Sellers Follow the Profit
A 45-minute Grade 3 lesson on how the chance of profit changes what sellers choose to do.
Sellers Follow the Profit is a free 45-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Eco.7.3-5 — explain how the chance of profit changes what sellers do. 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:
- Grade 3 to Grade 5
- Length:
- 45 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Eco.7.3-5
Grade 3 to Grade 5 · Economics
D2.Eco.7.3-5
Explain how profits influence sellers in markets.
Objective
Students will be able to predict what sellers do when the profit in a market rises or falls.
Students are successful when they can
- Predicts more sellers where profit rises.
- Predicts fewer where it falls.
- Uses the directory's numbers as evidence.
What you need
- The 1850 trade directory
- The newspaper report on the canal cutting charges
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — eleven and two
5 min- Read from the directory: 11 railway porters, 2 boat builders.
- Ask what those two numbers together are telling us.
Teach — the money moved and people followed
15 min- Explain that in 1840 the boat builders would have been the larger number.
- Say the mechanism: where there is money to be made, people move in; where there is not, they leave.
- Take the canal company cutting charges. Ask why accept a smaller profit per ton.
- Answer: a smaller profit beats no traffic at all.
- Take two shops selling flour in one village. Ask what that does to the price.
- Say the general point: the chance of profit is what makes sellers pay attention to buyers.
“Where is the money in this, and who will move towards it?”
Guided practice — predict the numbers
13 min- Pairs predict whether four trades grew or shrank between 1840 and 1850.
- They check two against the directory.
- Groups explain one prediction that the directory contradicted.
Independent practice
9 min- Students complete the 'Following the Profit' page.
- Look for answers about profit rather than about liking a job.
Close
3 min- Ask what would pull sellers back to the canal.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Says people changed trades because they wanted to.
Why: Choice is the visible act.
Fix: Ask what happens to a boat builder with no orders. The pull is money, not preference.
Thinks profit means greed.
Why: The word carries a charge.
Fix: Profit is what is left after costs. Without it nobody can keep trading at all.
Thinks a seller can charge whatever they like.
Why: The seller sets the price.
Fix: They can set it. Buyers decide whether to pay. Two flour shops is the test.
If they are not there yet
- Two trades and the directory's numbers given.
- Predict up or down for one trade with the reason supplied.
If they finish early
- Find a trade in the directory whose change profit does not explain.
- Say what the canal company should have done instead of cutting charges.
- Explain why milliners stayed at three.
Exit ticket
The directory lists 11 railway porters and 2 boat builders in 1850. What does profit explain about those numbers?
What to look for: Money moved to railway work and away from boat building, and people followed. Restating the numbers means the mechanism is missing.
Printable practice for D2.Eco.7.3-5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Following the ProfitCircle the best answer.
Questions about Sellers Follow the Profit
How long does the Sellers Follow the Profit lesson take?
45 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 15 min, guided practice 13 min, independent practice 9 min, close 3 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 Sellers Follow the Profit teach?
D2.Eco.7.3-5 — D2.Eco.7.3-5, Economics for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Explain how profits influence sellers in markets.” In plain terms, explain how the chance of profit changes what sellers do.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The 1850 trade directory, the newspaper report on the canal cutting charges 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: says people changed trades because they wanted to; thinks profit means greed and thinks a seller can charge whatever they like. 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 directory lists 11 railway porters and 2 boat builders in 1850. What does profit explain about those numbers?.” Money moved to railway work and away from boat building, and people followed. Restating the numbers means the mechanism is missing. 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 Sellers Follow the Profit?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Eco.7.3-5 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 Sellers Follow the Profit 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.7.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.