Build an Investment Garden
One basket holds three book tokens; another holds one book, one bicycle and one food token. When demand for books falls, which basket feels it more?
Ready-to-print worksheets
PDF · Ages 9–12Beautifully designed and ready to print. Opens as a PDF you can print or save.
In the year workbook
My Money YearThis lesson has a companion in the printable year workbook: pupil pp. 120–121, teacher companion p. 99.
Learning objectives
- Build a book-only basket and a mixed basket using three tokens each
- Explain why the mixed basket has less riding on books when demand falls
- Explain why spreading reduces one-plot risk but a storm shows it cannot remove all risk
Vocabulary
- Investment
- Money you put into something hoping it grows, though it can fall.
- Share
- Giving some money to help others, or a small part of a company.
- Fund
- A basket that holds many investments together in one place.
- Diversification
- Spreading money across many things so one loss hurts less.
- Risk
- The chance that something might go wrong or lose value.
Materials
Minute-by-minute flow
6′
Hook
Teacher does
Read the story: a fictional garden has three plots — books, bicycles and food — a book-only basket with three book tokens, a mixed basket with one token in each, and a storm that can hit all plots. Ask what is known and what to find out.
Students do
Describe the two baskets.
14′
Model
Teacher does
Think aloud through task 1: draw the book-only basket (3 book tokens) and the mixed basket (1 book, 1 bicycle, 1 food).
Students do
Lay out three tokens for each basket.
20′
Practise
Teacher does
Set tasks 2 and 3: demand for books falls — which basket has more tokens in the affected plot? Then, does a storm on every plot make the mixed basket safe?
Students do
Show the book-only basket has all 3 in books, the mixed has 1, and a storm still cannot make it risk-free.
12′
Discuss
Teacher does
Surface the misconception: a fund or mixed basket is not guaranteed to gain — the garden is an analogy, not a product recommendation.
Students do
Explain spreading reduces dependence on one plot but not all risk.
8′
Exit
Teacher does
Pose the reflection: why might time matter when choosing a risky or safer place for a goal?
Students do
Say a near-term goal may need certainty, with less time to recover from a loss.
Check for understanding
Can the learner show the mixed basket has 1 of 3 tokens in books versus 3 of 3, and explain that spreading lowers but never removes risk?
Exit ticket
Fill in: the book-only basket has __ of 3 tokens in books, the mixed basket has __ — spreading helps because…
Support
Use three picture tokens and physically sort them.
Stretch
Compare a long-term goal with a class trip next month and justify different risk needs.
Home connection
At home, name three different kinds of businesses your family uses and explain why relying on just one would be riskier.