This document outlines economic concepts and standards from kindergarten through 5th grade that can be taught using the Dr. Seuss book "The Lorax". It includes standards related to jobs, money, trade, scarcity of resources, opportunity costs, markets, and entrepreneurship. It also discusses how the book explores the relationship between people and the environment and how to manage scarce resources. Overall, the document provides a framework for how to use the story of "The Lorax" to teach important economic decision-making concepts to young students.

1. Seuss-onomics:
Economic Decision-making with The Lorax
dkozdras@usf.edu Website: http://stavros.coedu.usf.edu
Deborah Kozdras
http://tinyurl.com/seussonomics

2. Activity
How do the core principles and economic concepts relate in The Lorax?

3. Kindergarten
• Standard SS.K.E.1.1 Describe different kinds of jobs
that people do and the tools or equipment used
• Standard SS.K.E.1.2 Recognize that United States
currency comes in different forms.
• Standard SS.K.E.1.3 Recognize that people work to
earn money to buy things they need or want.
• Standard SS.K.E.1.4 Identify the difference between
basic needs and wants.

4. 1st
Grade
• Standard SS.1.E.1.1 Recognize that money is a
method of exchanging goods and services.
• Standard SS.1.E.1.2 Define opportunity costs as
giving up one thing for another.
• Standard SS.1.E.1.3 Distinguish between examples of
goods and services.
• Standard SS.1.E.1.4 Distinguish people as buyers,
sellers, and producers of goods and services.
• Standard SS.1.E.1.5 Recognize the importance of
saving money for future purchases.
• Standard SS.1.E.1.6 Identify that people need to make
choices because of scarce resources.

5. 2nd
grade
• Standard SS.2.E.1.1 Recognize that people make
choices because of limited resources.
• Standard SS.2.E.1.2 Recognize that people supply
goods and services based on consumer demands.
• Standard SS.2.E.1.3 Recognize the United States
trades with other nations to exchange goods and
services.
• Standard SS.2.E.1.4 Explain the personal benefits and
costs involved in saving and spending

6. 3rd
grade
• Standard SS.3.E.1.1 Give examples of how scarcity
results in trade.
• Standard SS.3.E.1.2 List the characteristics of money.
• Standard SS.3.E.1.3 Recognize that buyers and
sellers interact to exchange goods and services
through the use of trade or money.
• Standard SS.3.E.1.4 Distinguish between currencies
used in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the
Caribbean.

7. 4th
Grade
• Standard SS.4.E.1.1: Entrepreneurship Conduct a
research project on Florida Entrepreneurs. Note
attributes and accomplishments of Florida
entrepreneurs. Then read Informational texts on famous
Floridians and note which ones were entrepreneurs.
How did they influence Florida and the local economy?
• Railroad text, Profile of Henry B. Plant, and Railroad
Portal.
• Thomas Elva Edison informational text.
• Website on other famous Florida Entrepreneurs.

8. 4th
Grade
• SS.4.E.1.2 Explain
Florida's role in the
national and
international economy
and conditions that
attract businesses to
the state.
• SS.4.E.1.1 Identify
entrepreneurs from
various social and
ethnic backgrounds
who have influenced
Florida and local
economy.
• SS.4.A.3.1 Identify explorers who came to
Florida and the motivations for their
expeditions.
• SS.4.A.4.1 Explain the effects of technological
advances on Florida.
• SS.4.A.6.1 Describe the economic
development of Florida's major industries.
• SS.4.A.7.1 Describe the causes and effects of
the 1920's Florida land boom and bust.
• SS.4.A.8.3 Describe the effect of the United
States space program on Florida's economy
and growth.
• SS.4.A.8.4 Explain how tourism affects
Florida's economy and growth.

9. 5th
Grade
• SS.5.E.1.1 Identify how trade
promoted economic growth in
North America from pre-
Columbian times to 1850.
• SS.5.E.1.2 Describe a market
economy, and give examples of
how the colonial and early
American economy exhibited
these characteristics.
• SS.5.E.1.3 Trace the development
of technology and the impact of
major inventions on business
productivity during the early
development of the United States.
• SS.5.E.2.1 Recognize the positive
and negative effects of voluntary
trade among Native Americans,
European explorers, and colonists.
• SS.5.A.4.1 Identify the economic,
political and socio-cultural
motivation for colonial settlement.
• SS.5.A.4.4 Demonstrate an
understanding of political,
economic, and social aspects of
daily colonial life in the thirteen
colonies.
• SS.5.A.4.5 Explain the importance
of Triangular Trade linking Africa,
the West Indies, the British
Colonies, and Europe.
• SS.5.A.5.7 Explain economic,
military, and political factors which
led to the end of the Revolutionary
War.

10. Decision-omics
Discover: find
problem points or
decision directions.
Design: a solution
after you find the root
of the problem

11. Problem
Decision
Choice
Choice
___________
___________
Bad
Good ___________
___________
Good
Bad

12. Will There Be Enough?:
Tragedy of the Commons
• Exploration of the
relationship between
people and their
environment.
• Exploration of how
people regulate their
use of scarce
resources.
• Exploration of how
people deal with
“externalities”

13. Conventional Economics: Model is Not
Sufficient for a Sustainable Future
How to allocate scarce resources to meet unlimited needs
•National Social Studies Standards: “people have wants that often
exceed the limited resources available to them. As a result, a variety of
ways have been invented to decide upon answers to four fundamental
questions: What is to be produced? How is production to be organized?
How are goods and services to be distributed? What is the most
effective allocation of the factors of production?”
http://www.jsedimensions.org/wordpress/content/sustainability-and-
economics-101-a-primer-for-elementary-educators_2010_05/

14. Problems Not Included in Traditional Circular
Economy Model: Scarcity and Externalities
ScarcityScarcity

15. Sustainability Paradigm: 5 Key Principles:
• Principle 1: All materials
come from the environment
• Principle 2: Economic
activity involves the
transformation of natural
materials
• Principle 3: The
environment is the final
“sink” into which all wastes
go
• Principle 4: There is no
“away” (wastes can change
physical or chemical form,
but do not leave the
environment)
• Principle 5: The
environment provides
critical life-sustaining
services

16. Ecological Economics

18. Design a Solution

19. Profit-Economic
Planet-Environment
People-Social

20. Task cards: https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/outreach/info_activities/pdfs/Teacher_CTA_do_you_really_need_a_thneed.pdf
Opportunity Cost:
The thing he gave
up when he
decided to dump
pollution into the
water.
Opportunity Cost:
The thing he gave
up when he
decided to dump
pollution into the
water.

21. Market EconomyMarket Economy
Decisions: Costs, Benefits,
Consequences
Decisions: Costs, Benefits,
Consequences

22. Market EconomyMarket Economy
Jobs and ToolsJobs and Tools Market EconomyMarket Economy

23. Opportunity CostOpportunity Cost
ScarcityScarcity

24. Opportunity CostOpportunity Cost

25. Supply and DemandSupply and Demand
Needs and WantsNeeds and Wants
TradeTrade
DecisionsDecisions

26. Buyers (Consumers), Sellers, and ProducersBuyers (Consumers), Sellers, and Producers
Entrepreneurs and InventorsEntrepreneurs and Inventors

27. Social EntrepreneurSocial Entrepreneur

28. Entrepreneurial Thinking & Engineering DesignEntrepreneurial Thinking & Engineering Design

29. BOTG (Behavior Over Time Graphs)
http://static.clexchange.org/ftp/documents/x-
curricular/CC2012_TheLoraxGraphsLesson.pdf

30. AWESOME STORIES:
Primary Sources and Info Texts