Norman Rockwell’s ‘Curiosity Shop’

Students will look at a picture that Norman Rockwell painted about a Curiosity Shop. A little girl looks like she is about to purchase a doll. Her purse on her arm indicates that she might "exchange" money for the doll. This lesson teaches that trading goods and services with people for other goods and services or for money is called exchange.

The students will be introduced to a painting by Norman Rockwell, painting titled Curiosity Shop. The painting depicts a shop owner and two girls in the shop. One girl appears to be interested in a doll and the other is playing with a cat. Will the little girl buy the doll? Will she buy the doll with money? This lesson will introduce the idea that when we trade money for goods and services, that is called an exchange.

Students' Version

Part 1 You will be introduced to a Norman Rockwell painting titled, Curiosity Shop. In that painting there is a shop owner and two girls in the shop. One girl appears to be interested in a doll and the other is playing with a cat. Will the little girl buy the doll? Will she buy the doll with money? This lesson will introduce the idea that when we trade money for goods and services, that is called exchange. Click on the picture above for a worksheet. Once you have the worksheet printed out, answer the questions for Part 1.

[NOTE: Prior knowledge of wants, goods, and services would be helpful.]

• Recognize that exchange is trading goods and services with people for other goods and services or for money.

• Curiosity Shop: This PDF provides a larger image of Rockwell's Curiosity Shop

• Rockwell's Curiosity Shop Worksheet: Worksheet that the students will use to answer questions about Rockwell's picture.
  www.econedlink.org/lessons/docs_lessons/269_wkst1.pdf

• Rockwell's Curiosity Shop Activity: An activity used to assess students understanding of the lesson.
  Curiosity Shop Activity

First have the students print out a copy of the worksheet needed for this lesson. The worksheet addresses the following questions and helps further the students understanding of exchange.

Instruct the students to look at the image of Norman Rockwell's Curiosity Shop.

1. What goods do you buy at a grocery store? [Food.]
    
2. What kind of goods do you think the shop in the picture sells? [Junk, old stuff, toys, many different things, etc.] 
    
3. Would you like to shop at a store like this? [Answers may vary.]
    
4. The girl who is sitting is holding something; what is she holding? [A cat.]
    
5. Do you think she would like to buy that cat? [Yes.]
    
6. What is the other girl holding? [A doll.]
    
7. Do you think she would like to buy that doll? [Yes.]
    
8. Do you think she has money? [Yes.]
    
9. Where do you think this little girl keeps her money? [In her purse.]

This is the time where the vocabulary word "exchange" should be introduced. Teachers should explain that when we give a salesperson money we "exchange" the money for the good or service.

[NOTE: Norman Rockwell painted this picture to appear on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in April, 1948. Instruct the students that Rockwell painted many pictures of people doing ordinary things like shopping, fishing, going to school, and so on.

When teaching about exchange, it is important to point out that using money makes it easy for people to buy things. Almost everyone will exchange a good or service for money. Lead the students in reviewing wants and goods and services]

Ask the students what they would want to buy if they had $10.00. Students will role-play a customer and a shop keeper. The shop keeper will pretend to "sell" a good to the customer. The customer will have play money to give the shop keeper. The students will be able to tell the teacher what they are exchanging. It may help to have play money for the students to use in this activity.

Students' Version

Part 3 What would you want to buy if you had $10.00? Return to worksheet to answer the questions in Part 3 with a partner.

The students need to match situations where money is exchanged for a good or service.