Need It or Just Want It?
A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on scarcity when the shopping is for a household rather than for you.
Need It or Just Want It? is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Eco.1.K-2 — explain that because there is never enough of everything, people have to choose. 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.1.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Economics
D2.Eco.1.K-2
Explain how scarcity necessitates decision making.
Objective
Students will be able to order a shopping list by need when the money will not stretch to all of it.
Students are successful when they can
- Sorts items into needs and wants.
- Orders the needs by urgency.
- Says what has to be left out.
What you need
- A shopping list longer than the money allows
- Coins or counters
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — the list is too long
5 min- Read a list of eight things and give the class enough for five.
- Ask what has to happen. Something gets left off.
Teach — needs first, then order the needs
13 min- Sort the list into needs and wants.
- Note that the needs alone still cost more than the money.
- Say the new problem: you have to order the needs too.
- Ask which need is most urgent this week and why.
- Cross off what will not fit, and name what was given up.
“You have cut every want and it still does not fit. Now what?”
Guided practice — spend the money
12 min- Pairs sort a twelve-item list and buy what the coins allow.
- They record what they left out and why.
- They compare with another pair who chose differently.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the need-or-want page.
- Read each item aloud.
Close
2 min- Take one thing left out and the reason.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks cutting the wants always solves it.
Why: That worked in Kindergarten.
Fix: Make the needs alone unaffordable. Ordering within needs is the Grade 1 step.
Calls a strongly wanted thing a need.
Why: Wanting hard feels like needing.
Fix: Ask what happens if you go without it this week. A need has a real answer.
Thinks there is one right list.
Why: Sorting tasks usually have one answer.
Fix: Compare two pairs' lists. Different households order needs differently, with reasons.
If they are not there yet
- Eight items rather than twelve.
- Sort only, without ordering the needs.
If they finish early
- Order the needs for two different families.
- Say what could wait until next week.
- Say what makes a want become a need.
Exit ticket
The needs cost more than you have. Which do you buy first, and why?
What to look for: An ordering with a reason. Cutting a want means the harder problem was avoided.
Printable practice for D2.Eco.1.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Need It or Just Want It?Sort each one into need or want.
Questions about Need It or Just Want It?
How long does the Need It or Just Want It? 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 Need It or Just Want It? teach?
D2.Eco.1.K-2 — D2.Eco.1.K-2, Economics for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Explain how scarcity necessitates decision making.” In plain terms, explain that because there is never enough of everything, people have to choose.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A shopping list longer than the money allows, coins or counters 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 cutting the wants always solves it; calls a strongly wanted thing a need and thinks there is one right list. 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: “The needs cost more than you have. Which do you buy first, and why?.” An ordering with a reason. Cutting a want means the harder problem was avoided. 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 Need It or Just Want It??
Yes — 1 printable D2.Eco.1.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 Need It or Just Want It? 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.1.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.