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FEDERAL RESERVE BANKS OF ST. LOUIS AND PHILADELPHIA ECONOMIC EDUCATION Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman? By Patricia C. and Fredrick McKissack / ISBN-13: 978-0-590-44691-4 Lesson Author Barbara Flowers, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Standards and Benchmarks (see page 16) Lesson Description In this lesson, students read the story of Sojourner Truth and discuss events that took place during her lifetime. Among these were the abolition of slavery and the effects of policies pertaining to abolition. Students will determine the costs, benefits, and unintended consequences of policies, beginning with an analysis of costs, benefits, and unintended consequences of a policy that would allow them to take two years off of school before advancing to middle school. They will analyze the effects of policies noted in the book and continue the analysis by examining government policies. Grade Level 6-8 Concepts Benefits Costs Unintended consequences Objectives Students will • define benefits, costs, and unintended consequences; and • identify costs, benefits, and unintended consequences of sample policies. Time 60 minutes © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 1 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth Materials • Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman? by Patricia C. and Fredrick McKissack (ISBN-13: 978-0-590-44691-4) • Handout 1: Schedule of the Perfect Day, one copy per student and one copy for the teacher to use as a visual • Handout 2: Policies and Consequences, one copy cut into strips, one strip per student (being careful that pairs of strips are used), and one copy for the teacher to serve as an answer key • Handout 3: Assessment, one copy for each student Procedure 1. Display Handout 1: Schedule of the Perfect Day. Explain to the students that you are going to create a schedule of their perfect non-school day. Begin asking students to describe their day, hour by hour. A sample table is below. The Perfect Day Time Activity 8:00-9:00 a.m. Play video games 9:00-10:00 a.m. Play video games 10:00-11:00 a.m. Play video games 11:00-noon Eat, get dressed, text friends Noon-1:00 p.m. Go swimming at water park 1:00-2:00 p.m. Go swimming at water park 2:00-3:00 p.m. Go swimming at water park 3:00-4:00 p.m. Visit snack bar, hang with friends 4:00-5:00 p.m. Go to early-bird movie 5:00-6:00 p.m. Movie 6:00-7:00 p.m. Movie and theater arcade 7:00-8:00 p.m. Pizza with friends 8:00-9:00 p.m. Play video games at home 9:00-10:00 p.m. Play video games, text friends © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 2 Lesson Plan 2. 3. Sojourner Truth Distribute Handout 1. As the students mention activities, choose a few to write on the displayed copy of Handout 1 while having students fill in their own “perfect day” table with their own preferences. When students have completed the common table and their individual tables, ask the following questions: • What would you do if you had a day off of school? (Answers will vary.) • If you were planning the perfect week, what additional activities would you do? (Answers will vary.) • Let’s say you have two months to do anything you want to do. What additional activities would you do? (Answers will vary.) Write the word “benefits” on the board and define benefits as things that are favorable to a decisionmaker. Ask students what benefits they could see for students entering sixth grade to take two years off of school before proceeding to middle school. Record the benefits on the board. Some possible benefits follow: • You are only young once and should spend some of that time having fun. • There are important social and learning benefits associated with some activities done outside of school. • Students this age have been learning the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic and should take a break before moving on to the next level. • Students with younger brothers and sisters could help with the child care while their parents work. 4. Ask students to imagine a new government policy that allows students to take two years off of school before continuing with middle school. Explain that this break from school would be strictly voluntary. Students could forgo the break and continue immediately into middle school if they chose to. 5. Ask for a show of hands of students who might think about taking two years off. Explain that the students have already started on a list of benefits that might be gained as a result of this government policy. 6. Write “costs” to the right of the word “benefits” on the board. Explain that costs are things unfavorable to a decisionmaker. In this case, costs would be unfavorable outcomes of deciding to take two years off of school. Ask the students for possible costs, and record these on the board. Some possible costs follow: • Students might forget much of what they’ve learned for the past six years and have to spend a great deal of time relearning. • Students might lose study skills and find it hard to set aside time to study or to concentrate. © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 3 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth • After being out of the classroom for so long, students might find it difficult to sit for long periods of time and pay attention. • Students who chose to stay home would be two years behind students who chose to stay in school, and thus two years behind those of the same age entering high school, college, and the workforce. • Students who chose to stay home would be two years behind students in other countries who eventually will be competing for jobs in the same labor market as the stay-home students. 7. Explain that the costs the students recorded were foreseen, meaning that the students are able to anticipate costs or problems with the policy and make a decision as to whether the policy is a good one. 8. Explain that policymakers must make decisions about what government can provide with its limited resources. They should consider all costs and benefits when making choices. However, policies are often instituted without policymakers knowing all of the possible outcomes. Policymakers may pass a policy quickly to make the benefits available quickly, so they don’t have time to consider all of the possible outcomes. However, it is also the case that policymakers cannot fully know what the future will hold for the policy—they can never fully anticipate all of a policy’s costs and benefits. Sometimes there are unforeseen costs. These unforeseen costs can be so severe that if people had known about them, they would have rejected the government policy. 9. The list below contains some costs and benefits the students may not have considered regarding taking two years off of school. If so, suggest that these are unintended consequences of this policy. Unintended consequences are unforeseen costs or benefits. Note that unintended consequences can be positive or negative, as exemplified in this list: • Teachers may be laid off if fewer students attend school. • Parents may have to take time off from work or find day care for their children. This would be expensive for families because they would receive less income or have an increase in daycare expenses. • Parents may find it necessary to allow their children to stay home alone, and the children may do things they shouldn’t be doing. • Children may learn valuable housekeeping skills as parents rely on the children to clean and cook while they are home. • New businesses may be developed offering instruction in areas that differ from the typical middle-school curriculum, such as cooking classes, small-business classes, financial-investment classes, or mechanics classes. • Camps might consider offering outdoor experiences such as hiking, boating, or wilderness training. © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 4 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth 10. Ask the students who chose the two-years-off option to raise their hands if they have changed their minds about the policy and would now go to school. Ask the students who indicated they would stay in school for the two years to raise their hands if they have changed their minds about the policy and would now stay home. 11. Explain that decisions are often made without a full understanding of the possible costs. 12. Have the student read the book Sojourner Truth, Ain’t I a Woman? and ask them to consider unintended consequences encountered by the characters. 13. In the book, Sojourner Truth, Ain’t I a Woman?, what were some unintended consequences that resulted from the decisions made? (Answers will vary but may include that Baumfree and Mau Mau Bett, although free, couldn’t take care of themselves or that freed slaves had no money to make a home for themselves.) 14. Read the following excerpt from the book (page 137) and then ask the questions that follow: Then on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln finally signed an executive order ending slavery in the rebel states. All person held as slaves within any state or designated part of a state, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward and forever free. The Emancipation Proclamation was received in the North with cheers and tears. Church bells rang in thousands of churches. There was dancing in the streets. Sojourner gathered with her friends in Battle Creek and celebrated with singing, cheering, and long speeches. • How did people react to the Emancipation Proclamation? (They cheered, cried for joy, danced and sung, rang church bells, and made speeches.) • Why did abolitionists insist that Abraham Lincoln free the slaves? (Slavery is wrong.) 15. Read two paragraphs beginning on page 142 with “Parts of Washington, D.C., reminded Sojourner…” and ending on page 143 with “...she could do for the Bureau.” Ask the following questions: • What happened to the slaves who were suddenly freed? (Many of the freed slaves ended up in the streets with no opportunities to support themselves.) • Why were the freed slaves unable to support themselves? (Freed slaves had no education, no money, and only limited skills.) • Why were the freed slaves uneducated? (Slave owners, for the most part, did not allow slaves to become educated because if they were educated and could read, they could communicate with each other more effectively and perhaps fight their slavery together.) © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 5 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth • Why didn’t the freed slaves have money? (Slaves weren’t paid.) • Why did the freed slaves have limited skills? (Slaves were mostly used as farm workers and as domestic help, so their skills were limited to those areas.) 16. Read the next two paragraphs, beginning on page 143 with “When Sojourner heard… ” and ending with “…just outside Washington.” Ask the following questions: • Where did Sojourner go to help the freed slaves? (Freedman’s Village) • What was Freedman’s Village? (Freedman’s Village was a village of neat cottages where freed slaves could live.) • If freed slaves could live in Freedman’s Village, why was there a problem with former slaves having no place to live or crowding into tenements? (There weren’t enough Freedman’s Villages.) 17. Instruct students to brainstorm a list of policies the government could have initiated that would have avoided the problem of freed people moving into the cities without support. Record the policies on the board. (Answers will vary.) 18. Tell students that you are going to read possible policy actions (which may or may not have been mentioned previously) and that the students should suggest any consequences that might result from each policy. If students do not suggest the possible consequences, suggest that these might be unintended consequences. Policy The government provides more Freedman’s Villages. Possible consequences • Because of money spent on the villages, the government must cut other services it provides. • There are still not enough villages to accommodate all freed people. The government emancipates slaves in stages. • It is unfair that some people must wait for freedom. • Slave owners take further advantage of the remaining slaves and make them work even harder. The government mandates that each slave owner pay each freed slave six months of living expenses. • Former slave owners are voters, and freed slaves are still not allowed to vote, so political representatives who support the payments are voted out of office. • Because former slave owners must now pay their workers, the added expense of paying living expenses for freed slaves puts their businesses at risk of failure. There will be fewer paying jobs for freed slaves. © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 6 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth 19. Explain that people often make decisions without anticipating possible consequences. This also happens with local, state, and federal government. 20. Provide a slip from Handout 2: Policies and Consequences to each student, making sure that only matched sets are handed out. Explain that half of the students have received actual government policies and half of the students have received consequences of those government policies, written as a statement by a person affected by the given policy. Instruct the students with consequences to find the student with the policy that created that consequence. 21. Debrief the activity by asking the following questions of each pair of students, then explain each law in more detail as noted: • What was the policy? (Students should read the policy slip.) • What was a possible consequence of the policy? (Students should either read or paraphrase the quote on their slip.) • Was this a good policy? (Answers will vary.) • Rent controls that keep the monthly rent low are placed on apartments in a given city to keep rent affordable for low-income people in that city. Explain that in some areas of New York, there are limits on the amount of rent landlords can charge. For the landlords, the rent they charge must be enough to pay for the costs of (i) interior maintenance of the apartment, such as cleaning, repairs, and painting; (ii) ongoing expenses, such as for the property mortgage, insurance, and trash removal; and (iii) exterior maintenance of the property, such as lawn care, painting, and building repairs. If the rent isn’t high enough to cover these costs, landlords will not buy properties to provide for people who want or need to rent housing. Apartment buildings will sit empty, and there will not be enough properties to rent to the low-income people who need a place to live. The policymakers who designed this policy may not have anticipated that there would be a shortage of apartments. • The state’s minimum wage—the lowest amount an employer can pay a worker per hour of work—increases to $9 per hour. Explain as follows: Let’s say an employer has 10 workers and pays them each $7 per hour for a total cost of $70 per hour. If the minimum wage increases to $9 per hour, the employer’s cost would increase to $90 per hour. If the employer can’t afford that increase, she might lay off two workers. In such a case, workers with few skills or young workers are likely to lose their jobs first. Another possibility is that if two workers quit, the employer won’t hire new ones. The policymakers who designed this policy may not have anticipated that employers might hire fewer workers. • The federal government provides income for older people in the form of Social Security. Explain that Social Security was designed to be a safety net for older adults past a certain age who don’t have enough money to buy food and © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 7 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth pay for their other expenses. Over the years, the amount of money paid to older adults has grown, and many people think of Social Security as their primary source of retirement income rather than a safety net to cover unanticipated expenses. Therefore, some people fail to save enough money for their retirement. These people instead spend their money on goods and services when they are young and depend on Social Security for their old-age income. The policymakers who designed Social Security may not have anticipated people saving less because of this government benefit. • The government places a quota (a limit) on the amount of steel that can be imported. This quota protects American steelworkers’ jobs. Explain that steelworkers complained to government representatives that steel producers from other countries were selling steel in the United States at prices lower than U.S. steel. When auto manufacturers buy foreign steel, U.S. steelworkers lose their jobs. Government representatives limited the amount of steel allowed into the United States. Limiting steel imports, however, reduces the competition for U.S. steel producers and allows them to maintain higher prices than if they had to compete with foreign producers. Higher-priced steel causes an increase in the price of things made with steel, such as new cars. The representatives who designed the policy may not have anticipated the loss of American autoworkers’ jobs. • The government pays people to trade in their old, gas-guzzling cars for new, fuel-efficient cars. As part of the deal, car dealers destroy the old cars. Explain that government representatives wanted to encourage people to buy new cars to improve the economy. At the same time, the representatives wanted to reduce gas consumption by reducing the number of cars that require more gasoline per mile. When old cars were traded for news cars, the old cars were destroyed. Because low-income people usually buy cheap used cars, however, many of the cars they would have purchased were destroyed in the government program. The price of the remaining used cars increased. The representatives who voted for this policy may not have anticipated that the policy would increase the price of used cars. • State governments pass laws requiring child-care businesses with more than four children enrolled to have a license. This law includes people who run child-care businesses in their homes. Explain that some state governments require that child-care businesses be licensed. To receive a license, child-care businesses must limit the number of children cared for by one person. By limiting the number of children that can be cared for, the amount of child care available in a community is less than it would be if there were higher limits, or no limits at all. The reduction in the number of child-care slots makes each available slot more expensive and increases the price parents must pay for child care. The representatives who voted for the limitation may not have anticipated that fewer child-care slots would increase the price of care and make it difficult for some people to afford child care. © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 8 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth • After an oil spill, many states enact unlimited liability laws on oil tankers. Unlimited liability means that there is no limit to the amount of money companies must pay for damages that result from an oil spill. Explain that with no limits on the amount of money an oil company might have to pay if it damages the environment by spilling oil, some oil companies are unwilling to use their tankers to carry oil. However, the oil must be carried if the nation is going to have gasoline and heating oil. So, some oil companies hire small tanker firms that are willing to take the risk of transporting oil but do not have the money to have a fleet of well-maintained tankers. Such a practice could increase the chances of having a spill. The representatives who voted for unlimited liability laws may not have anticipated that large oil companies would have small tanker companies carry oil. • The government passes a law limiting how much money banks can charge store owners for letting customers use debit cards. Explain that store owners want to accept debit cards for payments of goods and services because so many customers carry debit cards instead of cash. However, store owners complained that the fees banks charged them for accepting debit cards were too high. Some policymakers agreed with store owners, so a law was passed that reduced the fee store owners are charged. Because banks now receive far less revenue, they are looking for other fees to charge or increase to make up the difference. The representatives who voted to limit debit card fees may not have anticipated increases in other bank fees. • The government declares the red-cockaded woodpecker, which nests in old-growth pines, a protected species. This declaration means that the birds’ nests may not be disturbed. Explain that since the rule was enacted, owners of land that might attract the birds have been cutting down the trees so that the woodpeckers cannot build a nest. If no birds can be found on the land, the government cannot prohibit timber farmers from cutting down trees and selling the wood. However, if the woodpeckers are found on the land, the timber producers would be prohibited from cutting the trees. The representatives who voted for this law may not have anticipated that the law would actually further reduce the woodpeckers’ habitat. • To raise revenue, a city increases its parking meter and city-owned lot fees by 100 percent. Explain that parking fees can bring in a lot of money to city governments and that money can be used to pay for city services, such as police or streets. Sales taxes from businesses also generate income for cities. If people do not come to the stores, the stores will fail to generate sales-tax revenue for cities. The representatives who voted to raise parking fees may not have anticipated that sales-tax revenue would fall or that business owners would not make as much money. • Policymakers encourage the production of ethanol, a biofuel made from corn, as a cleaner alternative to gasoline. Explain that in 2008, a worldwide © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 9 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth corn shortage was blamed for the increase in food prices. Companies that produce ethanol, a fuel made from corn, were trying to buy corn from farmers. At the same time, food producers were also trying to buy corn from farmers. The competition for corn made the price of corn increase. The representatives who encouraged the production of ethanol may not have anticipated increased corn prices. 22. Explain that people can take different sides on a policy, with some people feeling that the benefits from the policy outweigh the costs. Other people will feel that the cost is too great for the benefit received. When there are unintended consequences, people who supported the policy before the unintended consequences were known might change their minds, thinking that the known costs and unintended consequences outweigh the benefits. Closure 23. Relate the following story: In 1867, the United States bought the territory of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, approximately 2.5 cents per acre. The purchase was conducted by Secretary of State William H. Seward. Seward’s goal in purchasing the territory was to increase the size and military stance of the United States. The purchase was widely criticized and became known as “Seward’s Folly,” but in the 1890s, large amounts of gold were discovered in Alaska. 24. Ask the following questions: • What are costs? (Costs are things unfavorable to a decisionmaker.) • What was the cost of the United States purchasing the territory of Alaska? ($7.2 million; other government purchases that could be made with $7.2 million) • What are benefits? (Benefits are things that are favorable to a decisionmaker.) • What was the benefit of the government purchasing Alaska? (The United States obtained more territory.) • Why did the U.S. government purchase the territory of Alaska? (The government made the purchase to increase the size and military stance of the United States.) • How did people react to the purchase? (Some criticized the purchase and called it Seward’s Folly, which meant it was believed a foolish purchase.) • What are unintended consequences? (Unintended consequences are unforeseen costs or benefits.) • What was an unintended consequence of the United States purchasing the territory of Alaska? (Large amounts of gold were discovered in Alaska.) • Was this a positive or negative unintended consequence? (This was a positive consequence.) © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 10 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth Assessment 25. Distribute Handout 3: Assessment. Explain that students are to read the story and answer the questions. Review student answers. Handout 3: Assessment Answer Key • What was the problem in Littleville? (The town did not have a sewage treatment facility so the sewage went directly into the river, causing pollution.) • What action did the town leaders take to solve the problem? (The town leaders decided to build a sewage treatment facility.) • What was the cost of the action? (The citizens had to give up twice-weekly trash collection and have trash collected only twice a month.) • What was the benefit of the action? (The river was clean.) • Describe any unintended consequences resulting from the action. (Tourists came to Littleville to float on the river. Businesses developed and grew. The town got more tax revenue to offer services, including frequent trash collection, street cleaning, and a swimming pool.) © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 11 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth Handout 1: Schedule of the Perfect Day The Perfect Day TIME ACTIVITY 8:00-9:00 a.m. 9:00-10:00 a.m. 10:00-11:00 a.m. 11:00-noon Noon-1:00 p.m. 1:00-2:00 p.m. 2:00-3:00 p.m. 3:00-4:00 p.m. 4:00-5:00 p.m. 5:00-6:00 p.m. 6:00-7:00 p.m. 7:00-8:00 p.m. 8:00-9:00 p.m. 9:00-10:00 p.m. © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 12 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth Handout 2: Policies and Consequences (page 1 of 2) Policy Rent controls that keep the monthly rent low are placed on apartments in a given city to keep rent affordable for low-income people in that city. Consequence “I can’t find an apartment to rent. Landlords say they can’t earn enough money from rent to pay for the upkeep.” Policy The state’s minimum wage—the lowest amount an employer can pay a worker per hour of work—increases to $9.00 per hour. Consequence “I can’t find a job. I don’t have any work experience and no one is willing to pay me $9.00 per hour.” Policy The federal government provides income for older people in the form of Social Security. Consequence “I probably should save more money for my retirement, but I really want a boat, and I’ll have retirement income through Social Security.” Policy The government places a quota (a limit) on the amount of steel that can be imported. This quota protects American steelworkers’ jobs. Consequence “I’ve been an autoworker for 15 years. Can you believe I just got laid off? Steel got so expensive, the price of American cars went up. Now, nobody is buying American cars.” Policy The government pays people to trade in their old, gas-guzzling cars for new, fuelefficient cars. As part of the deal, car dealers destroy the old cars. Consequence “I need a car to get back and forth to work, but I can’t find any good, used cars that I can afford.” Policy State governments pass laws requiring childcare businesses with more than four children enrolled to have a license. This law includes people who run child-care businesses in their homes. Consequence “I start my job on Monday, and I still don’t know where the kids will go. The child-care homes I can afford are full.” © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 13 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth Handout 2: Policies and Consequences (page 2 of 2) Consequence Policy After an oil spill, many states enact unlimited liability laws on oil tankers. Unlimited liability means that there is no limit to the amount of money companies must pay for damages that result from an oil spill. “Did you read the news today? There was an oil spill off the coast. Some rusty, old tanker sprang a leak. The article said that the large oil companies have stronger tankers and better insurance but instead hire smaller companies to carry their oil.” Policy The government passes a law limiting how much money banks can charge store owners for letting customers use debit cards. Consequence “It’s hard to find a checking account that doesn’t charge a fee. Banks say they are losing money on debit cards, so they’re charging fees on other stuff.” Policy The government declared the red-cockaded woodpecker, which nests in old-growth pines, a protected species. This declaration means that the birds’ nests may not be disturbed. Consequence “I’m cutting down those pine trees before those woodpeckers have a chance to nest. Once they build nests, I’ll never be able to harvest the trees.” Policy To raise revenue, a city increases its parking meter and city-owned lot fees by 100 percent. Consequence “I’m not shopping downtown anymore; parking is too expensive.” Policy Policymakers encourage the production of ethanol, a biofuel made from corn, as a cleaner alternative to gasoline. Consequence “Wow, I can’t believe how much my grocery bill has increased. I heard the corn shortage is making food more expensive.” © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 14 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth Handout 3: Assessment Littleville was a river town consisting of farmers, a few merchants supplying goods and services, a few churches, a police station, a courthouse, and a community hall. All the people worked hard to earn money, but the money in the town simply circulated among the townspeople, with the merchants and city workers buying food from the farmers, the farmers buying goods and services from the merchants, and the farmers and merchants paying taxes, which paid the city workers. The town was poor, with little prospect for growth. The city also had a sewage service. Each house had a sewer pipe that joined a larger pipe under the street. Each of the street pipes was connected to an even larger pipe that carried the waste to the river. And, that was the end of the line. The waste dumped directly into the river. Over time, the river became more and more polluted. Several town members, sickened by the foul river, urged Littleville leaders to build a sewage treatment facility, but the leaders said they would not spend the town’s limited money on sewage; there were more important services to provide, like twice-weekly trash collection. After all, it was a very poor town. However, over time, the cry from Littleville residents grew louder: “Fix our polluted river!” So, the town leaders reduced trash collection to twice each month and used the money saved to build a sewage treatment plant. Soon, the river water was clean and clear. And then, an amazing thing happened. People began to visit Littleville to float on the river. Canoe rental shops opened. Raft stores opened. Restaurants opened. Suddenly, Littleville was full of tourists and the tourists’ money! All of the merchants had more customers, earned more money, and paid more taxes! In no time at all, Littleville could afford street cleaning, a town swimming pool, a new police car, and twice-weekly trash collection! • What was the problem in Littleville? • What action did the town leaders take to solve the problem? • What was the cost of the action? • What was the benefit of the action? • Describe any unintended consequences resulting from the action. © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 15 Lesson Plan Sojourner Truth Standards and Benchmarks National Standards in Economics Standard 1: Productive resources are limited. Therefore, people cannot have all the goods and services they want; as a result, they must choose some things and give up others. • Benchmark 3, Grade 8: The choices people make have both present and future consequences. • Benchmark 4, Grade 8: The evaluation of choices and opportunity costs is subjective; such evaluations differ across individuals and societies. Standard 3: Different methods can be used to allocate goods and services. People acting individually or collectively most choose which methods to use to allocate different kinds of goods and services. • Benchmark 1, Grade 8: Scarcity requires the use of some distribution method to allocate goods, services, and resources, whether the method is selected explicitly or not. Common Core State Standards, English Language Arts Reading: Literature, Grades 4-6 • Key Ideas and Details RL.4.1, RL.5.1, RL.6.1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RL.4.2, RL.5.2, RL.6.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. Speaking and Listening • Comprehension and Collaboration, Grade 5 SL.5.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. SL.5.1a: Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. SL.5.1b: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. SL.5.1c: Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. SL.5.1d: Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions. © 2012, Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy this lesson in its entirety for educational purposes, provided the user credits the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, www.stlouisfed.org/education. 16