Costs and Benefits of Beans’ Decisions

In this economics lesson, students will make decisions using a cost-benefit analysis.

Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm tells a story about Beans Curry and his many decisions during the Great Depression. In Key West, Florida, there are very few jobs. Everyone is out for himself or herself including Beans. It is hard for Beans to earn a dime, and he does not want to be “winked” out of earning his fair share by a ‘lying adult’. His first scheme does not work well, so he keeps trying. Now, he must decide to remain penniless or break a few rules to earn an income. In this lesson, we will help Beans make decisions using a cost-benefit analysis.