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Using Biographies of Great Americans

to Teach Economics

George Washington CarverGrade 1

Using Biographies of Great Americans to Teach Economics is a publication of

The Georgia Council on Economic Education

P. O. Box 1619

Atlanta, Georgia 30301-1619

www.gcee.org

AuthorsLeslie MarlowCenter for Economic EducationBerry College

Ronald VanSickleGeorgia Council on Economic Education

Project Director Glen BlankenshipGeorgia Council on Economic Education

Copyright 2011

George Washington CarverGeorgia Council on Economic Education USING BIOGRAPHIES OF GREAT AMERICANS TO TEACH ECONOMICS

The Georgia Council on Economic Education

Our vision: Students leaving school prepared for their economic roles as workers, consumers, citizens, and lifelong decision makers in a globally interdependent world.

Our mission: To help teachers teach those students in the public and independent schools of Georgia.

Copyright 2011 Page iii


USING BIOGRAPHIES OF GREAT AMERICANS TO TEACH ECONOMICS

George Washington Carver

Lesson OverviewSummary

In this economics lesson, students will read or listen to a story about saving choices George Washington Carver made when he was a child, teenager, and young adult. Carver worked at jobs and started businesses to earn money, and he saved money so he could afford to go to school. His saving choices enabled him to become a scientist whose work benefitted many Americans of all races. The lesson focuses students’ attention on the economic concepts of personal spending and saving decisions: saving, spending, costs, and benefits. The lesson fits into a larger lesson or set of lessons on George Washington Carver, one of the focal historical figures in the 1st grade social studies curriculum.

Enduring Understanding

Saving leads to benefits for the saver and also other people.

Lesson Essential Question

How did earning and saving money enable George Washington Carver to become a great scientist?

Economic Concepts Benefit Cost Interest Save Spend

Vocabulary Agricultural science Botany

Copyright 2011 Page 1


Non-food products Nitroglycerin Nutrients Slave raiders

Teaching MaterialsTeacher Reading:

George Washington Carver: Getting an Education to Make a Better World (880L)

Student Reading:

George Washington Carver: Getting an Education to Make a Better World (410L)

Handout: Benefit and Cost Chart

Standards and ObjectivesGeorgia Performance Standards

SS1E4: The student will describe the costs and benefits of personal spending and saving choices.

SS1H1: The student will read about and describe the life of historical figures in American history.

Knowledge Objectives

The student will know that …

George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist that solved a serious soil problem for southern black and white farmers.

Carver invented many products for peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other plants.

Carver saved money from working at jobs and running businesses to pay for his education.

Carver gave up spending money on some things so he could get a good education and help others.

Information Processing Skills Objectives

The student will be able to…



Identify main idea, detail, sequence of events, and cause and effect in a social studies context.



Classroom ProceduresIntroduction

Introduce the lesson as part of your students’ study of George Washington Carver. Carver was an agricultural scientist who solved the problem of how to restore soil worn out by cotton farming. He discovered that peanuts, sweet potatoes, and certain other plants put nutrients into the soil. In order to encourage southern farmers to grow those crops, he invented hundreds of new ways to use them.

This lesson focuses on how Carver got an education to become a scientist. By earning and saving money and by giving up spending on some things he wanted, he was able to pay for his education. Giving up some things he could have bought were costs, but the benefits he gained from his education and the benefits many Americans gained were great.

This lesson can be divided into two parts: one focusing on saving and spending and the other on costs and benefits.

To introduce saving and spending, give students one coin apiece (real or pretend) and allow students to decide whether they would like to spend their coins now on a small item you provide (a pencil, for example). Mention that if they choose to save their coins until the end of the lesson they may be able to buy something better. (See Classroom Procedures for Independent Practice for the remainder of this activity which will take place late in the lesson.)

To introduce costs and benefits, show students two items you have placed on the table that you can choose to buy (a mint or a chocolate piece of candy, for example.) Model for students: select one of the items and leave the other item. Tell students that the benefit of choosing the item is the good thing about the choice. Your choice allowed you to enjoy



your favorite candy. The cost is the bad thing about your choice. In this case, the cost is that you didn’t get to have both pieces. Another cost is that you have no candy to share with your friend. Place two different items on the table. Allow students to select one and identify the benefit and cost of each choice. Change items as needed to keep interest in the introduction.

Guided Practice

After students read or listen to “George Washington Carver: Getting an Education to Make a Better World,” conduct a discussion including the following questions.



Questions Possible Answers

How did Carver solve the problem of poor soil caused by too much cotton farming?

He discovered that peanuts, sweet potatoes, and certain other plants put nutrients back into the soil so it could grow better crops again.

Why did Carver invent so many ways to make things from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other plants?

Farmers were reluctant to grow peanuts and other high-nutrient crops because they couldn’t sell much. Carver invented ways to use them so people would buy more.

What are examples of products made from peanuts?

Peanut butter, candy, ink, soap, milk, hand lotion, medicine, shampoo, house paint, gas, fuel, nitroglycerine

What happened to Carver’s parents?

His father died in an accident before he was born and his mother was stolen by slave raiders.

Who helped the child Carver begin his education?

The plantation owners named Carver took care of him and taught him to read, write, and spell.

What did Carver have to do in order to get more education?

He had to leave home when he was 10 to find a school he could attend.

Besides money, what made it difficult for Carver to get an education during the late 1800s?

Schools were segregated by race, that is, black students couldn’t attend schools for white students. Many places did not have schools for black students.

What are two Laundry and farm



Questions Possible Answers

businesses Carver started in order to earn money?

How did saving money help Carver get a good education?

He could pay school fees and buy books.

What was the cost to Carver of saving money for his education?

He could have bought some things he would have liked to have, but he gave them up in order to save.

How did Carver benefit from his saving choices?

He got a good education and spent his life doing work he enjoyed, teaching and helping others.

How did many Americans benefit from his saving choices?

Carver helped black and white farmers in the South solve a serious soil problem so they could make more money. The many products made from peanuts and sweet potatoes gave American consumers more choices of things to buy at affordable prices. His good example helped improve race relations in the United States.

Independent Practice

Saving and SpendingIdentify the students who did not spend their single coins at the beginning of the lesson. Give each student who saved a coin another coin. Tell students that this is interest. When money is saved in the bank, the person who is saving the money makes more money. Each student who saved a coin from the beginning of



the lesson should be provided with a choice of two new items from which to choose. These items should be better (or more than) the one item at the beginning of class (for example two pencils or two bookmarkers).

Point out why it is a good idea to save: you earn extra money and you can afford things that cost more money.

Benefits and CostsGive each student a Benefit and Cost Chart (see Handout). Read the story below and then each statement aloud to the students. If they think that the statement is a benefit of a choice, they should color in the box underneath Benefit. If they think the statement is a cost, they should color in the box for Cost.

Anthony went to the store to buy snack food. He didn’t want candy, so he decided he would buy some fruit. He looked at oranges, apples, grapes and bananas.

1. Oranges are juicy and sweet to eat.

2. Apples are hard to peel.

3. Grapes are fall off the stem and roll away.

4. Bananas are good on cereal

(Answers: 1. Benefit, 2. Cost, 3. Cost 4. Benefit)



Teaching MaterialsTeacher Reading: George Washington Carver: Getting an Education to Make a Better World (880L)

George Washington Carver: Getting an Education to Make a Better World

George Washington Carver made the world a better place for black and white farmers in the late 19th century and early 20th century. His scientific achievements and his personal qualities inspired many people to help others and to have more positive attitudes about different races. Carver wanted to solve a serious problem facing farmers in the South. Cotton farming damaged the soil so much that people had trouble earning income by farming.

Carver did scientific research and learned that growing peanuts and sweet potatoes put nutrients into the soil so that the soil could grow more crops. However, consumers didn’t want to eat many peanuts and sweet potatoes. So, Carver invented ways to make more than 300 products from peanuts, more than 100 from sweet potatoes, and hundreds more from other plants. Some of the peanut products were peanut butter, candy, ink, soap, milk, hand lotion, medicine, shampoo, house paint, gas, fuel, and nitroglycerine. Southern farmers could earn more income by growing peanuts and sweet potatoes, because people could consume them as foods and as non-food products.

How did George Washington Carver become such a great scientist? He was a smart child and he was always interested in plants. However, he needed a good education to become a scientist. Getting a good education was very difficult. Carver was born in 1864. He was born into slavery on a plantation in Missouri. His father died in an accident just before he was born. When Carver was a baby, he and his mother were captured by slave raiders. Somehow, he was rescued and returned to the plantation, but his mother was never found. Moses and Sarah Carver owned the plantation. They took care of Carver, and he spent his childhood with the Carver family. They taught him to read, write, and spell. He didn’t go to school, because black children were not allowed to go to school.

Carver chose to leave the Carver plantation when he was 10 years old. He went to a school in another part of Missouri that would teach black children. He went to the school but didn’t stay long, because he already knew as much as the school’s teacher. He moved to a town in Kansas to



try to find a school there. Of course, he needed to make money, so he started a laundry business. He continued to study at the high school, wash laundry, and save money until he was about 20 years old. He heard about a college and applied for admission. He was admitted, so he moved there. When the people there saw that he was an African American, they refused to let him study at the college. He was very disappointed and decided to start his own farm in Kansas.

Carver farmed for a few years and saved money. He then moved to Iowa. Some white friends encouraged him to apply for admission to Simpson College. He was 26 years old. Even though he was the only black student, he could study at Simpson College. His art teacher encouraged him to move to a different college where he could learn to be a scientist. So, he moved to the Iowa College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts. Today, it is called Iowa State University. Again, he was the only black student. Carver was one of the best students at the college. He participated in many activities and made many friends. Carver had to earn money to pay for college. He worked in the college dining rooms and he worked as a trainer for the college sports teams to earn income.

His teachers at the college were very happy with his work in agricultural science. He earned his college degree with very high grades. The teachers asked him to stay in order to earn a master’s degree in agricultural science. He wanted to learn more, so he did stay. He needed to earn a salary to pay for more education. So, he earned money by running the college greenhouse and teaching botany classes. He was a popular teacher.

When he finished his next degree in 1896, the Iowa college teachers asked him to join them as a faculty member. However, he received an invitation to teach African American students and to do agricultural research at the Tuskegee Normal and Technical Institute in Alabama. Today, it is called Tuskegee University. He decided to move to Alabama. That is where he did the important work that made him famous around the world.

Carver made brave and bold choices as a child, teenager, and young adult. As a result, he achieved a good education. He made important choices about money, too. He found jobs to do and started businesses, earned income, and saved money to spend on his education. In order to save money, he had to give up buying some things he would have liked.



Those things he didn’t buy were costs of his choice to save. However, he also received benefits for choosing to save. His benefits were his education and the opportunities for interesting work as a scientist. We also receive benefits from his saving choices, because of the important work he did to make the world better for everyone, including us.



Student Reading: George Washington Carver: Getting an Education to Make a Better World (410L)

George Washington Carver: Getting an Education to Make a Better World

George Washington Carver lived in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He made the world a better place for farmers. He wanted to solve a problem farmers in the South had. Cotton farming hurt the soil. The soil was not good. Plants would not grow well. People had trouble earning income by farming.

Carver was a scientist. He learned that growing peanuts was good for the soil. Growing sweet potatoes helped the soil, too. They helped the soil to grow more crops.

1. How did Carver help the farmers solve their problem with the soil?

A He grew more cotton.

B He learned that growing peanuts was good for the soil.

B He invented many things to help the soil be better for cotton.

Consumers didn’t want to eat many peanuts. They didn’t want to eat many sweet potatoes. So, Carver invented other ways to use these. He



invented more than 300 ways to use peanuts. He invented more than 100 ways to use sweet potatoes. He made products from the peanuts and sweet potatoes. Some of the peanut products were peanut butter, candy, and ink. He also made soap, milk, and hand lotion from peanuts. Other things he made were medicine, shampoo and gas. Southern farmers could earn more income by growing peanuts and sweet potatoes. People could use them as foods. They could use them in non-food products.



2. What is the meaning of products in the sentence?George Washington Carver made products from peanuts.

A things people could paint

B things people could grow

C things people could eat or use

How did George Washington Carver become a great scientist? He was a smart child. He was interested in plants. He needed a good education to become a scientist. Getting a good education was hard. Carver was born in 1864. He was born into slavery. He lived on a plantation in Missouri. He did not live with his parents. Moses and Sarah Carver owned the plantation. They took care of Carver. He spent his childhood with the Carver family. They taught him to read. They taught him to write. They taught him to spell. He did not go to school. Back then, black children were not allowed to go to school.

3. Who helped George Washington Carver begin his education?

A his parents

B the plantation owners

C his first grade teacher

Carver left the plantation when he was 10 years old. He went to a school in another part of Missouri. This school taught black children. He did not stay at school long. He already knew as much as the school’s teacher. He moved to a town in Kansas. He tried to find a school there. He needed to make money. He started a laundry business. Until he was 20 years old he did three things. He studied at the high school. He washed laundry. He saved money from the laundry business.

4. What business did George start in order to earn money?

A a school

B a laundry business

C a town in Kansas



Then he heard about a college. The college said he could attend school there. He moved there. They didn’t know he was African American. When he got to the school they wouldn’t let him study at the college. He was very disappointed. He decided to start his own farm in Kansas.

Carver farmed for a few years. He saved more money. Then he moved to Iowa. Some white friends encouraged him to go to Simpson College. He was the only black student. His art teacher encouraged him to move to a different college. At a different college he could learn to be a scientist.

So, he moved to a different college. Today, it is called Iowa State University. Again, he was the only black student. Carver was one of the best students at the college. He had to earn money. The money would pay for college. He worked two jobs. He worked in the college dining rooms. He worked as a trainer for the college sports teams.

His teachers at the college were very happy with his work in agricultural science. He had very high grades. He earned his college degree. The teachers asked him to stay. They thought he should earn a master’s



degree in agricultural science. He wanted to learn more. He stayed. He needed to earn a salary to pay for more education. He taught botany classes. He ran the college greenhouse. He was a popular teacher.

He finished his next degree. He was asked to teach African American students at Tuskegee Normal and Technical Institute in Alabama. He was asked to do research there. Today, it is called Tuskegee University. He moved to Alabama. That is where he did important work. It made him famous around the world.



5. How did saving money help George get a good education?

A He could do research.

B He could afford to buy presents for people.

C He could afford to buy books and pay for college.

Carver made good choices. As a result, he got a good education. He made important choices about money, too. He found jobs to do. He started businesses. He earned money. He saved money to spend on his education. To save money, he had to give up buying some things he would have liked. The things he didn’t buy were costs of his choice to save.

6. What does the word costs mean in the sentence?The things George didn’t buy were costs of his choice to save.

A things he bought

B things he didn’t buy

C things he bought for other people

He also received benefits for choosing to save. One benefit was his education. Another benefit was the opportunity to be a scientist. We also receive benefits from his saving choices. Our benefit is that we have a better world. We have more products because of the important work he did.



Handout: Benefit and Cost Chart

Benefit Cost



ResourcesChildren’s Books

Lexile Levels: Grade 3, 550-790; Grade 2, 450-620; Grade 1, 220-500

Student Textbook

George Washington Carver by Lisa Zamosky (2006). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.32 pagesReadability: 710LDescription: The life story of Carver who taught farmers about plants and the land around them.

Biographies

George Washington Carver by Lynea Bowdish. (2004). Rookie Biographies Series, Scholastic Publishing. ISBN: 0516236105; ISBN13: 978051623610029 pagesReadability: 350LDescription: A brief biography of the life of George Washington Carver.

George Washington Carver: The Peanut Scientist by Patricia and Frederick McKissack. (1991). Enslow Publishing. ISBN: 089490308X; ISBN13: 978089490308326 pages Readability: 400LDescription: An easy-to-read biography of the man who helped revive the economy of the South after the Civil War with his 300 uses for peanuts and 100 uses for sweet potatoes.

George Washington Carver by Jo S. Kitinger. (2005). Scholastic Publishing. ISBN: 0516249398; ISBN13: 978051624939121 pages



Readability: 480LDescription: George Washington Carver's life and accomplishments as a scientist and inventor, from his childhood in slavery through his college education and desire to help farmers repair soil damage.

George Washington Carver: A Photo-Illustrated Biography by Margo McLoone. (1997). Bridgestone Books. ISBN: 156065516X; ISBN13: 978156065516924 pagesReadability: 510LDescription: A brief biography of George Washington Carver, the African American scientist who overcame tremendous hardship to make unusual and important discoveries in the field of agriculture.

Graphic Novel

George Washington Carver: Ingenious Inventor by Nathan Olson. (2006). Capstone Press Publishing. ISBN: 0736854843; ISBN13: 9780736854849Unknown number of pagesReadability: GN600LDescription: A biography describing how what George Washington Carver accomplished in life gave him the "title" of being the father of the peanut industry. Includes a glossary, read-more section, internet sites, bibliography and index.

Books to Read to Students

George Washington Carver: Agriculture Pioneer by Stephanie Macceca. (2007). Teacher Created Materials. ISBN: 0743905903; ISBN13: 978074390590932 pagesReadability: 600LDescription: The story of George Washington Carver, born a slave but who became an important scientist and teacher. His creative approach to agriculture taught people that plants could be used to make many



products, like rubber, ink, fuel, and paper, to name a few.

Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver by Aliki. (1988). Aladdin Books. ISBN: 0671664905; ISBN13: 978067166490932 pagesReadability: AD640L (Adult Directed)Description: A biography of the African American scientist who grew up to teach the world about agriculture.

A Picture Book of George Washington Carver by David Adler. (1999). Holiday House Publishing. ISBN: 0823414299; ISBN13: 978082341429128 pagesReadability: AD830LDescription: A brief biography, containing quotes from Carver, of the African American scientist who overcame tremendous hardship to make unusual and important discoveries in the field of agriculture.

Digital Teacher Resources

“George Washington Carver,” Encyclopedia of Alabamahttp://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1064 Description: A brief biography of the life of Carver, located in the science and technology and scientists section of the Encyclopedia of Alabama.


http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1064

http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1064


“George Washington Carver,” Iowa State University Digital Collectionshttp://www.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/gwc/bio.html Description: A Britannica Internet Guide Selection on the legacy of George Washington Carver and the many honors he received in his lifetime.

“George Washington Carver,” Tuskegee Universityhttp://www.tuskegee.edu/Search.aspx?sterm=George+Washington+Carver Description: Forty-three references to George Washington Carver including a brief description of the man as scientist, educator and humanitarian.


http://www.tuskegee.edu/Search.aspx?sterm=George+Washington+Carver

http://www.tuskegee.edu/Search.aspx?sterm=George+Washington+Carver

http://www.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/gwc/bio.html


Publication NotesImage Citations

George Washington Carver portraithttp://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98503047/

George Washington Carver in the fieldhttp://obit-mag.com/articles/george-washington-carver-the-good-earth

Replica of George Washington Carver’s birth site cabin - http://www.nps.gov/gwca/historyculture/index.htm

George Washington Carver, circa 1870shttp://www.blackiowa.org/exhibits/virtual-tour/george-washington-carver/2/

George Washington Carver painting at Simpson Collegehttp://www.blackiowa.org/exhibits/virtual-tour/george-washington-carver/3/

George Washington Carver in his National Guard uniformhttp://www.blackiowa.org/exhibits/virtual-tour/george-washington-carver/3/

Iowa State University Diplomahttp://www.diplomaframe.com/iowau/gold-embossed-diploma-frame-in-studio-gold-46279.aspx

George Washington Carver seated on steps with staffhttp://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004671560/

George Washington Carver in laboratoryhttp://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2006675174/


http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2006675174/


http://www.diplomaframe.com/iowau/gold-embossed-diploma-frame-in-studio-gold-46279.aspx

http://www.diplomaframe.com/iowau/gold-embossed-diploma-frame-in-studio-gold-46279.aspx

http://www.blackiowa.org/exhibits/virtual-tour/george-washington-carver/3/






http://www.nps.gov/gwca/historyculture/index.htm

http://obit-mag.com/articles/george-washington-carver-the-good-earth

http://obit-mag.com/articles/george-washington-carver-the-good-earth



Copyright, Restrictions, and Permissions Notice

A variety of sources were used as sources for the illustrations found within this document. While some were obtained from the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and Wikipedia, others were located on public domain sites with no copyright indicated and from the authors’/publishers’ personal collections. Generally, according to the National Archives, materials produced by Federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. No materials from any source indicating restricted use have been used in this document. According to Section 107 of the U. S. copyright law, this publication adheres to the doctrine of "fair use." Purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair include criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use of copyrighted material includes the use of protected materials for non-commercial educational purposes, such as teaching, scholarship, research, criticism, commentary, and news reporting. For works first published before 1978, the complete absence of a copyright notice from a published copy indicates that the work was never protected by copyright. U. S. copyright in any work published or copyrighted prior to January 1, 1923, has expired by operation of law, and the work has permanently fallen into the public domain in the United States (www.legendsofamerica.com). To the best of our knowledge, images on this site are either (1) in the public domain, or (2) qualify for educational Fair Use under federal copyright law, or (3) are used by permission.


http://www.legendsofamerica.com/

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