Find the goods and services we use throughout the day

Learning goal: Children learn that individuals use goods and services throughout their daily lives. They tell a good (a thing we use) from a service (work someone does for us) and find both in every part of a day, from morning to night. This lesson teaches a statement from Ohio's July 2026 K–8 social studies standards, which the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce anticipates districts will begin to implement in the 2027-28 school year.

For the adult: what the statement asks. Children often think of goods and services only as things bought at a store. The statement asks them to notice that they use goods and services all day long: at home, on the way to school, in the classroom, at lunch and at the library. Walk through one pretend child's day, then the class's own school day. Use school examples for the children's own answers, so nobody has to describe what their family owns or buys.

Goods are things. Say to children: "A good is a thing we can touch and use." A toothbrush, a bowl of cereal, a pair of shoes, a crayon, a book and an apple are goods. Some goods are used up, like food. Some goods last a long time, like a chair.

Services are work someone does for us. Say to children: "A service is work a person does to help us." The bus driver driving children to school is doing a service. The teacher teaching, the lunch helper serving food, the librarian helping someone find a book and a doctor checking that a child is healthy are services. You cannot hold a service in your hand; you can see the person doing the work.

Goods and services together. Many times a service and a good come together. The school bus is a good, a thing; driving it is a service, the work. A lunch tray and the food on it are goods; serving the food is a service. Ask two questions: "Is it a thing?" and "Is it work someone does for us?"

Read this to the children — Original story: Sam's Busy Day.
In the morning Sam brushed his teeth with his green toothbrush. He ate a bowl of cereal. Then he climbed onto the school bus, and Ms. Lee drove the bus to school. In class Sam drew a picture with crayons on paper while his teacher, Mr. Ford, showed the class how to draw a circle. At lunch Sam had milk and an apple, and Mr. Dan, the lunch helper, put the apple on his tray. After school Sam went to the library. The librarian helped him find a book about trucks, and he took the book home. At bedtime Sam put on his pajamas and his dad read the truck book to him.

Working it out together. Go through the day one part at a time and ask, "What thing did Sam use? What work did someone do for him?" Morning: the toothbrush and cereal are goods; Ms. Lee driving the bus is a service. In class: crayons and paper are goods; Mr. Ford teaching is a service. Lunch: milk and the apple are goods; Mr. Dan serving lunch is a service. Library: the book is a good; the librarian's help is a service. Sam used goods and services in every part of his day, not only at a store.

The misconception to watch for. Some children think a service must be something you pay for at a store. Many services at school, like teaching and the library's help, are paid for by the whole community, and children still use them every day. Another mix-up is calling the worker's tools the service. The bus is a good; the driving is the service.

Worked example 1 — thing or work? The adult holds up a picture card of a spoon. "Is it a thing or work someone does?" A thing, so it is a good. Next card: a crossing guard helping children cross the street. "Is it a thing or work?" Work someone does for the children, so it is a service.

Worked example 2 — find both in one part of the day. Lunchtime at school. Goods: the milk carton, the sandwich, the napkin. Service: the lunch helper serving the food. The class says: "At lunch we use goods and a service."

Worked example 3 — goods and services all day. The adult draws a line with four stops: morning, school, lunch, after school. For each stop the children name one good and one service from Sam's story. Four stops, four goods and four services: Sam used goods and services all day long.

Day-strip record (representation task): Each child gets a strip of paper folded into four boxes labelled by the adult: Morning, In class, Lunch, After school. In each box the child draws one good they use at school or on the way (for the morning box, a good any child might use, such as a toothbrush or a coat), and the adult writes the child's dictated service for that box, such as "the teacher teaches" or "the crossing guard helps us cross".

Independent performance: The child tells an adult one good and one service from two different parts of the school day, and says for each one, "It is a thing" or "It is work someone does for me." Success criteria: each good is a thing; each service is work a person does; the two examples come from two different parts of the day. Drawing, pointing or telling all count.