Theme 7: Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Staake, Bob. Donut Chef. Random House, Inc., 2009.
Summary:
The Donut Chef is about a baker who opens a shop on a small street and soon gets a large amount of business. Then, next door a competitor arrives and battles the baker's donut shop with their own. In this competitive frenzy, both shop owners battle each other for customers by creating new, exciting flavors. However, the original baker realizes how much the customers love and miss the simple glazed donut, and the shop turns into 'Amazing Glazed.' This book tells the tale, sometimes simple is better.
Rationale:
This story provides educators with the opportunity to teach students how businesses compete for customers. This is done by businesses using techniques such as lowering prices, making deals, creating different items, meeting customer demands, and more. This teaches students about economics and how production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in the community. Donut Chef also talks about the supply and demand of donuts in the town, and how both chefs are meeting the demand.
Discussion Questions
1. Why did a competitor open a donut shop next door?
2. Why did the two rivals keep making new types of donuts?
3. What were some strategies the rivals used to get more customers than the other?
4. Why did the donut chef change the restaurant name to 'Amazing Glazed'? Was it because of his own wants or the customers' wants?
5. Which donut shop would you go to out of the two? Why?
Extension Activity
For the extension activity, students will be creating their own donut shop. They'll make the decision about the variety of donuts they will provide, how much they will cost, size and shape, location of their shop, and the name of the shop. Students will have some limits about their shop. Students can have up to 5 flavors of donuts, but they can make them in any shape they would like. They will have 3 rounds of donut sales, fifty dollars to spend, and can change the prices or make deals on their donuts after each round. After the activity is complete students will record their income and what donut was the most popular. Some follow-up questions can include: "If you completed this activity again, what donuts would you keep and what ones would you change?" "What would you do differently next time?" and other questions similar to these. Students are gaining the idea of supply and demand, and how to compete with competition for more customers.
Digital Resources
Brain Pop Jr. is a website that is designed to allow students to form their own ideas and ask questions. This is done through the use of games, videos, and quizzes. Under the economics tab, there are goods and services, needs and wants, plus savings and spendings.
Econedlink lessons are targeted at K-12 teachers and their students. They include economics and personal finance resources, lesson plans, videos, assessments, activities, and more for educators.
SPENT is an online game about poverty and the challenges it brings forth for each person. This game is good for older elementary grades to teach them how economics affects them in real life. In this game, you have 30 days to make your money last and make economic choices throughout the days.