Students gain awareness of and empathy for differences between their wants and needs and the wants and needs of others. They discuss the read-aloud book Sam and the Lucky Money and build understanding of the choices we make with our assets, like time and talent. They explore ways they can share their time, talent, and treasure with someone with different needs and wants than their own.

Focus Question: How do our needs and wants impact our choices?

• define wants and needs.
• describe limited resources.
• identify four ways to manage money.
• create collages of wants and needs.
• respond to literature with personal reflection and discussion of financial choices.
• compare and contrast choices of Sam (book character) with choices in their own lives.

• define philanthropy as giving time, talent, or treasure for the common good.
• choose action to share resources (time, talent, and treasure) with others in need.
• identify the choice he or she gives up when choosing to donate.

If you watch any television program or news report, or example the actions of some individuals, chances are that you’ll see the evidence of a self-centeredness in the world.  As a small group of individuals and nations gain control of our wealth and resources, those remaining are left to suffer the consequences.  Greedy and self-centered behavior doesn’t just affect others – in fact, one could argue that the people who suffer most from selfish behavior are selfish people themselves.  Self-centered individuals live closed-off, unhappy lives, never realizing that true happiness comes from loving, appreciating, and understanding the people around them, and not from the things they possess or the people they control.  Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the destructive effects of selfishness, but also saw hope for the future:

"I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, quality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up."

By focusing on and investing in others, we can improve the world that we live in.  Those who participate in charitable events, and who spend time learning and caring about people from all over the world, quickly realize how much they can gain personally from these selfless activities.  There is no better way to enrich yourself or your community than to help others.