Grade 3 Financial Literacy Lesson Plan: Smart Shopping

This multi-day lesson builds practical money skills through a class meal-planning project. Students estimate costs, practice adding money amounts, compare prices from different stores, and make purchasing decisions within a set budget. Students also write a persuasive letter, analyze advertising, and reflect on how money choices affect people and communities.

Overview

Students work in teams to plan and budget for a complete meal. They estimate prices, calculate totals, and compare options using grocery advertisements or printed store listings. The project integrates math, reading, writing, and speaking while helping students understand needs, wants, and responsible spending.

Subject Connections

Mathematics is central as students add money amounts, compare totals, and reason about value and budgets. English Language Arts supports the project when students read advertisements, write a persuasive letter, and explain their decisions clearly. Social studies contributes as students discuss responsible spending and how money choices affect people and communities.

Learning Goals

• Count and add money amounts using dollar and cent notation
• Estimate the cost of common food items
• Compare prices and identify better value choices
• Explain spending decisions using clear reasoning
• Write a short persuasive letter requesting support for a class project
• Identify common advertising techniques and how they influence buyers

Materials

• Play money or printed money manipulatives
• Grocery advertisements, flyers, or printed store listings
• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Student notebooks or writing paper
• Calculators (optional)
• Markers and poster paper
• Optional: camera or tablet for recording presentations

Preparation

• Collect grocery store ads or print sample product prices
• Create a simple meal shopping list template
• Prepare a class comparison chart
• Arrange students into pairs or groups of three

Teaching Procedure

Each session fits a standard class period of 45–50 minutes across approximately one week.

Session 1: Estimating and Understanding Costs

1. Explain that the class will plan a meal and learn how to make smart spending decisions.
2. Brainstorm foods needed for a complete meal and record them on the board.
3. Activity: Cost Estimation and Money Counting Routine. Students predict prices for each meal item, record estimates, then compare with actual prices revealed by the teacher. Using play money, students count out the estimated total and then the real total to see the difference.
4. Model how to write money amounts and line up decimals correctly.

Session 2: Comparing Stores

1. Introduce grocery advertisements and explain that prices vary between stores.
2. Demonstrate how to locate an item and record its price.
3. Activity: Store Comparison Chart Routine. In groups, students find prices for the same items in at least two store ads, record them on a comparison chart, add the totals, and decide which store provides the best value based on their calculations.
4. Groups explain their reasoning to the class.

Session 3: Writing for a Purpose

1. Teach the basic parts of a letter.
2. Discuss how writing can be used to request help or support.
3. Activity: Persuasive Request Letter. Students write a short letter asking for support for the class meal project, including the purpose, the planned purchases, and why the project is worthwhile. Students revise and produce a final copy.

Session 4: Advertising and Persuasion

1. Show examples of slogans and persuasive advertising language.
2. Discuss how advertisements influence buyers.
3. Activity: Create-a-Commercial Routine. Groups select one food item and design a brief advertisement using a slogan and key selling points, then present the commercial to the class.

Session 5: Reflection and Budget Decisions

1. Students write a paragraph explaining what they learned about budgeting and shopping choices.
2. Hold a class discussion about spending, saving, and making good decisions.

Assessment

• Accuracy of money addition and totals
• Completed price comparison chart
• Persuasive letter clarity and completeness
• Commercial presentation and message
• Reflection paragraph explaining learning

Differentiation

• Provide fewer items or smaller numbers for students needing support
• Allow calculators for totals after showing work
• Offer writing sentence starters
• Challenge advanced students to compare unit prices

Grade Adaptation

Grade 3 students add money amounts with dollars and cents, compare store totals, and justify spending decisions using calculations. Grade 2 students work with smaller numbers, round-dollar amounts, and more teacher-guided addition using manipulatives. Grade 4 students calculate change from a budget, compare unit prices, and justify choices using more detailed written explanations.

Extension Ideas

• Create a classroom store with labeled prices
• Compare brand-name and store-brand items
• Plan a weekly food budget
• Write thank-you letters after the project
• Teach another class about saving money