Goods and Service (Marketplaces post #2)

Our second unit for this year is on How We Organize Ourselves.

Grade 3 and 4 are exploring the Central Idea that people share their responsibilities in communities through offering goods and services in marketplaces.


Our second and third lines of inquiry with this Transdisciplinary Theme are into how goods are produced and how goods and services are exchanged.

We begun by asking the question "Where do our goods come from?"

Grade 3 watched a Farm to Table video where we were introduced to Olivia - a shopkeeper with an empty store! As Olivia journeyed to the sources of her fruits, vegetables, milk products and meats we tried to solve the mystery of why the farmers had not delivered their products to Olivia and we learned about farm goods.

After this we began to look at goods not sourced locally. Grade 3 learners brought in products from home and used a barcode tracking website to figure out where they were produced. This led to a discussion on imports and exports and an exciting trading activity.

Next we got a little more practical and, shall we say...
hands on.

Osaka based artist Aya Kowata visited Grade 3 &4 to talk about her life as a working artist and conduct a workshop on creativity and abstract expressionist art.

Since then, Grade 3 have been developing their own styles and are working to produce pieces for sale at the Christmas Market (along with some other artistic treats... Make sure to come along on the 18th Dec. to see the results of our creativity).

For our inquiry into how goods and services are exchanged we asked the question "How do we price our goods (or services)?"

To instigate this discussion, Grade 3 & 4 needed some food for thought.

We got together in the canteen and made Ms.J's famous 'No Bake Cake Pops':
- 24 Oreo cookies
- 4 oz Cream cheese
- 5 oz Chocolate
- Sprinkles

Crush the cookies until thoroughly crumbled.

Pour the crumbs into a bowl and add the cream cheese. Using your hands, mix the cream cheese in with the crumbs.

Roll into balls.

Refrigerate for an hour or so.

Melt the chocolate.

Take out the cake pops and stick them onto a lollipop stick. 
Dip them into the chocolate and add colored sprinkles.
Refrigerate again until the chocolate sets.

While you wait - clean up!

Some excellent discussion ensued as we talked about expenses, competition, making a profit and the demand for our product.

To further develop our understanding of supply and demand we invited a local expert into our class. Mr. Brabant is the school's club coordinator. He spoke to us about how the school's clubs are affected by demand and how the price is set according to expenses.

The next step is to consider the concept of Responsibility and how buyers can use leverage their power to demand fair trade and ethically produced goods.