The Shared-Purse Challenge
A fictional town has 100 counters for school, roads, a clinic and a park — then a bridge repair needs 15 more. What has to give?
Ready-to-print worksheets
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In the year workbook
My Money YearThis lesson has a companion in the printable year workbook: pupil pp. 152–153, teacher companion p. 124.
Learning objectives
- Add the four town jobs (40 + 30 + 20 + 10) and check they use all 100 counters
- Rebalance to fund a 15-counter bridge repair while keeping the total at 100
- Explain why a shared budget cannot give every service everything it wants
Vocabulary
- Tax
- Money people pay to the government for shared things we use.
- Public Service
- Something paid for by taxes that everyone can use, like libraries.
- Government
- The group of people who run a country and its rules.
- Budget
- A plan for how you will use your money.
- Trade Off
- Giving up one thing to get another when you choose.
Materials
Minute-by-minute flow
7′
Hook
Teacher does
Read the story: a fictional town has 100 counters, with school 40, roads 30, clinic 20 and park 10 — invented teaching figures, not real public spending. Ask which card facts are known and what to find out.
Students do
Name the four jobs and the 100-counter total.
12′
Model
Teacher does
Think aloud through task 1: add the four jobs — 40 + 30 + 20 + 10 = 100 — is the town plan balanced?
Students do
Check the plan uses all 100 counters.
25′
Practise
Teacher does
Set tasks 2 and 3: a bridge repair needs 15 extra counters — choose cuts or delays that keep the total at 100 — then name one service the whole town uses and one difficult choice.
Students do
Show a revised plan such as school 40, roads 25, clinic 20, park 0, bridge 15 = 100, and name a shared service.
10′
Discuss
Teacher does
Surface the misconception: this town is fictional — do not present the numbers as a real national or Dutch budget.
Students do
Explain what receives fewer counters and why.
6′
Exit
Teacher does
Pose the reflection: why can a shared budget not give every service everything it wants?
Students do
Say resources are limited, so choosing more for one purpose leaves less for another.
Check for understanding
Can the learner balance the 100 counters, rework the plan to fund the 15-counter bridge, and explain the trade-off that leaves?
Exit ticket
Finish: 40 + 30 + 20 + 10 = 100; to fund the 15-counter bridge I would… because a shared budget must choose.
Support
Use 100 paper counters in bundles of ten.
Stretch
Consider a second surprise and explain which service you would protect.
Home connection
At home, name three services the whole town shares and explain why one shared purse cannot fully fund them all — using invented figures, not real government spending.