• A copy of the fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk (Online versions are available from The Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant-Killer Project University of Southern Mississippi) if you do not have a printed copy available in your classroom or school library)
  
  
• Barter role playing activity sheet  

Procedure/Activities

Activity 1

The teacher will read Jack and the Beanstalk to the class, stressing the exchange of the cow for the beans.

Initiate a class discussion based on the following questions:

What happened when Jack swapped the beans?
Was it a fair swap? Why? Why not?
Why do you think Jack swapped the beans?
How did Jack’s decision prove to be a good one?

Activity 2

Have students list the items they have exchanged or ‘bartered’ over the past week. Encourage them to give examples which don’t always include money.

Discuss the responses

Were you happy with the swap? Why? Why not?
How did you decide what the item you received was worth?
What effect does money have on an exchange?

Activity 3

Have students consider and role play examples of barter systems used today. For example, car trade-ins, baby sitting clubs, supermarket stamps, sending proofs of purchase to receive free products.

Discuss when, why and how the systems work.

Activity 4

Have students individually prioritize the items listed below from most to
least important (without teacher input).

An oven
a bag of wood
a saucepan
1 pound of mixed vegetables
1 slice of beef
4 quart of milk
5 loaves of bread
1 shirt and jeans
1 pair of shoes
hammer and nails

Divide the class into small groups and have the group members consider and discuss their individual responses to develop a group priority list. Have each group select one person to report their decisions to the class. Focus on the value of the items and have groups justify their reasons for the decisions.

Activity 5

Select four students and give each of them one of the role play instructions from the Activity Sheet - Barter Role Playing. Instruct students to read their task without discussion. These four students then undertake a role play which is observed by the remainder of the class.

On completion of the role playing discuss what took place with the class:

What are the essential elements of successful barter?
What problems occur when people try to barter items?
Is it a false situation when all items have equal value?
How do we decide what is a fair exchange?
What happens if one person will not cooperate?

Activity 6

Have students work in groups of four to create a list of the problems associated with a barter system.

Combine these ideas to create a class list. Have students suggest ways of overcoming the problems. List and discuss these ideas.

Activity 7

Hold a class "Swap Day." Items for swapping could include cards, stickers, candy items, old toys or clothing.

Record the day’s activities by taking photographs or a video. Each student is to write a report of the activity highlighting the following:

preparation
the way decisions were made about the value of items
success of exchanges
problems encountered
their feelings about the swap day

Have students collect a selection of advertisements from promotional material and rewrite them to make them appropriate for a ‘barter’society. These should be large and bright for display around the room.

Extension Ideas

Have students research the history of barter. Groups of students should be encouraged to present their findings in a variety of ways including charts, timelines, bookwork, talks, reports.

Talk about how we would live without money. Have students suggest alternatives to the use of bills and coins and state how this would alter their daily lives. For example, how could they pay the teacher?

Source: Adapted from "Who Will Swap" - by the Austrailian Bankers Association.