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Sam
and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn
Lee & Low Books, Inc.
29 pages
ISBN 1-880000-13-X
Summary:
Sam can't wait to go shopping in Chinatown with his mom.
He has his traditional gift of "lucky money" to spend
- any way he chooses! But when Sam realizes he doesn't have enough
money to purchase the things he wants, his excitement turns to disappointment.
His mother reminds him that he should appreciate his gift, although
Sam is not convinced - until he has a surprise encounter with a
poor stranger.
Concept:
Scarcity
Definition:
Scarcity is the condition of not being able to have all of
the goods and services that you want.
Comprehension
Questions:
How did Sam
get the four dollars that he had to spend?
(He got it as a traditional gift from his grandparents for the Chinese
New Year.)
How do grown
up people normally get the money they spend?
(They work at their jobs to earn their income/money.)
What were some
of the goods in the stores that Sam considered buying with this
money? (pastries such as sweet egg tarts, coconut pastries; toys
such as cars, planes, robots, stuffed animals, and basketballs)
What was the
scarcity problem in the story that made Sam angry and disappointed?
(He didn't have enough income/money to get the toys that he wanted!)
What scarcity
problem did the old, poor man face? (He had very little or no
money. He couldn't buy the things he wanted - such as shoes, food,
and shelter.)
What are some
possible reasons why the man was so poor? (There are many possible
answers. Some may not be the man's fault - too ill to work, couldn't
find a job, natural disaster destroyed his farm, etc. Some may be
the result of poor decisions he made - didn't work hard at school
or on other jobs he had, decided he didn't want to work, etc.)
Do all people
face scarcity situations with their money, even rich people? (Yes!
All people, regardless of how much money they have, tend to want
more than they can afford to buy.)
Other
Concepts: Goods
(From KidsEcon Posters©: www.kidseconposters.com)
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