“A New Coat for Anna”
Time: 60 minutes
Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce to the concept of bartering/trading to
the students. They will also be introduced to the key terms capital resource, human
resource, and natural resource.
VA SOLs:
Economics
3.7
The student will explain how producers in ancient Greece, Rome, and the West African
empire of Mali used natural resources, human resources, and capital resources in the
production of goods and services.
3.8
The student will recognize that because people and regions cannot produce everything
they want, they specialize in what they do best and trade for the rest.
Objectives:
The students will be able to participate in a discussion about the book A New Coat
for Anna.
Given the drawing worksheet, the students will be able to give at least one example
of a natural resource, a capital resource, and a human resource from the story A
New Coat for Anna.
Given a worksheet, the students will be able to answer questions about bartering,
natural resources, capital resources, and human resources, with 80% accuracy.
Procedure:
Introduction

Introduce the lesson by telling the students “Today we will be learning about
bartering and what it means to barter. Before we begin can anyone guess
what it means to barter? There is no wrong answer at this time, it is just
your guess”.

Discuss key concepts with the students. Write the definitions for the key
concepts on the board and have the students copy them onto the notes
sheet (see attached). (Auditory/Visual/kinesthetic) {10 MINUTES}
Development

Read the students the story A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert.
(Auditory) {10 MINUTES}



After the story, ask the student the comprehension questions (see
attached). As students are answering the questions, write the answers on
the board for them to see. (Auditory/Visual) {10 MINUTES}
Have the students complete the drawing worksheet. This activity is designed
to be sure that the students understand the differences among the
different types of resources. The students will a draw pictures of a natural,
capital, and human resource from the story. (Visual/Kinesthetic) {10 MINUTES}
The students will participate in a bartering activity. Give each students an
item. Tell them that this item is something that they are willing to
barter/trade. The students will walk around the room making trades with
each other to see if they can end up with the item that they want. While
making trades, encourage students to ask questions to each other, such as
why do you want this item? (Kinesthetic) {5 MINUTES}
Post Activity Questions:
-“Did everyone end up with the item they wanted”
-“Did anybody have to make more than one trade to get the item you
wanted?”
For Advanced Students:
-
Advanced students can draw more than one capital, natural, and human resource on
their drawing worksheet.
For Struggling Students:
-
Struggling students can refer back to the story to complete the drawing
worksheet.
Summary
 Tell the students the follow: “Most of the time, when we want something,
there is a cost involved in getting it. Sometimes we use money, and
sometimes we trade or barter. The things we use to barter/trade or buy are
called natural, capital, or human resources. Remember, bartering occurs
when two people find themselves with something that someone else values
even more and they exchange the item/service of lesser value for the item
of greater or equal value. Bartering/trading takes place when both parties
are better off than they were before the exchange.” (Auditory)
 “So what does it mean to barter? Has your definition from the beginning of
the lesson changed?”

Have the student to take out their notes sheet from the beginning of the
lesson and fill in the definition for bartering. Put the definition up on the
board for them to see. Be sure to discuss this definition. The students can
glue this notes pages into their social studies notebook. (Auditory/Visual/
Kinesthetic)
Materials:





Key Concepts Notes Page – Teacher Copy (see attached)
Key Concept Notes Page – Student Copy (see attached)
The book A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert
Comprehension Questions (see attached)
Comprehension Questions – Teacher Copy (see attached)



Drawing Worksheet (see attached)
Items for the Bartering Activity
-Pencils
-Stickers
- Various items from the Dollar Store
- Etc.
Bartering Worksheet (see attached)
Evaluation Part A:
Have the students complete the bartering/resources worksheet (see attached).
The students will have met my objective if they can correctly answer 4 out of the
5 questions, which is 80% accuracy. {15 MINUTES}
Evaluation Part B:
(To be completed after the lesson has been taught)
-Did the students meet your objectives; how do you know?
-Did the lesson accommodate/ address the needs of all your learners?
-What were the strengths of the lesson?
-What were the weaknesses of the lesson?
-How would you change the lesson if you could teach it again?
Key Concepts – Teacher Copy
RESOURCES:
The things we USE to get or make the things
that we want. There are natural resources,
capital resources, and human resources.
COSTS:
An amount or something that is paid, spent, or
given up to buy or obtain something.
CAPITAL RESOURCES:
Human-made goods, tools, and machines
used to produce other goods. Capital
resources are the things that we use over and
over to get or make the things that we want.
DECISION MAKING:
The process and steps taken that ends in a
final choice being made.
Ex: tractor, hammer, sewing machine
HUMAN RESOURCES:
SCARCITY:
Human effort; physical and mental effort used People have unlimited wants but resources are
to produce goods. Human resources are the
limited.
skills that people have and use to produce
things.
Ex: knowledge, farmer, carpenter
NATURAL RESOURCES:
Things found in nature that we can use.
Ex: Water, trees, land, plants, minerals
BARTER:
A way of getting what you want by making
trades or exchanges of goods or services for
other goods or services without using money.
In the end both people making the trade,
benefit.
Key Concepts
RESOURCES:
COSTS:
CAPITAL RESOURCES:
DECISION MAKING:
EXAMPLES:
HUMAN RESOURCES:
SCARCITY:
EXAMPLES:
NATURAL RESOURCES:
EXAMPLES:
BARTER:
Comprehension Questions
1. Explain how Anna could get a new coat of the winter without any money.
2. Explain why Anna and her mother had no money.
3. List all of the trades Anna’s mother mad in order to get the new coat.
4. What natural resources were needed to produce the coat?
5. What human resources were needed to produce the coat?
6. What capital resources were needed to produce the coat? List all of the steps
for producing Anna’s new coat.
7. List all of the steps for producing Anna’s new coat.
8. Explain why it took much longer for Anna to get her coat, then if she had money
to buy one.
Comprehension Questions – Teacher Copy
1. Explain how Anna could get a new coat of the winter without any money.
Her mother traded a gold watch and other nice things for wool and the services of the craft
people to make the coat.
2. Explain why Anna and her mother had no money.
It was war time and no one had any money
3. List all of the trades Anna’s mother mad in order to get the new coat.


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Gold watch -> farmer for wool.
Lamp -> old woman to spin the wool into yarn.
Garnet necklace -> weaver to weave the yarn into cloth.
Teapot -> tailor for sewing cloth into a coat.
4. What natural resources were needed to produce the coat?

Wool from the sheep

Lingonberries
5. What human resources were needed to produce the coat?
 Farmer
 Girl & Mother
 Old woman
 Weaver
6. What capital resources were needed to produce the coat?

Tailor
 Sheering scissors
 Loom
 Spinning wheel
 Measuring tape
 Basket (for berries)
 Sewing machine
7. List all of the steps for producing Anna’s new coat.


Scissors
Pins
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Sheer the sheep
Spin the wool into yarn
Dye the yarn
Weave the yarn into cloth
Sew the cloth into a coat
8. Explain why it took much longer for Anna to get her coat, then if she had money
to buy one.



They had to wait until spring to sheer the sheep.
They had to wait until the end of the summer to get the berries.
They had to wait for each person to complete their step in the process of making the coat.
Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________
DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions.
1. In the story, Anna’s new coat, Anna’s mother traded items to get what she
needed to have Anna’s coat made. This is called bartering. Write your own
definition for bartering.
2. Which of the following is an example of a NATURAL RESOURCE?
A. Shearing Scissors
B. Weaver
C. Wool from a sheep
D. Farmer
3. Which of the following is an example of a CAPITAL RESOURCE?
A. Water
B. Tailor
C. Wool from a sheep
D. Sewing Machine
4. Which of the following is an example of a HUMAN RESOURCE?
A. Farmer
B. Measuring Tape
C. Plants
D. Wool from a sheep
5. True or False, bartering is trading items without the use of money?
________________________
Student Assessment Rubric
“A New Coat for Anna”
Name: _______________________
Date: _______________________
Lesson
Activities:
0
Needs
Improvement
1
Room to Grow
2
Excellent
Work
Assessment
Worksheet:
Grade:______%
(59% & Below)
(60%-79%)
(80%-100%)
Total:
0
3
6
The student
participated in a
discussion about
the story A New
Coat for Anna.
The student was
able to draw
pictures of
Natural, Capital,
and Human
Resources.
Student Total: __________