Earning a Living Nearby
A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on how local workers earn, and who actually pays them.
Earning a Living Nearby is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Eco.6.K-2 — explain how people earn money. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Eco.6.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Economics
D2.Eco.6.K-2
Explain how people earn income.
Objective
Students will be able to say who pays a local worker and where that money came from.
Students are successful when they can
- Says what the worker does.
- Says who pays them.
- Says where the payer got the money.
What you need
- Local job cards
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — who pays the librarian?
5 min- Ask who pays the librarian. Nobody hands over money at the desk.
- Hold the question.
Teach — one step further back
13 min- Take the greengrocer: shoppers pay them directly.
- Take the librarian: the council pays them, and the council is paid by everybody.
- Say the Grade 1 step: some workers are paid by whoever they serve, some by all of us together.
- Sort four workers into those two kinds.
- Ask which kind the bin crew is.
“Nobody pays at the library door. So the money comes from somewhere else.”
Guided practice — trace the money
12 min- Pairs take six workers and say who pays each.
- For the council ones they say where the council got it.
- Take feedback on the hardest.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the earning page.
- Read each question aloud.
Close
2 min- Name a worker and who pays them.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks council workers are unpaid.
Why: No money changes hands in front of you.
Fix: Ask whether they go to work for nothing. Somebody pays; the route is longer.
Thinks the shopkeeper keeps all the takings.
Why: They put it in the till.
Fix: Ask what they paid Hill Farm for the apples. Some of the takings was already spent.
Thinks money starts at the cash machine.
Why: That is where it appears.
Fix: Walk it back one step each time.
If they are not there yet
- Three workers rather than six.
- Give the payer and name the worker.
If they finish early
- Trace the money two steps back.
- Find a worker paid by both routes.
- Say what happens to a shop that takes less than it spends.
Exit ticket
Who pays the librarian, and where did that money come from?
What to look for: The council, funded by everybody. 'Nobody' means the walk-it-back step needs repeating.
Printable practice for D2.Eco.6.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Earning a Living NearbyCircle the best answer.
Questions about Earning a Living Nearby
How long does the Earning a Living Nearby lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Earning a Living Nearby teach?
D2.Eco.6.K-2 — D2.Eco.6.K-2, Economics for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Explain how people earn income.” In plain terms, explain how people earn money.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Local job cards and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: thinks council workers are unpaid; thinks the shopkeeper keeps all the takings and thinks money starts at the cash machine. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Who pays the librarian, and where did that money come from?.” The council, funded by everybody. 'Nobody' means the walk-it-back step needs repeating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Earning a Living Nearby?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Eco.6.K-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Earning a Living Nearby free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.Eco.6.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.