Warm+As+Wool+Reinforcing+Activity


 * __Factors of Production reinforcing activity:__**

The different Factors of Production can be a confusing concepts to elementary and middle school students to grasp. //Warm as Wool,// by Russell Scott Sanders can be used as means to help reinforce these key economic concepts. After reading the book, discuss in class what the definitions of land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship are. Then revisit the story and look for examples of each. This can be tricky. When is land not land? When it is sheep! Entrepreneurship is often vague as well. Have the students create a flip book, such as the one pictured here.

With each page that is flipped up, have the students cut pictures from the book that they believe best exemplify that concept (from pages copied from the book ahead of time). So, for example, for capital, students would look for examples of technology or equipment that was used specifically for the purpose of taking raw material and changing it toward the wanted final product. In the book, examples would include the wool brush, spinning wheel, and loom. For entrepreneurship, I use the picture of the pioneer wife coming out and seeing the sheep juxtaposed with the images she sees of the sheep turning into blankets and clothing for her family.