What It Takes to Make
A 40-minute Kindergarten lesson on the costs of making something: the materials, the tools and the time.
What It Takes to Make is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Eco.7.K-2 — give examples of what it costs to make something. 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.7.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Economics
D2.Eco.7.K-2
Describe examples of costs of production.
Objective
Students will be able to name what a maker needs before they can make something.
Students are successful when they can
- Names the materials.
- Names a tool.
- Says that the maker had to buy those first.
What you need
- A real making activity: bread dough, a paper model
- Cards of materials and tools
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — make one thing
5 min- Make something simple together. List what you used as you go.
- Do not comment on cost yet.
Teach — somebody paid for all of that
13 min- Read the list of what you used.
- Ask, for each, where it came from and who paid for it.
- Say the idea: before anything is sold, somebody has already spent.
- Ask what happens if the maker sells it for less than the things cost. They lose.
- Do not go further than that at this age — the point is that making has a cost.
“The flour was not free. Somebody bought it before the bread existed.”
Guided practice — what does it take?
12 min- Pairs match four things to what it takes to make each.
- They add one thing to each list that was not on the card.
- They name the most expensive item on one list.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the what-it-takes page.
- Read each item aloud.
Close
2 min- Name a thing. Take two things it takes to make it.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks the maker gets the materials free.
Why: The materials are just there when the making starts.
Fix: Ask where the flour came from and who paid the miller. One step back each time.
Names only the main material.
Why: It is the visible one.
Fix: Ask what else was in the room. Heat, time and tools all count.
Thinks time is not a cost.
Why: Time is not paid for at the counter.
Fix: Ask what the baker could have done with that hour instead. The idea from D2.Eco.2 comes back here.
If they are not there yet
- Two things rather than four.
- Give the materials and add the tool.
If they finish early
- Say which cost is biggest.
- Say what a maker does if a material gets dearer.
- Find a cost that is not a thing you can hold.
Exit ticket
Name two things it takes to bake bread.
What to look for: Materials and a tool. Only flour means the what-else-was-in-the-room prompt needs repeating.
Printable practice for D2.Eco.7.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- What Does It Take to Make?Draw a line from each thing to what it takes to make it.
Questions about What It Takes to Make
How long does the What It Takes to Make 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 What It Takes to Make teach?
D2.Eco.7.K-2 — D2.Eco.7.K-2, Economics for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Describe examples of costs of production.” In plain terms, give examples of what it costs to make something.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A real making activity: bread dough, a paper model, cards of materials and tools 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 the maker gets the materials free; names only the main material and thinks time is not a cost. 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: “Name two things it takes to bake bread.” Materials and a tool. Only flour means the what-else-was-in-the-room prompt 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 What It Takes to Make?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Eco.7.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 What It Takes to Make 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.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.