One of the primary units in 4th-grade social studies is economics, which introduces 4th-grade learners to aspects of business, government, finances, and more. The academic learning in this unit covers areas such as supply and demand, interest, personal budgeting, and other economic concepts.
At Byron Center Christian School (BCCS), we understand how critical this unit is for our students. In order to ensure they actually grasp the concepts being taught, our 4th-grade teaching team has implemented a year-long simulation. Rather than only using traditional instruction, notes, and a series of quizzes, students are provided the opportunity to start their own business. Teachers open a marketplace and students get to buy and sell goods from their classmates. Other aspects of the project include working on budgets, classroom jobs, renting vs. buying, earning interest on earnings, experiencing the effects of taxes on their income, and much more. Miss Splawn shares, “Market day is one of the best days! The kids are so invested in it. They have to make careful decisions about what to sell, how to price their products to meet demand, and what to spend their hard-earned money on!”
More important than learning the concepts of supply and demand or the way interest accumulates is that students gain a Biblical understanding of money. Miss Oetman shared, “One of the aspects we focus on is tithing. We discuss how all our blessings come from God, and on Fridays we celebrate what God has given us by giving 10% back to Him. It has been so humbling to see students take this to heart and even give more than 10%.”
This project is a great example of the excellent education at BCCS and how we help students be prepared for real-life application of the concepts they have been taught. In this case, we want our students to know economics and money management, and to be able to use those things in a Godly way, because all that we have belongs to the Lord. Our hope and prayer is that these types of formative experiences allow for lasting learning and lead to God-honoring decisions from our students for years to come.
