Materials for the lesson

A4 papers
pencils in various colors.
Bottle caps, old buttons or large beans to use as coins.
Small paper boxes (to fit A5 papers-half of A4)

Teachers bell

Layout of the classroom

The desks on the four corners of the classroom to form spaces that will be : The Farm, The Market and the two homes.
Accordingly the children are the Farmers, Merchants and the Consumers/buyers.

Phase   1

The children draw in small papers (A5-half of A4) products such as :
Eggs, bottles of milk, apples, oranges, tangerines, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, radishes, etc in many pieces so as to have many to make additions and subtractions.  The children divide in four teams and take place in the Farm, Market and Houses.

Phase   2

COUNTING
At the Farm:
(ADDITIONS) They count the goods. Total i.e. 40 pieces
CLASSIFICATION (Subtraction)
We divide the animal products (that are i.e.) and we subtract them putting them into a box separately.         We divide the vegetables, (that are i.e. 18) and we subtract them putting them in another box separately.
We divide the fruit (i.e. 10) and we subtract them putting them into a third box.
In the farm now we have 3 boxes –instead of numerous products- (animal products, vegetables and fruit)

In the Market

They count the money (caps) and write down what they need :

(ADDITIONS) How many animal products, how many vegetables and how many fruit. (Advise : the market should need less than what we have at the farm so as to make more calculations and trips-from the farm to the houses and back)

In the two houses. They also count the money (caps) and write down what they need:

How many animal products, vegetables and fruit.

Phase   3

From the Farm to the Market. The products in 3 different boxes go to the market.   Negotiations : The merchants :

Dialog :
MERCHANT: I need 5 eggs, 6 tomatoes, 3 apples. How much do they cost ?
FARMER :  6,5 euro (caps or whatever else the teacher has appointed)
Coins are counted=6 caps (=6 euro) and 5 beans (cents)

ANOTHER MERCHANT: I need 2 bottles of milk, 4 tangerines, 8 oranges… How much do they cost?   Χρειάζομαι 2 μπουκάλια γάλα, 4 μανταρίνια,

ANOTHER FARMER :  8,7 euro ( counting of money and handling over the goods)

Similar dialogs and from the other children until the negotiations come to an end and payments are made. The dialogs can be longer with negotiations about the prices or anything else the children want to improvise upon. I.e. the tomatoes are not good, I will buy from someone else etc.

When the negotiations come to an end, the farmers leave and the consumers come.

The farmers return to the farm and count the remaining products.
SUBTRACTION: we had X vegetables, Y fruit , and now we have Z vegetables and F fruit.  How much did we sell, how many euro we have in the farm in total by all the farmers that went to the market to sell.

Phase  4

The Consumers in the Market :
Needs and Negotiations :

Indicative Dialogues:

CONSUMER:  Give me please 3 strawberries. (the Merchant counts and gives ) How much do they cost ?
MERCHANT        3,2 euro (with caps and beans the merchant is paid)

CONSUMER :         I want 3 cucumbers please.
MERCHANT :   I do not have cucumbers, I have tangerines.
CONSUMER:  Give me 2 tangerines. Where will I find cucumbers ?
MERCHANT: Stelios has.
CONSUMER:  Mr Stelios, give me 3 cucumbers please ( The Merchant counts and delivers) How much do they cost?
MERCHANT :  4,3 EURO ( in caps and beans the payment is made)

The dialogues are indicative. Children can improvise as they like. The Teacher with the bell intervenes and corrects accordingly.

Return to our base. Farmers at the farm. Merchants in the Market and consumers in the houses.
COUNTING –DOWN, ADDITIONS, SUBTRACTIONS.

For example we had
FARMERS:
Animal products 12 and now we have X less,         vegetables 18 and now Y less,  fruit 10 and now Z less.

But we had 0, and now we have Z euro . Same happens at the homes with the consumers and in the Market with the Merchants.

The papers with the reports and the calculations are given to the teacher for count-down and evaluation.

RETURN TO THE DESKS
The Teacher shows on the board and makes calculations in writing, completing the lesson.