorologist and how math, science, economics, and writing skills are important to his/her job.

www.k-3learningpages.net/web%20weather.htm  – This is a comprehensive site focusing on weather with many links to consider in an integrated unit.

www.weatherwizkids.com This link is designed by meteorologist, Crystal Wicker for students, parents, and teachers. 

Literature Links:

The Kids’ Book of Weather Forecasting by Mark Breen. Ideals, 2008.

Oh Say Can You Say What’s the Weather Today? by Tish Gabe. Random House, 2004.

The Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm: A Book About Weather by Nancy White, Scholastic, 2000.

Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons. Holiday House, 1992.

What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda DeWitt. Collins, 1993.

Assessment

  1. Give each student a blank sheet of paper. Instruct them to draw a picture of themselves on the page playing outside in their favorite type of weather.
  2. After students’ have drawn their pictures, ask them to circle two goods that are a part of their favorite play day.
  3. Describe one service that you could use during your favorite day; going to an amusement park on a sunny day, going to a movie on a rainy day, etc.
  4. Share all students’ drawings. Allow time for each student to explain his or her weather day.
  5. Create a bulletin board to display students’ work along with the poem for others to see.

Introduction

What’s your favorite weather day?weather  Sunny, windy, rainy, snowy, or stormy?  Today’s lesson will show how we can learn economics from the weather.  Can we really learn economics from the weather?  The economic forecast predicts some percentage chance of success. 

Task List

Do you ever watch the weather forecast to help you decide how to dress for school or activities? Does the weather outside affect the things you like to do outside? Do you have clothes you wear for certain weather days? Are there certain foods and activities you like to enjoy on different weather days? In this lesson, you are going to learn economics from the weather.

Process

Read this poem and then read this document. The readings will help you understand how the weather can influence our economic choices.

What is your favorite weather day?

If today was your favorite weather day, what would you need or want?

Talk to other students in your class about their favorite weather day and make a graph of the favorite weather day for students in your class.

Today you will learn economics from the weather.

Today we are going to learn about economic wants. Economic wants are desires that can be satisfied by consuming a good (an object), a service (an action), or a leisure activity.

Let’s review goods and services. Goods are objects or things that we can use, enjoy, or consume to satisfy our wants. A few examples of goods include toys, books, clothes, food, and games. Services are actions that satisfy consumers’ wants. Someone cutting your hair, mowing your lawn, or cleaning your teeth would be examples of services.

First, let’s meet Suzy. Suzy loves sunny days. She wants to be dressed for the sunny day, so she will enjoy being outside. Would Suzy want a coat or jacket? What would be an economic want Suzy might have that would satisfy her want to be dressed for the sunny day?

If Suzy is thirsty, what economic want might satisfy her thirst?

Imagine that Suzy has an economic want to play outside on a sunny day. Would she want a pair of snow skis?  Think of some goods that might satisfy Suzy’s economic wants. What might satisfy Suzy’s economic want for something to play?

Let’s pretend that Suzy and her family are at the beach. What services might Suzy’s family want to help them enjoy their stay at the beach?

Now, let’s meet Sam. Sam loves winter weather. He loves a day when it is cold and snowing.

What is an economic want that Sam might have to satisfy his desire to stay warm while playing outside?

Do you think Sam would want a swimsuit to stay warm while playing in the snow? Why or why not?
What are some goods that might satisfy Sam’s want for something to eat or drink on a cold, wintry day?

Let’s think about Sam’s family. What are some services that Sam’s family might want if it were snowing to satisfy their want to be safe and warm during the snowy weather?

If Randy’s favorite type of weather is a rainy day, what economic wants might Randy list?

It is important to remember that people have different economic wants. Sometimes it is just personal choice. Sometimes it is because of the weather. The economic wants are not right or wrong. It is a decision each person makes after he or she thinks about the good and bad points of each good or service.

Click on the link to meet Sid, the Science Kid at https://pbskids.org/sid/games/weather-surprise . You will be challenged to determine if Sid’s economic wants are based on the weather. Click on the weather wheel, and then select the goods Sid would want for that weather day. When you have chosen the goods, click on the check mark to see how satisfied Sid is with your suggestions.  

Conclusion

Today you learned economics from the weather. Let’s review what you have learned.

What is an economic want?

Do we have the same economic wants every day?

If Rosa goes out on a rainy day, what are two economic wants that Rosa might have to stay dry snowbootsin the rain?

If Stan goes out on a sunny day, what are three economic wants that might satisfy Stan’s thirst?

If it’s a snowy day, would you want a pair of flip flops or snow boots to keep your feet warm? Why?

If Anita’s family is on a vacation in a snowy location, what services might Anita’s family want?

Assessment Activity

Your teacher will give you a blank piece of paper.

  1. Draw a picture of yourself on the page playing outside in your favorite type of weather.
  2. Circle two goods that are a part of your favorite play day.
  3. Describe one service that you could use during your favorite day; going to an amusement park on a sunny day, going to a movie on a rainy day, etc.
  4. Think about your drawing because you will share it with your class, and your teacher will make a bulletin board to show your great work.

Extension Activity

Science and Math Connections:

  1. Your teacher will select a time each day for you and your classmates to record the temperature outside your classroom. You will graph the results.
  2. Investigate the career of a meteorologist. Research the capital resources a meteorologist uses to do his/her job. Invite a meteorologist to class and have him or her share what a day is like as a meteorologist and how math, science, economics, and writing skills are important to his/her job.

Some fun weather websites to visit:

www.k-3learningpages.net/web%20weather.htm – There are many weather related activities on this site.

www.weatherwizkids.com This link is made possible by meteorologist Crystal Wicker.

Literature Links:  Look for these and other great weather books in the library. Be sure to find economics as you read!

The Kids’ Book of Weather Forecasting by Mark Breen. Ideals, 2008.

Oh Say Can You Say What’s the Weather Today? by Tish Gabe. Random House, 2004.

The Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm: A Book About Weather by Nancy White, Scholastic, 2000.

Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons. Holiday House, 1992.

What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda DeWitt. Collins, 1993.