Third Grade Lesson Plans

Debt 
Students share the book Four Dollars and Fifty Cents, by Eric A. Kimmel, to learn about credit, debt, and interest rates. They write a story about credit and debt and complete worksheets on calculating simple interest on loans.

Saving 
Students share the book If You Made a Million, by David M. Schwartz, to learn about spending, saving, interest, borrowing, and lending. Students complete a worksheet about money equivalencies, practice writing checks, and role-play saving and borrowing money.

Labor, Choice, and Sales Tax 
Students share the book You Can't Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime, by Harriet Ziefert, to learn about earning money through labor, making choices, and paying sales tax.

Savings Plan 
Students share the book Kermit the Hermit, by Bill Peet, to learn about the role of money, saving, needs and wants, and spending. Students complete a needs and wants worksheet, make a piggy bank, and create a savings plan.

I Want It All! 
Students share the book Pigs Will Be Pigs, by Amy Axelrod, to learn about unlimited wants, choice, and adding and counting money.

Coupon Clippers 
Students share the book Pigs Go to Market: Fun with Math and Shopping, by Amy Axelrod, to learn about price, choice, and comparative shopping. They examine the information provided on manufacturers' coupons and play a "shopping spree" game.

Shopping Smarter 
Students share the book The Kids' Money Book, by Jamie Kyle McGillian, to learn about how to become smart consumers and the dangers of credit-card debt. They complete activities on recognizing advertisers' goals and understanding how interest is added on to debt.

Wealth 
Students share the book The Day I Was Rich (Little Bill Books for Beginning Readers), by Bill Cosby, to learn about the role of money, the concept of wealth, and taxes. They complete activities on understanding and working with large sums of money.

Mental Money 
Students share the book Betcha!, by Stuart J. Murphy, to learn about using mental math while shopping, estimation techniques, and problem solving with money. They use rounding to complete a story and play a game of estimation with prices.