Christmas time is full of songs, cookies, and gift wish lists. I thought it would be the perfect time to integrate the Social Studies lesson “wants vs. needs” into our curriculum. This is a topic we learn about in Kindergarten, and discussing what we need vs. want during the Christmas season was extremely impactful.
First, I read the Capstone Wants vs. Needs Books to my class. These were great because they cover the topics of clothes, food, possessions, and place to live. Once we read the books, we made a list of things that we have in our life. I brought in a couple of items into the class and labeled them: shirt, shorts, candy... Then as a class we made a list of things that we want or need and I wrote them onto colorful word strips. Once everyone had a turn to share, we sorted the objects in to categories: wants vs. needs. I labeled each stocking and we set the words under them. My plan is to put all the words in the stockings, and I can leave this as one of my learning centers for the month of December. This lesson encouraged valuable conversation for the whole class. There was some debate over specific items (pets, cellphones, cars) deciding if they were a want or need. We all agreed on one thing though...Starbucks was definitely a "need" for teachers. ;)