King’s Chessboard, The
The king, wishing to display his generosity, insists that the wise man choose a reward for favors he has granted the king. The wise man, whose only wish is to make the king happy, chooses a seemingly simple reward. As the reward grows in complexity, the king learns a valuable lesson about pride.
Economic Concepts
- Saving
- Interest
- Saving
Grade Levels
- Primary (K-3)
Related Subjects
- Personal Finance
Teacher Tips for Using this Book
Lesson 2, The King’s Chessboard, from Adventures in the Stock Market: Students do part of the chessboard puzzle from the story, putting rice on the chessboard, and doubling it for each day in a new square. Then they relate this experience to the doubling of money that is invested in the stock market.
Lesson where students begin figuring the first few days of the reward, and relate that to the concept of interest paid on money saved. They take part in an activity in which they have an opportunity to earn money which earns interest. From print publication (not available online):
Flowers, B., Meszaros, B., & Suiter, M. C. (1994). Economics and
Children’s Literature 1994 Supplement. Coulson E. C. & McCorkle S.
(Eds.). SPEC Publishers, Inc. St. Louis, Missouri.