Newsletter

Grade Level
Grade
:: Grade 4
Schoolyear :: 2012-2013
Period
Period
:: September 24 October 31, 2012
TD Theme : How We Organize ourselves
How We Organize Ourselves : An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made
systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal and decisionmaking; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment
An Inquiry on Economic Activities

Central Idea:
Economic activities rely on systems of
production, exchange and consumption of
goods and services.

Contents
Tuning In
Finding Out
Sorting Out
To Sum Up The Unit
Discipline Integration

Tuning In
We began our unit by watching the video "The Economics
of Recess"
After watching the video we wrote down the actions that
the character did in the video. We then related this to our
understanding of economics.
We also learned about the meaning of economics, which
came from the Greek word "oikonomia", which stands for
the management of the household.
We then created a mind map of the key concepts that we
would be learning for this unit: money, market and tax.

Tuning In
As a way for us to understand the concept of needs and
wants we first listed down the things that we needed and
the things that we wanted.
Working as a class we also thought of the things that our
class needed and wanted.
We also interviewed different members of our family and
the members of the DIS Community and using the
information that we have gathered we placed it all in a
table.
What we learned from this engagement is that many
people have different needs and wants that must be met in
order for people to be satisfied. We also learned that in
order to meet these needs and wants, we have to work
hard and use resources to get it.

Finding Out

Through the help of Daddy Red De Guzman we were

able to visit Maybank Corporation in Fort Bonifacio. The
purpose of this field trip was to find out how money
works and how many can support our different needs
and wants.
There we were able to learn the history of banks and
how these banks help the country and the world by
trading with one another and exchanging money.
At the same time we also learned the history of Banks,
we learned that it was started by the Medici Family in
Florence, Italy.
The contributions of the Medici Family helped create the
first modern banking system that we see today.

Finding Out

We also visited the Pasig Wet Market in order for us to

learn more about how businesses work.
In the market we learned that the vendors have to raise
prices in order to earn. At the same time they also have to
come up with different strategies and ways so that people
would buy from them.
After interviewing the vendors, we started buying the
products that we would like to sell in school. This would be
part of our summative assessment.
We also learned the important concepts of the Law of
Supply and Demand.
In the law of supply and demand we learned that if the
supply is low, then demand and price would be high; when
the supply is high then demand and price would be low.

Finding Out

After visiting the Pasig Wet Market and buying the

products that we wanted, we began selling all of the
things we bought to our fellow schoolmates and
teachers.
Through the course of our selling we came up with
different strategies and ways in order for our business to
be successful.
We also tracked the progress of our money by taking
down the capital, earnings, losses and computing for our
profit.
A lot of us did very well because we came up with
creative ways to sell and also placed a lot of variety with
our products.

Finding Out

In order for us to understand more about money and

how it affects our businesses, we invited Mommy Joyce
and Daddy Bimbo Baliuag to talk about Taxes.
We learned from them that taxes are the income of the
government.
These taxes are used to pay for the improvement of our
roads, lights, government buildings and even the
salaries of government employees.
Lastly, we learned that everybody pays taxes, from the
groceries and food that we buy to the salaries of our
parents all of these are taxed.

Sorting Out
We created an infographic that would show our
understanding of the first line of inquiry: The
Role of Supply and Demand.
Using this infographic we learned that Supply
and Demand are connected to our needs and
wants.
We can say that supply and demand help us
determine what to buy and when to buy.

Sorting Out
For our two lines of inquiry: the distribution of
goods and services and our responsibility as
consumers.
We created a connection map that would show
how each economic concept and term is
related to one another.
We learned that the different concepts such as:
market, tax, consumer, producer, and etc are
connected to one another and help make a
business successful if they know how to utilize
it.

To Sum Up The Unit

For our summative assessment, we took on the roles of

businessmen wherein the products that we bought from the
Pasig Market were sold to the members of the DIS Community.
After we had sold our first round of products, we used the
money that we had earned in order to buy more products from
the market. We had to keep in mind that the products that we
were buying were still within our capital.
Each day we also kept track of our profits and the strategies
that we used in order to make and accomplish our business
journal.
What we learned from this project was that we have to come up
with different strategies and techniques that would help us.
We also learned that we have to change our products so that
people would buy from us or we can also innovate so that
people would be interested in buying from us.

Discipline Integration

English

For this unit we learned about recount texts.

We learned the language and organizational features of a
recount text.
We learned that in recount texts we have to use the
following language features: past tenses and time
connectives.
At the same time we also learned that when we write
recount texts we have to consider its organization: it has
to be done sequentially and be organized according to
events.

Discipline Integration

Math

We began our unit by learning about decimals.

We learned the basic operations of decimals: addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division.
We came up with rules on how to do these different
operations.
In relation to our unit on economics, we learned how to
make a money plan and how to budget money wisely.

Discipline Integration

Filipino

Sa yunit na ito, ang mga mag-aaral ay nakasulat ng

tekstong impormatibo ayon sa mga paksang kanilang
napili. Dito din lumalim at lumawak ang kanilang
kaalaman sa wika. Nakasulat at nakalikha din sila ng
isang teksto na nagbibigay impormasyon sa produktong
kanilang tininda. Nahasa ang kanilang pananalita at
paguulat sa harap ng mga manunuod.

In this unit, the students were able to write information

report regarding their chosen topic. They had deeper
knowledge and understanding on grammar. They also wrote
a text giving information about their best seller product. In
this unit, the students developed their communication skills.

Discipline Integration

Library

The Students explored and researched articles

related to their UOI using the newspaper.
The students learned about the concept of
Plagiarism and how it affects their life as a
student.
The students also learned and practiced
making a bibliography using the American
Psychological Association (APA) Format for
Print (books, magazines, newspapers)
materials.

Discipline Integration

Music & Movement

We learned a scale called Pentatonic Scale

which has only 5 notes compared to the
Major/Minor scale with 7 notes. We learned
that the Pentatonic Scale is usually used in
Asia. We created our own song about
Christmas using this scale.

Discipline Integration

Physical Education

We improved our gross motor skills and

coordination through football in this unit. We
had various drills in ball control, dribbling,
passing and shooting. We also showed our
teamwork during the games.

Discipline Integration

Arts

We inquired about painting and how it may be

used to interpret our ideas. As artists, we find
ways to explore and express our creative
thoughts and ideas. The skills we developed
are painting and outlining. We reviewed how
art elements are utilized in painting.

Discipline Integration

Information

Technology
We learned how to use a graphics software
and manipulate different objects and
rearranged shapes and sizes and use it to
present in using MS Powerpoint for own digital
presentation.

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