Want vs.

Need Lesson
Name: Monica Trickett

Central Focus/Big Idea of the Lesson:

Distinguish between a want and a need
rd
Grade Level/Subject: 3 grade Social Studies
and apply it to real life situations
Essential Standard/Common Core Objective: 2.G.2.1 Give
examples of ways in which people depend on the physical
Date taught: 3/19/15
environment and natural resources to meet basic needs.
Daily Lesson Objective: Students will be able to explain the difference between a want and a
need and list two examples of both a want and a need.
21st Century Skills:
Academic Language Demand (Language
Work Effectively in Diverse Teams
Function and Vocabulary): Describe,
Respect cultural differences and work effectively
Explain, Distinguish, Compare and
with people from a range of social and cultural
contrast, List
backgrounds
Respond open-mindedly to different ideas and
values
Leverage social and cultural differences to create
new ideas and increase both innovation and quality
of work
Guide and Lead Others
Use interpersonal and problem-solving skills to
influence and guide others toward a goal

Prior Knowledge: The students should know what it means to be a natural resource and how we
use our natural resources. They should also know that some of our products do not come directly
from natural resources.
Activity

1. Focus and Review

2. Statement of
Objective
for Student
3. Teacher Input

Description of Activities and Setting

The teacher will begin the lesson by referencing the classs
town that they created. I know that you all have been
creating Busy Bee Town that has a lot of different land forms
and many natural resources. Today we are going to talk about
the difference between a want and a need. Eventually, we are
going talk about what the needs and wants of our people in
Busy Bee town may be.
After our lesson you will be able to explain the difference
between a want and a need, give examples of them and apply
what you know to real life situations.
I will begin by asking the students what a want is and what a
need is and to give me some examples. The students will
share what they think with someone next to them and then
we will come back as a group to discuss. I will explain that a
want is something that we may not have to have but enjoy
having. On the other hand, a need is something that we
cannot survive without or MUST have to live and function in
our day to day life. I will tell the students that wants and
needs can be different in different situations. For example, our
people in Busy Bee town may have different wants and
needs compared to people who live in another town or are in

Time

2min.

10min.

4. Guided Practice

5. Independent
Practice
6. Assessment
Methods of
all
objectives/skills:

a different situation. I will use the mentor text Hatchet by

Gary Paulsen because the students have already read the
book and are familiar with it. I will read pages 65 and 87 that
are about a fire. I will read a section in 99 and 111 about food
(see book passages below). Brian, the character in Hatchet is
stranded after a plane crash. I will ask the students what they
know about Brians wants and needs. Does he really want
anything? Or is he more in need of certain things? Do you
think the people of busy bee town have the same wants and
needs as Brian? We will discuss the different questions as a
group. I will explain that it is important that we notice that
wants and needs can be different in different situations. I will
have the students list some of their needs and wants.
After we read and discuss the sections of Hatchet I will tell the
students that they are going to do a group activity. The
students will go back to their groups. Their desks are in
groups of four. There are five groups of four students. I will tell
the students that each group will get a small sheet that has a
life scenario on it. Each scenario is different. The sheets
contain a scenario in which they will have to decide some
wants or needs that the situation may require. They will be
asked to justify and explain why they chose what they did. I
will give the class ten minutes to collaborate and come up
with their lists. They will be writing their list and their
explanations in one of the group members notebooks. After
10 minutes, I will get the classs attention by saying 1,2,3
20min.
eyes on me. They will respond by saying, 1,2, eyes on you.
When I have the classs attention, I will tell them that we are
going to go around the room, and share what each group
came up with for 10 minutes. Each group will have the
opportunity read their scenario and the list they came up with
and to explain if their choices are considered wants or needs.
Throughout the sharing, I will be making the point that
because each scenario is different, the lists of wants and
needs are very different. Some groups have more wants and
some groups have more needs. I will ask the students why
they think the wants and needs are different in each scenario
before we move on to the independent practice. We will
discuss their reasoning.
The students will complete the worksheet in which they write
what the difference is between a want and a need and then
10min.
list at least two wants and two needs that apply to their life.
There are formative assessments throughout the lesson. The students
are sharing their examples in teacher input. I will also be walking around
while the students are working with their scenarios to see if they are
grasping the wants vs. needs concept in guided practice. Also, in guided
practice, when the groups are sharing their lists and explaining them, I
will be able to assess what the students know. The summative
assessment is the worksheet they will complete individually in the

independent practice.

7. Closure

Today we discussed the difference between a want and a

need. We learned that wants are things that we may like to
have but do not have to have and a need is something we
have to have to survive or function. We learned that the wants
and needs of people can be different in different situations,
like Brian in Hatchet and the people in Busy Bee town.

2min.

8. Assessment
Results of
all
objectives/skills:

For students to master this concept, students had to correctly explain

the difference between a want and a need and list at least two of their
wants and needs. The entire class was able to successfully explain the
difference between a want and a need. However, only about 75% of the
class could list valid examples of wants and needs in their lives. Some
students were considering some of their wants as needs.
Targeted Students
Student/Small Group
Modifications/Accommodations: There are
Modifications/Accommodations: The students
students in the class that have a language
desks are arranged so that each group has
barrier and they are grouped with students
students of all levels. This arrangement is
who can help them read and comprehend
beneficial because there are all different levels of
the scenarios.
thinking. The students can learn from each other
and encourage each other.
Materials/Technology: 1 copy of Hatchet, Assessment worksheets, and 5 scenarios for guided
practice activity.
References: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Debbie Bryant worksheet for independent practice.

Reflection on lesson: (Write several paragraphs about what you learned from this lesson. What
were the strengths? What were the weaknesses? What did you learn about teaching and student
learning? How would you teach this lesson differently in the future?

In teaching my lesson, I learned how important it is to foster and

encourage students to read in the classroom. When I was teaching my
lesson, the students were so thrilled when they saw that I would be reading
to them. They love to read and they love the book Hatchet. It was really
beneficial to use a mentor text because since the students were already
familiar with the text, they were really excited about the lesson. I also
learned how much I could learn from my students. I realized that the
students are so smart and they think of certain ideas that I may have left
out. It was a learning experience for both the students and I.
My lesson had several strengths and several weaknesses. I think I did a
really good job explaining that wants and needs can be very different in each
situation. Using the mentor text was really helpful in doing so. The strongest
part of the lesson was the guided practice. The students really enjoyed the
scenarios that I created. They really got into deep conversation about what
they may need or want if they were really under those circumstances. As I
was walking around, I heard a lot of strong debates. On the other hand, I
think I really need to work on doing a better job of giving students more time
to think when I ask questions. I felt like I was rushing at points and I would
ask a question and then answer it myself. Another part of the lesson that
frustrated me was that I had trouble getting the students to be quiet and
listen to each other when they were sharing because they were all so
excited. I think that this is just a piece that will come when I have my own
class and I have perfected my management skills.

When I was looking at the assessments, I saw that the whole class was
completely accurate in their explanation of the difference between a want
and a need. However, about 75% of the class able to give valid examples of
wants and needs in their lives. Some students were considering some wants
to be needs. During my lesson, I learned that student learning happens in so
many ways. Every student learns differently. I could see different students
excelling in different parts of the lessons because the lesson had parts where
there was reading involves, parts where there was listening, and parts where
there was discussion. Each student had something different to offer in his or
her group and they did a really good job collaborating. Student learning
happens when there are different mediums of instruction; when there is more
than one opportunity and way to grasp the concept. In addition, I noticed
how much the students learn from each other. I liked to see that not only
could I impact them, but they could also impact each other.
If I were to teach this lesson again, I think I might try to incorporate
some sort of project with it. I would like to integrate the topic with other
subjects. I think that this concept is a really good concept to teach along with
math, reading, and science too. It could make a really engaging lesson that
could encourage higher-level thinking and cover the create level of
Blooms. I would like to have the students come up with situations and
incorporate more in depth aspects of cost and weather into them. This would
really include all subjects and mesh them together into one. It would require
a lot more time and planning to create a plan for this type of lesson.