Money | Substitute Teacher
Students participate in a fast-paced PE lesson focused on making quick, strategic decisions under limited resources. The theme of money is used to simulate budgeting, prioritizing, and teamwork while students complete movement tasks. The lesson is designed for a substitute teacher and requires minimal setup.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Budget | A limited amount of resources used to make decisions. |
| Cost | The amount of money or tokens required to complete a task. |
| Priority | Something chosen first because it is most important or valuable. |
| Strategy | A plan used to achieve a goal efficiently. |
| Risk | The chance that a choice may not lead to the best outcome. |
Explain that each student begins with 10 money tokens. Lead a dynamic warm-up where each movement has a 'cost' of 1 token, such as high knees, lunges, jumping jacks, and shuffles. Call out movements and have students spend tokens by completing reps or steps.
Complete the warm-up movements and track token use mentally or on fingers. Listen carefully and move safely in personal space.
Set up 4 stations with different movement tasks. Assign each station a cost from 1 to 4 tokens and explain that students must complete at least 3 stations but cannot exceed their budget. Encourage students to plan before moving. Monitor for safety and participation.
Choose stations strategically, complete tasks, and manage tokens to stay within budget. Work independently or with a partner as directed.
Place students in small groups. Give each group a set number of tokens and a list of three quick challenges, each with a cost and a reward. Groups must decide which challenges to 'buy' to earn the most points in the time allowed. Debrief briefly between rounds if time allows.
Discuss choices, select challenges, and complete them together. Communicate clearly, encourage teammates, and adjust strategy if needed.
Lead a short stretch and ask students to reflect on how they used their tokens. Prompt them to consider which choices helped their group succeed and why.
Perform stretches and answer reflection questions aloud or on a quick written exit check.
Review how money, strategy, and teamwork affected performance. Highlight one strong example of budgeting and one example of smart decision-making from the class.
Formative assessment will be based on teacher observation of safe participation, strategic use of tokens, teamwork, and a brief exit response demonstrating understanding of budgeting and decision-making.
Write a 5-7 sentence reflection: Describe a time you had to make a money decision outside of school. Explain what you considered, what choice you made, and whether you would choose differently now.