Weighing a Family's Choice
A 50-minute Grade 4 lesson on weighing what a choice gains against everything it costs, including what is given up.
Weighing a Family's Choice is a free 50-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Eco.1.3-5 — weigh up what a choice gains against what it costs. 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:
- 50 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Eco.1.3-5
Grade 3 to Grade 5 · Economics
D2.Eco.1.3-5
Compare the benefits and costs of individual choices.
Objective
Students will be able to name the benefit, the money cost and the given-up cost of a choice.
Students are successful when they can
- Names the benefit of a choice.
- Names the money cost.
- Names what was given up as well as paid.
What you need
- The emigration ledger, with the 21 pound family booking
- A three-column sheet: gains / paid / given up
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — twenty-one pounds
5 min- Read the Carrick family booking: six persons, 21 pounds.
- Ask what that money bought them, and what else it cost.
Teach — three columns, not two
17 min- Gains: work that the region no longer offered them.
- Paid: 21 pounds, which for a farm labourer was many months of saving.
- Given up: everybody they knew, and any claim on work or relief at home.
- Say why the third column matters: it is the cost that never appears on a receipt.
- Do the 1893 hands accepting the cut. Gains: the gates stay open. Paid: a shilling in the pound.
- Given up: the chance to resist while the union still had a fund.
- Ask which side is larger for the Carricks, and insist on a reason rather than a feeling.
“What did they have to give up in order to choose this?”
Guided practice — five choices
15 min- Pairs fill all three columns for five choices from the region.
- For two, they say which side is larger and why.
- Groups compare their given-up columns, which usually differ most.
Independent practice
10 min- Students complete the 'Weighing a Family's Choice' page.
- Check the cost is not only the money.
Close
3 min- Take one class choice this week and fill all three columns.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Counts only money as cost.
Why: Money is the visible payment.
Fix: Ask what else was given up. The option not taken is a cost too.
Says a choice with costs is a bad choice.
Why: Cost sounds like a warning.
Fix: Every choice has costs. The question is whether the gain is larger.
Fills only the column that supports their view.
Why: The other column argues back.
Fix: Require all three. An empty column is an unfinished answer.
If they are not there yet
- Two choices with the gains column filled.
- Offer three costs and ask which column each belongs in.
If they finish early
- Find a choice whose cost fell on somebody who did not choose.
- Say how the balance changes if the fare doubles.
- Name a cost that only appears years later.
Exit ticket
A family pays 21 pounds to emigrate. Name the gain, the money cost and one thing given up.
What to look for: Work abroad, the 21 pounds, and everybody they knew or their claim on relief at home. Only money means the third column needs another run.
Printable practice for D2.Eco.1.3-5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Weighing a Family's ChoiceCircle the best answer.
Questions about Weighing a Family's Choice
How long does the Weighing a Family's Choice lesson take?
50 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 17 min, guided practice 15 min, independent practice 10 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 Weighing a Family's Choice teach?
D2.Eco.1.3-5 — D2.Eco.1.3-5, Economics for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Compare the benefits and costs of individual choices.” In plain terms, weigh up what a choice gains against what it costs.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The emigration ledger, with the 21 pound family booking, a three-column sheet: gains / paid / given up 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: counts only money as cost; says a choice with costs is a bad choice and fills only the column that supports their view. 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: “A family pays 21 pounds to emigrate. Name the gain, the money cost and one thing given up.” Work abroad, the 21 pounds, and everybody they knew or their claim on relief at home. Only money means the third column needs another run. 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 Weighing a Family's Choice?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Eco.1.3-5 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 Weighing a Family's Choice 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.1.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.