Publisher’s Story Summary: This story is the second adventure in The One and Only Common Sense/Cents Series. As they travel along with the Green$treet$ Kids, children begin to understand how they are connected economically to people all over the world and how they can influence the marketplace every time they spend money.

LESSON PLAN: FOLLOW AN ICE CREAM CONE AROUND THE WORLD

Lesson Summary

Travel around the world with the Green$treet kids as they discover what it takes to produce ice cream. In the story, the kids visit different countries where the various ingredients for ice cream are found. Students will enjoy the many “billboards” in the story that give interesting facts about ice cream.  There’s even a recipe for making Penny Bright’s Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!

Concept: Interdependence

Definition: Interdependence occurs when people or countries depend on someone else to provide the goods and services they consume.

Comprehension Questions:

What does it mean for people to be interdependent?
People are interdependent when they depend on other people to provide the goods and services that they want. For example, I provide what you want; you provide what I want. 

Why were Bull and Bear giving away ice cream?
They gave it away to encourage people to come to their store and buy more ice cream. This was a marketing strategy that Bull and Bear hoped would increase the demand for their ice cream.

Why did it take “cows and trees and beans and factories and trucks…..” to produce ice cream?
These are some of the many productive resources needed to produce a good or service – in this case, ice cream.

In the story, in what way is interdependence illustrated in the production of ice cream?
Ice cream producers depend on people/businesses in various countries to provide the ingredients for the ice cream: milk from Wisconsin, sugar from Costa Rica, vanilla from Madagascar, mint from Australia, and chocolate from Brazil.

Why do ice cream producers go all over the world to get the productive resources to produce ice cream? Why do they depend on other countries?
It is more efficient for people to specialize in producing certain kinds of goods and then trade with other people. By specializing and trading, more goods and services are ultimately produced. This means higher standards of living for people.

What large capital resources were used to transport all the ingredients to the ice cream factory?
Trucks, ships, planes

At the end of the story, what other ways for Bull and Bear to market/advertise their ice cream were mentioned?
Signs, radio, television, newspapers, magazines

Can you think of even more ways to advertise?
Flyers, bill boards, Internet

Other Concepts: Productive Resources, Specialization

  Interdependence 

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