55thth Grade Market Day Grade Market Day

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Market Day is a culminating project for our 5th Grade Economics Unit.

Market Day is part of the Mini-Society® curriculum, which is an experienced-based

program developed by Dr. Marilyn Kourilsky, a professor at UCLA and Vice President of the

Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

The program has been endorsed by the U.S. and Kentucky Departments of

Education.

In this innovative program, the students establish their own society, print their own

money, open their own businesses, and create their own government. During the unit

students learn key economics concepts.  This experience gives each student a much better

understanding of economics and ethics.

Step One: Students create a society.

Since we have four groups of 5th graders, each homeroom created a different society.

• Maynardtopia• Tackett City

Students then created a currency. We decided our currency would be called STARBUCKS, since we are the Southside Stars.

• Money Maker Island• Income Island

Next, students created a flag for their society. The students voted and the winning student recreated a large flag to display in the class.

Step Two: Pay Day

The students decided what things the teacher should pay them for during one school week. Here is what the students decided.

• Winning Flag – 5 Starbucks• No strikes all day (Good behavior) – 1 Starbuck • Not missing any spelling words – 1 Starbuck• Completing a homework assignment – 2 Starbucks• Attendance (for Social Studies class) - 1 Starbuck• Running an errand for the teacher – 1 Starbuck

Also, the students decided we needed a homework checker and paymaster as jobs in our societies. The teacher had the students complete job applications and interviewed students for the positions. Each society had one homework checker and four paymasters. The paymasters were in charge of paying the students each day. The teacher was the banker. The students decided the following pay for jobs in the society:

• Homework Checker – 2 Starbucks for each assignment• Paymaster – 1 Starbuck per day (or 5 Starbucks weekly)

Step Three: Market Day

After learning important economic concepts and earning money, the students had to bring a good or service to sell to their class. Some students chose to create an advertisement for their business.

Services that were sold by the students on Market Day…

• Nail polishing• Massages• Face painting

• Hair painting•Tattooing • Golf lessons• Renting

video games•

Photography• Raffles• Jewelry cleaning

Goods that were sold by the students in Mrs. Swiney’s Homeroom on Market Day…

• Magazines

•Toys• Halloween items

• Baseball cards

• Tattoos

• Jewelry

• Grab Bags• Beauty products

• Pencils

Goods that were sold by the students in Mr. Maynard’s Homeroom on Market Day…

• Bookmarks

• Pencils

• Office Supplies

• Bouncy Balls

• Jewelry

• Baseball Cards

• Yu-Gi-Oh Cards

• Tattoos

• Key Chains

• Stress Balls

Goods that were sold by the students in Mrs. Masters’ Homeroom on Market Day…

• Coloring Books• Flower pens &

pencils

• Foam art

• Glow sticks

• Stickers

• Notebooks

• Halloween items

• Decorative

boxes

• Personalized

gifts

Goods that were sold by the students in Mrs. Tackett’s Homeroom on Market Day…

• Jewelry

• Signs

• Halloween

Ghosts

• Bookmarks

• Foam art

• Nick-Nacks

• Pencil Wraps

• T-shirts

• Bouncy Balls

• Billy

Bob®

Teeth

“I can’t say enough about the Mini-Society curriculum and

Market Day. At the end of my unit on Economics, my students understood economic concepts

that will be assessed on the state test. Students LOVE every part of Mini-Society.

Former students claim it is the most memorable experience

they had in elementary school!”

- Amy Swiney5th Grade Social Studies

Teacher, Southside Elementary