Made Here or Brought Here
A 40-minute Kindergarten lesson on what the local community makes and what arrives from somewhere else.
Made Here or Brought Here is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Eco.4.K-2 — name what your community makes, and what comes from somewhere else. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Eco.4.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Economics
D2.Eco.4.K-2
Describe the goods and services that people in the local community produce and those that are produced in other communities.
Objective
Students will be able to sort goods into made nearby and brought from far away.
Students are successful when they can
- Sorts goods by where they come from.
- Names something made locally.
- Says why some things cannot be made here.
What you need
- Food packets and labels showing origin
- A map or globe
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — read the label
5 min- Read the origin off three real packets.
- Find each place on the globe.
Teach — why not everything grows here
13 min- Sort six items into 'made near here' and 'came a long way'.
- Take the banana. Ask why it did not grow here. It is too cold.
- Take the milk. Ask why it did not need to travel. There are cows nearby.
- Say the rule: things are made where the conditions suit them.
- Note that services stay local — a haircut cannot be shipped.
“Bananas need heat all year. That is why they come a long way.”
Guided practice — sort eight
12 min- Pairs sort eight items into the two piles.
- For two of the far ones they say why it cannot be made here.
- They add one thing their own family buys locally.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the made-here page.
- Read each item aloud.
Close
2 min- Hold up one packet. Take the pile and the reason.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks food comes from the shop.
Why: The shop is where they meet it.
Fix: Ask where the shop got it. Walking the chain back one step is the whole move.
Thinks anything could be grown here if we tried.
Why: Growing is growing.
Fix: Ask what a banana plant needs. Heat all year is not available here, and no amount of trying changes it.
Sorts by whether they like it.
Why: Preference is the readiest sorting rule at five.
Fix: Read the label. The answer is printed on it.
If they are not there yet
- Four items rather than eight.
- Read the label to them.
If they finish early
- Find something with parts from two places.
- Name a service that cannot travel.
- Say what our area is good at making.
Exit ticket
Where does a banana come from, and why not from here?
What to look for: A warm country, and a climate reason. 'The shop' means the walk-it-back-one-step move needs repeating.
Printable practice for D2.Eco.4.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Made Here or Brought Here?Sort each one into where it comes from.
Questions about Made Here or Brought Here
How long does the Made Here or Brought Here lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Made Here or Brought Here teach?
D2.Eco.4.K-2 — D2.Eco.4.K-2, Economics for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Describe the goods and services that people in the local community produce and those that are produced in other communities.” In plain terms, name what your community makes, and what comes from somewhere else.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Food packets and labels showing origin, a map or globe and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: thinks food comes from the shop; thinks anything could be grown here if we tried and sorts by whether they like it. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Where does a banana come from, and why not from here?.” A warm country, and a climate reason. 'The shop' means the walk-it-back-one-step move needs repeating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Made Here or Brought Here?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Eco.4.K-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Made Here or Brought Here free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.Eco.4.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.