Grade: 6
Lesson 1: How Social and Economic Ogranisations Satisfy Needs and Wants
Time: 40 minutes

Topic: Defining needs and wants

Rationale: The student will discover (by examining his/her own wants and needs), that much of what we possess today are material goods, and very little of what we possess are true needs. The student will study the lifestyle of the traditional Secwepemc, and how they met their needs.

Materials and Resources

• Background information on the Secwepemc can be obtained from The Secwepemc: A guide to the history, culture and contemporary issues of the Shuswap people
• Chart paper

Main concepts:

• The students will work with understanding the difference between needs and wants.  The students will develop the understanding of how a society works to meet needs and wants.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• Identify and clarify a problem, issue, or inquiry.
• Research information using print, non-print, and electronic sources.
• Organize information from a variety of sources into a structured presentation using more than one form of representation.
• Describe ways social and economic organizations satisfy needs and wants in a variety of cultures.

Vocabulary (in Material)

Secwepemc

The Secwepemc People, known by non-natives as the Shuswap, are a Nation of 17 bands occupying the south-central part of the Province of British Columbia, Canada.

Social

of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society (social institutions)

Economic

of, relating to, or based on the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

Needs

a physiological or psychological requirement for the well-being of an organism

Wants

to have a strong desire for

Planned Learning Activities

• Group the students.
• Have the students discuss things they want and make a list.
• Make a list of things they need.
• Have the students discuss what the difference is between wanting and needing.
• Have the students look at Maslo's hierarchy of needs (included in lesson material).
• Study the top three and discuss how we satisfy each need.
• Using The Secwepemc: A guide to the history, culture and contemporary issues of the Shuswap people, have the students list ways the traditional Secwepemc satisfy these needs.
• What would the barriers have been to satisfying these needs?  (ie. Transportation, ability to get to the resource)
• Have the students working individually, make a list of what a Secwepemc of 100 years ago might want. Keep in mind what would have been available to a person that long ago.  Consider two perspectives:
1. an adult
2. a child

Assessment/Evaluation

1. Students will be assessed on their involvement in group activities.
2. They will be able to distinguish the difference between needs and wants and demonstrate this through discussion and recorded information.

Extensions:
A short summary of giftedness
Special Education Links
http://4teachers.org/profd/spedlinks.shtml
http://www.pacificnet.net/~mandel/SpecialEducation.html

Other Integration Opportunities:

1. Personal Planning

Resources Used and Supplementary Materials Available:

1. Secwepemc Museum/Cultural Education Society. (2001). The Secwepemc: A Guide To The History, Culture and Contemporary Issues of the Shuswap People. Kamloops, Canada.
2. The Secwepemc Nation www.secwepemc.org
3. A lesson on how FN survived goes well with lesson on environment and culture: www.schoolnet.ca
4. A description of Interior FN: www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca

Maslo's Hierarchy of Needs

1. Physiological: hunger, thirst, bodily comforts, etc.
2. Safety/security: out of danger
3. Belongingness and Love: affiliate with others, be accepted
4. Esteem: to achieve, be competent, gain approval and recognition
5. Cognitive: to know, to understand, and explore
6. Aesthetic: symmetry, order, and beauty
7. Self-actualization: to find self-fulfillment and realize one's potential
8. Transcendence: to help others find self-fulfillment and realize their potential

Student Self Assessment

I have done the following at this level:
Contributed ideas	1	2	3	4	5
Stayed on task	1	2	3	4	5
Supported my ideas with facts	1	2	3	4	5
Listened carefully	1	2	3	4	5
Respected contributions of others	1	2	3	4	5

Key:

1. A Beginning  - needs much improvement, did very little
2. Emerging - shows some ability but still needs much improvement
3. Developing - half-way there, strength about equal to need to improve
4. Competent - strengths outweigh weakness, a small amount of improvement needed
5. Strong - many strengths, shows good ability in all areas, excellent work ethic