Book Backdrop Template

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Name: Zoey Woodruff
Date submitted:
Book Backdrop Lesson Plan Information and Template
Title of Lesson Title: Curious George Saves His Pennies
Book Choice Choice: In the story Curious George Saves His Pennies, George
wants to buy a new bright-red train, but he does not have enough
money. At the suggestion of his friend, George saves his money to
buy the train. In this lesson, the students draw an outline of a piggy
bank, within which they write a word for or draw a picture of
something they would like to buy. This becomes their savings goal.
They listen to the story, and as George finds some ways to earn
money, the students come up with ways they can earn money to reach
their savings goals. Students are introduced to the difference between
income and gift money. They participate in an activity where they
determine if they are receiving income or gift money and how many
weeks it will take them to reach their savings goal. Students also
discuss why George did not buy the original red train he wanted.
NCSS Theme (s): Economics and Financial Literacy
Grade level and Content This activity is best suited for students of the following grade levels:
Integration 1st and 2nd
This activity integrates the following content areas:
Social Science, Economics, Financial Literacy, Mathematics
Compelling and supporting Compelling: How does a savings goal help us get what we want?
Question(s) Supporting Questions:
1. Where did George save his money? (In a piggy bank)
2. In what other place do people save their money? (Answers
will vary)
3. What happened to George’s piggy bank? (He lost it at the
park)
4. What could George have done to keep his piggy bank safe?
(Answers will vary)
5. Why did George change his mind and not buy the red train?
(He wanted to reward Hana for her good deed of returning his
piggy bank)
Specific Objective(s) Students will be able to,
• Define income, gift money, savings, and savings goals.
• Give examples of how people earn income.
• Use addition and subtraction to determine when a savings goal
has been met.
• Explain why it is important to have savings goals.
Standards • SS.EC.FL.3.1. Explain how people earn pay or income in
exchange for work.
• 11. EC.1 Demonstrate interest, curiosity, and willingness in
activities related to money and financial awareness.
National Standards for Financial Literacy
• Standard 1: Earning Income. Income for most people is determined
by the market value of their labor, paid as wages and salaries.
People can increase their income and job opportunities by
choosing to acquire more education, work experience, and job
skills. The decision to undertake an activity that increases income
or job opportunities is affected by the expected benefits and costs
of such an activity. Income also is obtained from other sources
such as interest, rents, capital gains, dividends, and profits.
• Benchmark 2, Grade 4: People earn an income when they are hired
by an employer to work at a job.
• Standard 3: Saving. Saving is the part of income that people choose
to set aside for future uses. People save for different reasons
during the course of their lives. People make different choices
about how they save and how much they save. Time, interest rates,
and inflation affect the value of savings.
• Benchmark 4, Grade 4: People set savings goals as incentives to
save. One savings goal might be to buy goods and services in the
future.
Common Core State Standards of Mathematics
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
• Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
• CCSS.Math Content 1.OA.A.1: Use addition and subtraction within
20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking
from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with
unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and
equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the
problem.
• CCSS.Math Content 2.OA.A.1: Use addition and subtraction within
100 to solve one and two-step word problems involving situations
of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and
comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings
and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent
the problem.
Measurement and Data
Work with Time and Money
• CCSS.Math Content 2.MD.C.8: Solve word problems involving dollar
bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and ¢ symbols
appropriately. Example: If you have 2 dimes and 3 pennies, how
many cents do you have?
Primary Source Choices These students have just started to get into the world of
understanding money. By reading this book to them, the students
are getting a better understanding of how money works, other than
 just how to count and identify them. I was able to pull in primary
sources from places that the student might have been to before or
driven past.
Content Preparation Content Preparation: In the story Curious George Saves His Pennies,
George wants to buy a new bright-red train, but he does not have
enough money. At the suggestion of his friend, George saves his
money to buy the train. In this lesson, the students draw an outline of
a piggy bank, within which they write a word for or draw a picture of
something they would like to buy. This becomes their savings goal.
They listen to the story, and as George finds some ways to earn
money, the students come up with ways they can earn money to reach
their savings goals. Students are introduced to the difference between
income and gift money. They participate in an activity where they
determine if they are receiving income or gift money and how many
weeks it will take them to reach their savings goal. Students also
discuss why George did not buy the original red train he wanted.

Study of the Primary Source: All the sources that I have picked out
are based on the local area. Pulling in sources from local areas that the
students might know helps them be engaged in the lesson.

The first photo is of the 1st bank that was built in Alton IL. This
building was the bank for many years before it closed down. The
building was sitting empty before Riverbender.com bought it and
turned it into their headquarters.

The second photo is of money that the Bank of Edwardsville was

handing out when they opened. This is to show how the paper
currency has changed over time and how we use money now.

The third photo is of the first bank of Edwardsville. This bank is now
known as Busey Bank.

The last photo is of money today. It is so students can see and be able
to identify what they are.

Physical Preparation and • Margret & H.A. Rey’s Curious George Saves His Pennies by
Instructional Materials Monica Peres
• Visual 1: Piggy Bank
• Visual 2: Savings Goals
• Handout 1: My Savings Goal, one for each student
• Handout 2: Money Wheel, one for each pair of students
• Handout 3: Reaching Our Savings Goals, one copy for each
pair of students.
• Handout 4: Assessment, one for each student
 • Handout 5: Primary Source, one for each pair
• Pencils
• Paperclip, one for each pair of students
Instructional Procedures Estimate Time: 90 mins
and
Student Inquiry Procedure
1. Ask the students for an example of something they would like to
have but do not have enough money to buy. (Answers will vary but
may include sports equipment, a pet, a clothing item, a game, or a
book.) I
2. Show the students Visual 1: Piggy Bank or bring a piggy bank to
class. Ask them how people use a piggy bank. (Answers will vary but
may include using it as a place to save their money, or store their
money.)Explain that a piggy bank is a place to save your money. K, TC
3. Explain to the students that saving means keeping some of your
income to buy things in the future.
4. Distribute a copy of Handout 1: My Savings Goal to each student.
Instruct the students to draw a large outline of a piggy bank in the
box and to write a word for or draw a picture of something for which
they would like to save. K
5. Tell the students that now they have a savings goal. Explain that a
savings goal is a good or service that you want to buy in the future. I
6. Tell the students that they are going to listen to a story about a
little monkey named Curious George. Instruct them to listen for
George’s savings goal and to how he gets the money he needs to
reach his goal. I
7. Read the book Curious George Saves His Pennies. Discuss the
following: TC, E
• What was George’s savings goal? (A red train)
• How did George get the money he needed to buy the train?
(He got an allowance from his friend, found money at home,
raked leaves for his neighbor Mr. Reddy, washed windows,
distributed flyers, delivered flowers, and did dishes.)
8. Explain that income is the payment people earn for the work they
do. People earn income when they are hired by an employer to work
at a job. Discuss the following: TC, E
• How did George earn income? (By raking leaves for Mr.
Reddy, washing windows, distributing flyers, delivering
flowers, and doing dishes)
• How have you earned income? (Answers will vary but may
include making the bed, taking out the trash, helping take
care of a sister or brother, collecting the mail for a neighbor,
or receiving an allowance.) Note: Allowance can fall into
 earned income or gift money (see step 10 below), depending
on whether parents expect children to complete specific
chores as part of receiving the allowance.
• How does a teacher earn income? (By teaching students) A
doctor? (By helping sick people) A custodian? (By cleaning the
school or an office) A mail carrier? (By delivering mail) A
carpenter? (By building things)
9. Remind the students of the savings goal they each drew in their
piggy bank outline on Handout 1. Instruct them to think about ways
they could earn income to reach their savings goal
and to complete the sentence below their piggy bank. TC
10. Explain that money can also be received as a gift from family or
friends. This is called gift money. Gift money is freely given and not
earned. Ask the students for examples of when they have received
gift money. (Answers will vary but may include gift money for
birthdays and special occasions or as an allowance.) I
11. Discuss the following: TC, E
• Where did George save his money? (In a piggy bank)
• In what other places do people save their money? (Answers
will vary but may include in a jar, in a drawer, under the
mattress, or in a bank or credit union.)
• What happened to George’s piggy bank? (He lost it at the
park.)
• What could George have done to keep his piggy bank safe?
(Answers will vary but may include that he could have been
more responsible by not playing with the children after
getting the windsock and by going straight to the store to buy
his train, or by keeping a closer eye on the piggy bank at the
park.)
• Why did George change his mind and not buy the red train?
(He wanted to reward Hana for her good deed of returning his
piggy bank.)
12. Group the students into pairs. Distribute to each pair of students
a copy of Handout 2: Money Wheel, a copy of Handout 3: Reaching
Our Savings Goal, a pencil, and a paper clip. Display
Visual 2: Savings Goals. Instruct each pair of students to select a
savings goal and write it in the appropriate space on Handout 3
13. Demonstrate how to use Handout 2. Place a rounded end of the
paper clip over the large black dot in the center and then place the
pencil inside the paper clip on the dot. Spin the paper clip, and where
it lands will tell the students how much money they have and
whether it is earned income or gift money.
14. Instruct the students to take turns spinning the paper clip to
determine if they are earning income or receiving gift money each
week and how much they are earning or receiving.
15. Display Handout 3 and model for students how to complete the
handout as follows (see the example below): C
• Tell the students that your savings goal is a toy train that
costs $10. Fill in the top of the chart with your savings goal
and the amount needed to reach your goal.
• Spin the Money Wheel. Identify in Week 1, column 2 whether
you are earning income or receiving gift money.
• Tell the students how much you have earned as income or
received as a gift and write that amount down for Week 1 in
columns 3 and 4.
• Ask the students if you have enough to buy the train. Write
“Yes” or “No” in Week 1, column 5. If “No,” ask them how
much more money is needed and how they can determine the
amount. (Subtract the total amount saved from the savings
goal.) Write the amount that is needed in Week 1, column 6.
• Ask the students how they can determine the total amount
saved beginning with Week 2. (Add the total money saved in
Week 1 to the money received in Week 2.) Spin the wheel
again, fill in the chart, and continue until you have reached
your goal.

16. Allow time for the students to complete Handout 3 and then
discuss the following: TC, A, C
• How many weeks did it take to reach your savings goal?
(Answers will vary.)
• How did you determine if you reached your savings goal?
(Answers will vary but should reference that total money
received from income and gift money was equal to or greater
than the value of the savings goal.)
• How did you determine if you had not reached your savings
goal? (Answers will vary but should reference that total
money received from income and gift money was less than
the value of the savings goal.)
• How did you determine how much more money you needed if
you did not meet your savings goal? (Subtracted the amount
saved from the amount of the savings goal)
• How can a savings goal help us get what we want? (The goal
reminds us of what we want and that to achieve the goal we
have to save our money.)
 17. Instruct the students to each take their drawing of their savings
goal home and hang it in their room to remind them to save so that
they can reach their goal.

Closure
18. Review the important content in the lesson by discussing the
following: (Use primary source to show local places in the area to
help students answer the following questions) TC, A, C
• What is saving? (Saving is keeping some of your income to
buy things in the future.)
• What is a savings goal? (A savings goal is a good or service
that you want to buy in the future.)
• What is income? (Income is payment people earn for the work
they do.)
• What is gift money? (Gift money is freely given and not
earned.)
• Which of the following are examples of gift money and which
are examples of income?: Cash from your grandmother for
your birthday (Gift money); Payment for cleaning out your toy
box (Income); Money from your neighbor for feeding their
cats (Income); Money from a relative for a special occasion
(Gift money)
• Why is it important to have a savings goal? (Having a savings
goal reminds us of what we want and how much we must
save to reach our goal.)
Key
o I = Inquiry
o K = Knowledge
o TC = Make interpretations or think critically
o A = Awareness of issues (local, global) or diverse
perspectives
o C = Communication with small or whole group
o E = Use of evidence to support conclusions
Note: These may not be present in every lesson.
Assessment How will the learner be assessed? Provide information about
formative and/or summative assessments, using the following
information:
• Make a list of indicators that will tell you if your students are
meeting the objectives.
• Using your indicators, make an assessment tool (rubric, checklist,
etc.) or use the VTS to show that you can measure your objectives
and ensure that your lesson is aligned. Include this tool with your
project.
 • Include an assessment narrative that describes how your objectives,
instructional strategy, choice of primary sources, and student
products align.
• Remember the assessment(s) should be clear and realistic for
learners.
Observation:
• Are the students listening to the story
• Are the students participating in whole/ small group discussions?
• Are the students completing the handouts?
Questioning:
• Are the students answering questions with evidence?
Handouts:
Reflection Explain how your BBD plan is aligned throughout the lesson.
a) My BBD and primary sources are all connected by the basic
concept of money. They all work to show how to count money,
save money, and how money came to be.
What areas of your plan concern you? Describe your concerns and how
you might address them.
b) The area that concerns me is that there might be too many
handouts/ questions for the students to fill out. It might take up
too much time to fill it out.
What interventions do you have in mind if students don’t engage in
inquiry with the primary sources?
c) One way I can fix this is by making them relevant and connected.
Making a connection between the primary sources and students'
own lives helps them see the relevance of the sources. Which can
motivate the students to engage.
In what ways will you accommodate students who are of varied ability
levels?
d) Some of the ways I will accommodate my students are by reading
the questions to the students, writing the answers on the board for
them to copy, and having the students work in pairs.
 Reflect on what your CT had to say about your lesson (successes,
suggestions, next steps, etc.)
e) After teaching my lessons and talking it over with my CT she was
very pleased with how it went. She liked how I took the student's
answers and put them on the board. This made it so that the lesson
didn’t drag on and the students were able to still give input, be
able to copy and write down the answers without having to ask to
spell every word. One thing I would have done differently was
handing out all the worksheets at once. Once the students were
done with the first one they wanted to flip the page over and start
on the next one. Most of the students didn’t know what they were
“doing” and got upset about having to redo it.

Book Backdrop Resources

Cover Image Bibliographic Book type:
Information: Children's Literature/ Fiction
Authors: Margret Setting and time period:
& H.A Rey Current/ Everyday life
Published: January Subjects:
7, 2014 Social Science, Economics, Financial
Literacy, Mathematics

Summary:

In the story
Curious George
Saves His Pennies,
George wants to
buy a new bright-
red train, but he
does not have
enough money. At
the suggestion of
his friends, George
 saves his money to
buy the train.
Primary Source Thumbnail Caption LOC Digital ID
Publication
Information
Book Notes

The first bank was https://www.riverbender.com/history

built in Alton IL.
Now the
headquarters for
Riverbender.Com

A $3 that the Bank https://www.theintelligencer.com

of Edwards was
giving out when
the bank first
opened

What does the St. https://www.stlouisfed.org/about-

Louis Federal us/history
Reserve Bank do
for other banks?

What US currency https://www.usmint.gov

looks like now