Lesson One

Content area Standards

Social Studies:
  • 5.E.2 Understand that personal choices result in benefits or consequences.
Language Arts:
  • L.3.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.3.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Science:
  • 4.L.1.3 Explain how humans can adapt their behavior to live in changing habitats (e.g., recycling wastes, establishing rain gardens, planting trees and shrubs to prevent flooding and erosion).​

​Objectives

Students will be able to:
  • Identify multiple internal and external factors that influence consumer behavior.
  • Analyze opportunity cost in order to understand that consumer choices have potential environmental and personal health consequences with intent to make the best decision for themselves and the planet.
  • Propose personal changes that can be made in order to reduce potential negative consequences.

Concepts

Consumerism - Choice - Sustainability

Prior Preperation

Purchase Happy Meals© ​ - Print images - Seat students in small groups

Prerequisite Knowledge

Students must have basic knowledge of the terms production/producer and consumption/consumer. ​​

Assessment​ 

I used to think... Now I think...
​​Students will write journal responses to questions at the beginning of the lesson, and then again end of the lesson using their new knowledge.

Accommodations

​Universal Design in place to accommodate exceptionalities.

Materials and Resources

McDonald's. (November 1, 2016). McDonalds Happy Meal Trolls
​Movie Toys Commercial 2016. Retrieved from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZDTvHukBXg
Happy Meals© for each group - Student journals - Reusable plates​ - Laminated photos​​  - Presentation - ​ McDonald's©  Happy Meal© ​ Commercial - Alternative photo instead of getting actual Happy Meal© 

Feel, Think, Wonder - Photos to Laminate

Instructional Procedure

​    Are You Lovin It?  
  • Open the lesson with questions regarding student preferences as related to food consumerism.
    • Conversation starters and questions:  What’s your favorite food? What fast food do you like?  Who likes McDonald’s? - Allow kids to answer, short discussion and sharing ideas.
  • Play McDonald’s© commercial  
​
    Think While You Ink 
  • ​​Prompt students to write journal responses to questions below in relation to the McDonald’s© commercial.
    1. Do you want to buy this product? Why or why not?
    2. How much do you think this product costs?
    3. What are the benefits of purchasing this product?
    4. What are the potential consequences of purchasing

    Does Your Happy Meal© Look Like The Commerical?
    Small group - Connecting real products to advertisement  
  • Pass out a McDonald’s© Happy Meal© to each group in order to examine food and packaging
  • Allow the student groups to take 2-3 minutes verbally comparing and contrasting commercial and reality.
     Whole class - Share small group findings
  • Conversation starters and questions: What did you notice that was different from the commercial?  What was the same? Why do you think McDonald’s portrayed their food  differently in the commercial than what you actually see in front of you? How much do you think your Happy Meal© costs?  

    Make a List
  • Invite student groups to make a quick list containing all items in their Happy Meal.
  • After lists are compiled, ask for volunteers to share items from their lists with the whole group.  List items on the board in two coulmns: packaging and food.  Do not title the categories yet.
  • Students may not recognize the packaging as something necessary to add to their list.  If no students include packaging, ask, What about packaging?
  • Discuss the different materials found in the packaging and add to the packaging coulum on board.
  • Conclude there are two major categories - Food and Packaging.

    Time to Play With Your Food!
  • To further understand how much of this meal is non-consumable, invite the students to seperate their Happy Meal© into two categories: packaging and food.  Instruct students to squeeze out any condiments they would use if consuming the product and put the rest into the packaging category.  Gloves and reuseable plates can be offered to students. 
  • After sorting is completed, Ask students to recall their journal responses concerning the potential consequences of purchasing this product.  Ask students to share with the class if their thoughts have changed now that they can see how much unnecessary packaging (and possibly food ) is in a Happy Meal©.

    Think, Feel, Wonder
   Small group - Thinking routine
  • Hand out images to each student group 
  • Instruct students to discuss their image within their small group using the Think, Feel, Wonder thinking routine.  Encourage students to begin sentences with "I think...", "This image makes me feel...", "I wonder...".  Allow student groups to discuss in small groups for 2-3 minutes.
      Whole class - Share small group findings
  • Conversation starters and questions: What do you think happens to uneaten food?  What do you think happens to the packaging?  As a consumer, you have the possibility to create or prevent what you see in these images.  People buy things for all sorts of reasons.  These reasons are both internal and external - cost, marketing, trends, taste, fun, religion, values and more…
  • Inform students that subsequent lessons will address how consumer choices can a positive impact rather than negative.​ 
Wants and Needs 
  • Ask students to volunteer what they know about human wants and needs.  Allow for a short whole class discussion.
  • Look at the contents of your Happy Meal, what do you WANT…  and what do you need NEED to survive?
    • Conversation starters and questions: What is one thing laying in front of you that you could live without that you want, or didn’t even consider? What made you feel like you wanted to have that?  If you didn’t need it and you didn’t want it, then why did McDonald’s still give it to you, and why did you take it?  Food is a human need when consumed for fuel, but food can also be a want, when used as a reward or treat.
  • Inform students that accepting products from McDonald’s© without questioning is just one example of blind consumerism. The first step to change is awareness of a problem.  We all have a choice and a potential to make a change.  A purchase is a vote for that product to be produced again.  ​Blind consumerism = consuming goods or products without awareness of any potential consequences. 

    Are You Still Lovin' It?​
  • ​​Prompt students to write journal responses to questions below with their new knowledge.
    1. With your new knowledge, can you add any potential consequences of purchasing this product? Benefits?
    2. Do the benefits of buying a Happy Meal outweigh the potential environmental and health consequences?
    3. What are some changes you, as a consumer, can make in order to reduce unnecessary waste?
    4. Do you still want to buy this product? If not, what made you change your mind?  If so, explain your reasoning.  Include 2-3 things that influence you as a consumer.
    Closure
  • Invite students to share journal responses, and allow for a short discussion about what was learned in the lesson.

Lesson Vocabulary: Consumer, Producer, Blind Consumerism