Store that Mama Built, The
Birdie Fried’s papa is supposed to build a grocery store. But he dies in 1917, shortly after he and his Jewish immigrant family move to small Pennsylvania town. His grieving widow is responsible for six children in a country whose language and ways she barely understands. She and the children decide to become entrepreneurs and open the grocery store. This is the story of their struggle to adapt to their new life.
Economic Concepts
- Credit
- Opportunity Costs
- Interest
- Entrepreneurship
Grade Levels
- Intermediate (4-6)
Related Subjects
- U.S. History
- Entrepreneurship
- Multicultural
Description of Lesson 14, The Store that Mama Built
from Economics and Children’s Literature, Supplement 2:
Students read and discuss the story. They experience credit when they borrow time from Social Studies for extra recess. The problem comes when they have to pay back the borrowed time.