Blue Willow
A young girl from a migrant family wants a real home and a regular school in the valley that looks like the pattern on her blue willow plate. The family must make tough choices about how they will spend their time and their income. They face opportunity costs and often must make trade-offs
Economic Concepts
- Trade-offs
- Opportunity Costs
Grade Levels
- Intermediate (4-6)
Related Subjects
- Geography
Description of Lesson 8, Blue Willow
from Economics and Children’s Literature, Supplement 2:
Students hear the story and find examples of opportunity costs and trade-offs when choosing how to spend their time and their money. Then students work in groups to fill out a chart of “Everyday Events” to determine how their time is used.