Ben Franklin: Highlighting the Printer Lesson for Grades 5-8

Teach money, entrepreneurship, and human capital with the “Ben Franklin: Highlighting the Printer” lesson.

Students will learn that money is an invention. They will read and analyze an essay focusing primarily on one aspect of Ben Franklin's life—his work as a printer—and how he was an inventor and entrepreneur who also promoted the use of currency in the United States. Students will cite specific textual evidence regarding problems and solutions and will answer questions and complete a timeline. By using evidence and information gleaned from text, students will write a fictitious social media post defending the selection of Ben Franklin's portrait for the $100 note.

This lesson plan is designed for teaching grades 5, 6, 7, and 8.

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Education Level: Pre-K-5 6-8
Subjects: History
Concepts: Money Entrepreneurship Sources of Income Human Capital
Resource Types: Lesson SMART/Promethean/Whiteboard
Languages: English
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