Learning Objectives

• Identify the difference between a need and a want.
• Explain that scarcity means there is not enough of something for everyone.
• Describe how people during the Civil War had to make choices because of shortages.
• Sort examples into needs and wants with teacher support.

Materials Needed

• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Need and want picture cards
• Simple Civil War picture cards showing food, clothing, medicine, candles, and shoes
• Pencils and crayons
• Sorting mats labeled Needs and Wants
• Exit ticket slip or half-sheet paper

Support

• Use picture cards instead of text for students who need visual support.
• Provide sentence frames: “A need is ___.” “A want is ___.” “This is scarcity because ___.”
• Work with a teacher or buddy for the sorting task.
• Reduce the number of cards for students who need fewer choices.

Challenge

• Ask advanced students to explain why an item might be a need for one person but a want for another.
• Have students describe one way a family could respond to scarcity by saving, sharing, or reusing items.
• Invite students to compare a Civil War shortage with a shortage they have seen in daily life, such as a sold-out item.

Checks for Understanding

• Cold-call or volunteer responses during the picture talk.
• Listen for correct use of need, want, and scarcity during guided practice.
• Check sorting mats for accurate placement.
• Review exit tickets for understanding.

Closure

Review the key idea: during the Civil War, people often did not have enough of some important items, so they had to make choices. Repeat the words need, want, scarcity, and choice together.