Lesson Title: Wants and Needs (Direct Instruction: Social Studies Lesson Plan)

Name: Abby Morgan

READINESS
I. Goal(s)/Objective(s)/Standard(s)
A. Goal(s) The students will identify and evaluate wants and needs.
B. Objective(s)
1. Given pictures of items/resources, the students will correctly sort the pictures into a Wants and
Needs graphic organizer.
2. Given verbal prompting and questions, the students will be able to correctly explain the
differences between wants and needs orally.
Objective Explanation
Students will be able to write a simple sentence identifying a want and a need.
Above are basic skills and outcomes all students should achieve at the conclusion of the lesson.
The object of this lesson is to get students thinking about wants and needs and begin
identifying items that are wants and needs. This skill is rather rudimentary, as the lesson was
created for students in first grade. ELLs will be immersed in basic vocabulary associated with
everyday items they encounter throughout he day. Through this activity, my mock student
from Syria at the Speech Emergence stage can begin questioning why certain objects might be
considered wants and why others might be considered needs. They will think critically about
how circumstances can greatly impact whether an item falls under the wants or needs
categories. I will incorporate practice with listening and speaking through partner work.
C. Standard(s)
IDOE: 1.4.1 Identify the goods (tangible objects, such as food or toys, that can satisfy
peoples wants and needs) that people use.
Focusing on wants and needs before introducing goods.
ISTE: 3. Research and Information Fluency Student apply digital tools to gather,
evaluate, and use information.
Process Skill (Analyze Information): Separate a topic into major components according
to appropriate criteria.

Time: 40-45 minutes. See each section for specific times.

Materials for Overall Lesson: Teacher-made T-Shaped Chart Sticky Note, markers, scrap buckets, picture sorts, Wants
and Needs graphic organizers (created by Ms. Morgan), Partner group task list, blank index cards, glue sticks, crayons,
pencils, student journals, and colored group indicator cards.
Space: Students will be seated at the carpet for the anticipatory set and lesson presentation. They will return to their seats
for guided practice and the closure. ELL students will be seated with their buddies for additional support.
Behavior Management Procedure:
Give Me Five
1.
2.
3.

Eyes on speaker
Quiet
Be still

4. Hands free
5. Listen

When students are not paying attention, I will ask for them to give me five. They must look at me and show me five
fingers symbolizing they have completed the five steps I need to have their full attention.
Sign Language
Students who need my attention throughout the lesson will use the following hand signals:

Two fingers: I need a pencil.

Two-crossed fingers: I need to use the bathroom.
Three fingers: I need a drink of water.
Four fingers: I need a tissue.
Five fingers: I have a question.

The hand signals will be posted at the front of the classroom for all students to see.

I Am Working For System (Positive Reinforcement)

Each student will receive an I am working for card. When a student obeys or completes a task by following
instructions, he or she will receive a clothespin to clip on his or her card. With every clothespin, the student will receive one
Skittle. When the students card has three clothespins, he or she will receive one sticker and one Brave Bravo.

II. Anticipatory Set (5 minutes)

Preparation for Anticipatory Set:
1. Assign students a partner!
2. Cut out sets of colored cards to assign groups.
3. Lay half of the colored cards on the carpet and pass the other half out to students.
4. Flip the large sticky note to the Wants and Needs T-Chart
Formation: Students will be seated at the carpet facing the large sticky note.
Materials: T-Shaped Chart Sticky Note, and Markers
We are going to transition into our Social Studies lesson. I have created partner groups that you will be working in
for the next 30 minutes. (ELL students are paired with their buddies) Each group is assigned a color, and should find
their color on the carpet, indicating where I expect that group to sit. If you have a question or you are unsure what
to do, you will silently raise your hand and I will come to your seat. I expect there to be no talking when you are
walking from your seat to the carpet. Please listen before moving. (Demonstrate the following process using hand
signals and physical gestures to support ELLs) On 1, everyone is going to stand up. On 2, everyone will push

in their chairs. On 3, everyone will make their way to the carpet facing the large sticky note and sitting at their
assigned color. When I see all students in their ready to learn position, I will give you further instructions. 1, 2, 3!
Walk to the carpet, wait for students to sit quietly on the carpet, use an attention grabber (Ring the bell, give me
five!)
I really like how ______ is facing our large sticky note pad with his or her hands in his or her lap and his or her
voice is off! If you are confused about what you should be doing right now, please look at ______ for a great
example. Yesterday, we began our unit Everyone Must Choose! Through our writing activity, we discussed the
power of our choices and how we can change the world as well as choose to show love to others. Well today, we are
going to practice making choices as we dig into our Social Studies learning time. While you all were at gym class, I
created a T-chart that lists a few examples of both wants and needs. If you can remember back to our last
economics unit where we discussed these two terms, give me one thumb up.
Look for raised thumbs.
Quickly, I would like _______ to tell me what needs are. Listen carefully to your peer to see if you agree!
Call on one attentive student to answer the question. Respond appropriately based on answer.
Does everyone agree with ______? Put your thumb up with you do, and put a thumb down if you do not.
Look for thumb signals and respond accordingly.
Excellent! Needs are things we must have in order to stay alive. Therefore, needs are extremely important! I would
like ______ to tell me what a wants are.
Listen carefully to your peer to see if you agree!
Call on one attentive student to answer the question. Respond appropriately based on answer.
Does everyone agree with ______? Put your thumb up with you do, and put a thumb down if you do not.
Look for thumb signals and respond accordingly.
You are correct! Wants are things we do not really need, but would like to have. Looking back at our board, we can
kind of get an idea of what types of items are considered wants and needs. Lets brainstorm together and come
up with two more examples for both columns.
Call on four students to offer four more examples for our board. Allow students to respond by drawing a picture and
labeling the picture on the Jumbo Sticky Note. After the students have offered at least four examples, present the
purpose statement!
III. Purpose Statement: We are going to explore choices as we decide which real-life objects are considered wants
and which real-life objects are considered needs.
INSTRUCTION (Direct)
IV. Lesson Presentation (7 minutes)
Preparation for Lesson Presentation:
1. Gather materials: scrap buckets, picture sorts, Wants and Needs graphic organizers, blank index
cards, glue sticks, crayons, pencils, and colored group indicator cards.
2. Turn on document camera!
3. Organize and label materials for students to easily pick up!
Formation: The students will be seated on the carpet facing the projector screen.
Materials: Scrap buckets, picture sorts, Wants and Needs graphic organizers, blank index cards, glue sticks,
crayons, pencils, and colored group indicator cards.

As we transfer into our lesson, I would like everyone to turn their bodies so they can clearly see the projector.
Remember, movement does not require a voice and you must remain in your partner groups!
Wait for students to face the projector screen.
I like the way _____ is sitting quietly in his/her ready to learn position. Copy _____ if you are confused about
what you should look like! Inside my little bucket, I have scraps of paper. On each scrap of paper, there is a picture
of an item. We are going to sort our pictures into Wants and Needs. Watch me first; I am going to be making a
decision about my picture. I have a picture of a dog. I am thinking whether this dog is a want or a need. There
are three questions I need to ask myself.
Questions to ask (say aloud and write on a new stick note):
1. What is the item?
2. What do we use this item for?
3. Could we live without the item?
Let me think. This is a dog. A dog is an animal that people usually have to keep them company. Some families take
their dog on runs and enjoy throwing the Frisbee with them at the park. Some dogs even protect peoples homes
from strangers. When I see this picture, I notice the dog is cute and I start thinking whether I need this dog to live. I
have to make a choice. Do I think I could live without a dog? Or do I think I need the dog to carry on my day-to-day
life? I have always liked dogs because they are loyal and so fun. But when I think about it, I do not actually need a
dog to live everyday. Yes, I could live without the dog. Dogs make my life more exciting, but I do not need a dog to
live, therefore, a dog is a want!
Glue the dog photo on the Wants page. Repeat this process for two more cards.
I now have a water bottle. Lets think about this item for one second. If we look back at our T-chart, we should
notice that we placed water in the needs section. Take the next 30 seconds to turn and talk to your partner about
why water went into our needs column. (This period will allow ELL learners to process aloud with their
partners.) When your time is up, I expect you all to have an answer to my question! Go!
Allow the students to discuss for thirty seconds. Call on ELL group at the speech emergence level to practice
answering Why questions.
Give me five! Purple group, what did you discuss? Why did we place a water bottle in the needs section?
Allow the ELL student and his/her partner to respond.
Excellent! Water is an essential need that all people must have in order to live. If we did not have water, we would
become dehydrated and eventually die. Great thinking! You all are learning to be decision-makers!
Pull pictures from the scrap bin. Talk through each picture and why the picture should go in either section. Remind
ELL learners that they can refer to the picture if they do not know the word being discussed. Have students in choral
response say aloud the picture to build CALP language. Answer the students questions as necessary. Also explain
how in different circumstances, items can be considered a want or a need. Talk through a few examples and how
a person has the power to choose whether something is a necessity or a desire.
V. Guided Practice (8 minutes)
Preparation for Guided Practice
1. Set list of groups and group colors next to your seat.
2. Have the teacher supplies bucket ready.
Formation: The students will be seated in their partner groups at the carpet.
Materials: Document camera, teacher supplies bucket, and group list.

I am looking for partner groups that are sitting quietly and ready to show their thinking on the board. I should see
students sitting crisscross-applesauce with their hands in their laps. Point to a group demonstrating this position for
the ELL. Blue group, please walk to the document camera and pull a picture from my bucket. I want you to talk out
loud and explain how to sort this picture.
Students walk to the document camera. They will pull a picture from the bucket, show their picture on the screen
and begin talking out loud about how to sort the picture.
Questions to ask:
4. What is the item?
5. What do we use this item for?
6. Could we live without the item?
Instruct students to answer the questions aloud. Allow for wait time for all students to think about their answers
before answering. Provide explicit feedback to inform learners how they are doing. Call on two more groups to
complete the same process.
VI. Independent Practice/Extending the Learning (10 minutes)
Preparation for Independent Practice:
1. Label the material buckets for the partner groups
2. Sort the materials in the buckets
Formation: The students will be seated around the classroom (desks, reading corner, floor, etc.) ELL student and his
or her partner will sit at the student worktable in case he or she needs additional teacher support.
Materials: Scrap buckets, picture sorts, Wants and Needs graphic organizers, blank index cards, glue sticks,
crayons, pencils, and colored group indicator cards.
Now that we have practiced sorting and identifying a few items and resources as either Wants or Needs, I am
going to send you around the room to practice a few sorts in your partner groups. I expect to see pairs on-task,
working together to sort the items. Remember you are going to be making decisions, but you must work together to
do so! Each group will receive a basket with materials. In the basket, you will find a baggie with pictures, glue
sticks, two worksheets labeled Wants and Needs, and a few extra index cards. Just like you saw me
demonstrate on the projector, you will sort the items, and glue the pictures on the correct page. This activity does
not require loud voices. When I call on your group, you will get your basket, you will take the basket to a spot in the
room, you will sit down, and you will get started. I am allowing you to choose where you work in the room.
Remember, there will be consequences if you are off-task. Show me you are responsible first graders. Wait quietly
until your group is called. When everyone has his or her materials, I will set the timer for 5 minutes.
Call each group to collect their materials. Pin the task list on the board. (This graphic can be found at the bottom of
the lesson). Monitor students around the classroom. If you notice students are finishing up, have them pull out the
blank index cards and draw other items that they might have at home and decide whether the items go in the
Wants or Needs section. When the buzzer sounds, call an attention grabber.
1, 2, 3, everybody freeze! When I tell you to do so, you will put your glue sticks, crayons, and pencils in your bucket,
you will leave your bucket on your table, you will grab your Wants and Needs paper, you will stand up, push
your chair in, and find a seat with your partner at the carpet. We will be seated in a big group circle. You may now
move!
Wait for students to make their way to the carpet.
We are going to take the next few minutes to share our thoughts about this activity. I want you all to think for a
second. Let me see your thinking faces. Demonstrate a thinking face.
Watch for students to demonstrate their thinking face.
Does your group have more wants or needs on your paper? Think about it. Now turn and talk to your neighbor
about your answer. Students practice speaking skills to develop their BICS language.

Students will talk in their partner groups.

Bring your attention back to our group. ______ group, tell us about which category you had more of. Have the ELL
partner group answer at least one question to gauge the ELLs thinking/understanding.
Continue the group discussion with the following questions:
1. Which things do you like better?
2. Why do you think you like those better?
3. Pick something from your wants column. Identify what life would be like without that item.
4. Pick something from your needs column. Identify what life would be like without that item.
5. Which one would make a bigger difference on your life?
VII. Closure (5 minutes)
Preparation for Closure:
1. Stack the students journals on the shelf
Formation: Students will return to their desks.
Materials: Student journals, pencils, and crayons.
We are going to take the next five minutes and write in our journals.
Demonstrate exactly how to complete the journals entry!
When I call your name, you will pick up your journal, you will draw a line on a blank sheet of paper. Above the line
you will write Needs. Below the line you will write Wants. I would like you to write one example of a need and
one example of a want on your paper. You must create two sentences. One sentence will have your want object, and
one sentence will have your need object. You may choose whatever you would like as long as it fits the required
criteria. When you have both examples on your page, you will stand up, you will walk to your seat with your
journal, you will sit down, you will use the crayons at your table to draw both items, and you will wait for further
instructions from Mrs. Ashley. I will play music on the computer for you to enjoy while you are working. You may
begin.
Teacher Decision: If the students have not met the objective, I will readdress the learning standard and instruction in
a later lesson.
VIII. Assessment
Formative: I will walk around the room and observe the students picture sorts. I will have students talk
me through their thinking process, using social and academic language to answer my questions.
Summative: I will collect the students picture sorts to assess their knowledge of wants and needs. I will
also look at their journal entries. Both activities will give me a greater understanding of the students post
lesson knowledge. I can also assess my ELLs written language through the journal sentences.
IX. Adaptations:
Special Needs Students - I will partner special needs students with high ability students as well as
encourage their Education Assistant to guide their thinking.
Remediation For students who did not master the objective, I will pull them aside during our center time
and review the teaching material. We will practice together sorting pictures.
Enrichment I will have them think of other resources not offered in class and identify them as either a
need or a want. They will also need to explain their identification.
ESL I will pair these students with their regular buddy. They will work together in completing each
portion of the lesson. I will create pictures to guide their thinking and visit their space often to offer further
support. I will examine the students BICS and CALP language as I ask them questions.
X. Technology Inclusion
I will be using a document camera to project the picture sort on the screen. Through this device, the
students will be able to watch their peers and me sort pictures according to Wants and Needs.

EVALUATION
Self-Answer Questions
1. How many students achieved the objective? For those that did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
a. Blooms Taxonomy
b. Gardners Multiple Intelligences
7. Were the students able to correctly sort the pictures?
8. Did the students understand the importance of needs?
9. Was my grouping effective for the guided practice?
10. Did the students feel empowered to make choices? Were they afraid to make decisions in
front of their peers?
11.Did my ELLs make progress in their written language development?
12. Were my visuals effective in guiding ELLs thinking?
13. In future lessons, will my ELLs still need a buddy to support them through the learning activities?

Partner Group/Independent Practice Task List

1. Cut

2. Sort

Glue
3. Glue
4. Discuss
5. Color

I am working for

Completed student sort with labeled pictures!

Teacher-made chart depicting and sorting

Wants and Needs during direct
instruction.