Publisher’s Story Summary: The barnyard rooster crows to tell Jack it's time to get up. It's very early in the morning -- and Jack is so hungry that what he really wants is a large pancake for breakfast. But first, Jack's mother needs flour from the mill, an egg from the black he, milk from the spotted cow, and butter churned from fresh cream. Will it ever be time for breakfast and that large pancake?

Pancakes, Pancakes! is a delightful story of an old-fashioned breakfast. Modern-day pancake mix holds little charm compared to starting from scratch, and young readers will find their mouths watering, and will wish that they, too, could have real pancakes, pancakes!

LESSON: PANCAKES, PANCAKES!

Lesson Summary

A boy named Jack wakes up hungry for an enormous pancake breakfast.  But before he can enjoy his breakfast, he must first spend time and energy gathering all the resources and ingredients that he needs to make pancakes.

Concept:  Productive Resources

Definition:  Productive Resources are the natural, human, and capital resources that are used in the production of goods and services.

Comprehension Questions

What economic want did Jack have when he woke up one morning?
A big pancake!

What are productive resources?
The natural, human, and capital resources that are used to produce goods and services.

What ingredients go into a pancake and where do they come from?
Eggs from a hen; milk & butter from a cow; flour from wheat; jam from strawberries

Identify the natural resources used in the production of pancakes.
Sunshine, water, soil, air, wood, water for growing wheat and turning the millstone, metal for frying pan

Identify the human resources used in the production of pancakes.
Miller, Jack, Mother

Identify some of the many capital resources used in the production of pancakes.
Millstone, water wheel, hen house, pail, butter churn, stove, pan, bowl, spoon, plate, woodshed, sickle, flail, etc.  Note: The donkey and cow could also be considered capital resources.  They are not animals that are considered natural resources, such as fish, wild deer, etc.

When your family makes pancakes, do you follow all the steps in the story?  (No!)  Why not?
It takes too much time and one person probably doesn’t have all the necessary skills or productive resources.

So how does your family usually make pancakes?
From a mix, or from mixing ingredients that are on readily on hand. 

Other Concepts: Economic Wants, Natural Resources, Human Resources, Capital Resources

  Productive Resources 

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