The Philanthropy Market Is Open Today

• predict the consumer wants.
• execute the sale of snacks.
• sort the money, roll the coins, wrap the bills and count the money.
• determine the amount of profit from the sale.
• write thank-you notes.
• repay the borrowed money.
• conduct a ceremony to celebrate the giving of the gift purchased from the profits

• Appropriate number of tables to set out the snacks
• Plastic wrap or baggies to facilitate sanitary handling of the snacks (Be prepared in the event that some snacks will arrive not individually wrapped.)
• Plates or trays to display snacks attractively
• Small signs to set in front of each tray to identify snacks and prices
• Change box with $10.00 of coins to begin the sale
• Parent/older student volunteers for each table
• Chart paper
• Camera
• Paper for copying photos and making thank-you notes

Teacher Note: It will make it easier and more efficient if the teacher has the tables to be used for the sale arranged before the students arrive. If this is not possible, parent volunteers could work with students to set up the tables. If the school has a school store it might be possible to temporarily remove the school items and arrange the store shelves like a bakery or patisserie. (Students will enjoy learning the French word for bakery.)

• Day One
  • Anticipatory Set: Cut or divide one sample of each snack into bite-size pieces. Allow students to taste the different items. Write down their comments as they taste their samples. Sort the responses into facts (this one has pretzels in it) and opinions (this tastes best). Discuss the difference between facts and opinions. (Note: If there is an abundance of snacks, the teacher could prepare one tray of tiny samples to be used at the sale so consumers may sample ONE item before making their purchase.)
  • Ask students to predict which two snacks will be the products in greatest demand by the consumers (define the terms product, producer and consumer). Record this prediction for later reference.
  • As students arrive, many of them will be bringing prepared snacks or ingredients from home. Set up a procedure with volunteers in which students place items on the store shelves. If snacks still need to be assembled, packaged or prepared, be sure you have the time and materials to do this. Package the snacks in baggies or wrap in plastic wrap in appropriately-sized portions. Make little signs with the names of the products and prices. Involve the students as much as possible in the preparation and displaying of items.
  • Review the different “jobs” involved in a real market: preparation, displaying, selling, pricing, cleaning, keeping shelves stocked, managing, collecting money, making change, etc. Assign students roles in the market (write it on a chart) and teach them about the importance of clean hands and healthy habits ie. the persons who handle money should not handle snacks. Assignments to jobs could be made in a variety of ways. The teacher should determine in advance which “hiring” process would work best in his/her situation: hand vote, teacher appointment, signing-up or any other method that the teacher finds efficient. Post the approximate times (shifts) that each group of laborers should report to work.
  • Parent volunteers will help to take the appropriate workers out of the room to facilitate their job. During the time that the Philanthropy Market is open, the students who are not currently working may buy a snack, eat it, work on other assignments or read a book.
  • After the Philanthropy Market closes: The market managers give a report to the class about the snack or snacks that were in greatest demand by the consumers. Compare this fact with the predictions and opinions expressed at the beginning of the day.
  • Students sort and count bills and roll coins. Ask the money counters to give a report about the incomefrom the market.
  • Remind the students about the money borrowed for the initial investment(if applicable). To determine the profit, they subtract the initial investment borrowed from the total income to get the amount of the profit. Tell the students that since the workers were all volunteers, none of them will receive a salary. If they did receive a salary, it would also be subtracted from the total income.
  • Remind the students about what they decided to purchase for the classroom, school or community with the money from the sale. Determine whether the sale generated enough money to purchase the item. If there isn’t enough money, they may change their goal or hold another fundraising activity. The teacher uses the profits from the sale to purchase the agreed-upon item. Review the meaning of the word philanthropy.
• Day Two
  • Pay back the loan to the bank, principal, teacher or whoever loaned the money. Interest should be paid either in the form of money, time spent on a project or snacks (whatever was prearranged).
  • Conduct a ceremony to present the gift item purchased with the sale money. Have a ribbon-cutting ceremony or present the gift with a flourish to the appropriate recipient. Assemble the class with the philanthropic gift and take a group picture.
  • Have representatives from the class make a presentation that explains how much money they made and how they made the money, got a loan, found volunteers, etc. The presentation may take the form of a skit, poster or other creative expression.
• Day Three
  • Make copies of the class picture on paper (one per student) to be used for thank-you cards. Review the meaning of the word volunteer. Talk about how the volunteers in this project had the freedom to choose how and whether they would volunteer. Brainstorm a list of everyone who helped out with the project (parents, teachers, principal, custodian, bank, speakers, participating classrooms, etc.). Discuss ways that people volunteered in this project. Assign the people on the list to students and help them write thank-you notes.

Teacher observation of student cooperation and participation in the market activity. (Optional: Use the rubric on the following Website for assessing student performance on the friendly letter: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/)