More about barter

Dear Teachers,

In my last post, I wrote about how ancient Greeks used olive oil as a form of currency. If you're interested in sharing more about barter as currency with your students, check out this great lesson!

It is designed for upper elementary students and it has a really fun activity to help students learn about the benefits of using money instead of barter. You can find the lesson on the St. Louis Federal Reserve website here.

Ancient Greeks used WHAT for money??

Earlier this week, Ms. Hoffman wrote about all the amazing uses that the ancient Greeks had for the olive tree. She learned something else about it too!

She found out that the ancient Greeks used olive oil as money! At one time, an ancient Greek could be paid for his day of work with 3 kilos of oil!

She also found out that the winner of the Panathenaic Games (kind of like the Olympic Games) might take home as much as 5 tons of olive oil in a ceremonial amphorae.

The olive was so important that the winner of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece would receive a crown made of olive leaves.

You can also see olive leaves on some of these ancient Greek coins.

Look close and you can see the olive leaves next to the owls.

You can still see olives grown many places in Greece today!

Walking through an olive grove in Sparta

Olives growing on the trees

A beautiful olive grove!

What do you know about Olives and Olive Oil? (Part 2)

Last week, Ms. Hoffman asked you all to think about olives and what people might do with them. Did you come up with some ideas?

Ms. Hoffman visited a museum in Sparta, Greece to learn more about these amazing fruits!

People have been using olives for around 3000 years. The Ancient Greeks were using them in 500 B.C. and even earlier. But what did they use them for?? 

The olive was an amazing plant that had many uses back then and today. Here is a chart that was at the museum which describes some of the uses of olives.

As you can see, they used every part of the olive tree! They used the wood to build things and to burn for heat. They used the fruit to eat and to create olive oil. We use olive oil for eating today and they did then as well, but they also used it for other things. They used it to fuel their lights and they used it for perfume. Athletes wore it to protect their skin. They used the pit of the olive to burn, to make different kinds of oil, and even to make soap! They used the leaves to feed their animals.

Can you think of another culture that makes sure to use every part of an animal or plant to live? Give some other examples!

What do you know about Olives and Olive Oil??

Did you know that olives and olive oil are really important in Greece (and many other countries)? People have been using olives for thousands of years here in Greece. Ms. Hoffman went to a museum to learn more!

First, what are olives? Can you see them in this picture? If you visit Greece, you will end up eating olives a lot! They come in every Greek salad! They are delicious!!

So, you now know that people can eat olives, but can they do anything else with olives?? Brainstorm some ideas of some other things that people might do with olives!

Answers: Using Estimation to Make Math Easier!

Yesterday, Ms. Hoffman asked for your help. She thought maybe she could use estimation to make converting from Turkish Lira to US Dollars easier.

Did you think of a good way?

Here is one way:
Ms. Hoffman knows that 0.45 is close to 0.50. (Just like 45 is close to 50 when you round to the nearest 10)
$0.50 is half of $1.00.
If 1 Turkish Lira is about half of $1.00 then about 2 Turkish Lira equal $1.00. Make sense?

Now it is easy! All you have to do is divide how many Turkish Lira you have by 2 to get the number of US dollars.

Let's try a problem now!

Ms. Hoffman bought a special Turkish towel. It cost 10 TL. How many dollars was it?

10 divided by 2 = 5! The towel is about 5 dollars. Remember, it is not EXACTLY 5 dollars, because we are estimating, but it is close!

Estimating to Make Math Easier!

Last week, Ms. Hoffman asked you how to convert Turkish Lira to US Dollars. She told you that the official exchange rate was 1 TL = $0.45. You then figured out how much 15 TL was in dollars. But, I bet you had to use a pencil and paper to figure it out! Ms. Hoffman does not always carry a pencil and paper with her (or even a calculator) when she is traveling. But, she still wants to know how much things cost in dollars. She has to find ways to do the math in her head!

With some different money, the exchange rate was pretty easy, like in South Africa. But, here in Turkey, it is not so easy. Ms. Hoffman might have to use estimation.

Can you think of a way to use estimation to make it easier for Ms. Hoffman???

Communism vs. Capitalism Part II

Last week, Ms. Hoffman asked you to think about some questions related to what life is like in the USA which has a mostly Capitalist Economy.

Today we will look at what the answers to those questions would be if you lived in a Communist Economy.

*Note for Teachers: This information comes from the information and stories I've heard in the former communist countries of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Albania. The Communism in the former Yugoslav countries I visited of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Montenegro was considerably less strict. Also keep in mind that there are currently only 5 communist countries in the world: China, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, and North Korea. The Communism described below would only come close to describing what life is like in North Korea and Cuba. Most economies today would be described as mixed, so I have tried to describe some of the more pure examples.

	Capitalism in the USA	Communism in Late 1900s in Eastern Europe
Can you own something? Like a car or house?	Yes, you can own something as long as you have enough money to buy it. The government protects your right to own something.	In many communist countries, you cannot own something for yourself. Everything belongs to the government. You can live in an apartment, but it is not yours. You might be able to use a car, but it is not yours to buy or sell.
How do you earn money?	You earn money for providing goods or services for people. You earn money for your job from the person, people, or company that you work for.	You work for the government. The government will provide you with money or the goods and services you need to live.
Who decides what you do with your money?	You decide what you do with your money.	The government decides what goods and service you can buy with your money. It tells you how much you can buy and where to buy it.
Who decides how much things at the store cost?	The people/person/company who owns the store decides how much things cost. They set the prices based on how much they think they can sell at each price.	The government decides how much things at the store will cost. It will cost the same at every store that you are allowed to go to.
Can you change jobs when you want to?	Most of the time you can. It is your choice where you want to work. The owners of each company can choose when/if they want to hire you based on your skills, knowledge, and education.	Not often. You don’t have a lot of choice about where you work. The government will choose where they need you to work. They will likely decide the level of your job based on your loyalty to the communist government.
Can you move to another city or state if you want to?	You can always choose to move, as long as you have the money that you need to do so.	Not often. The government will decide when or if it will allow people to move.
Can you travel to another country?	Yes. If you have money and a passport.	Sometimes, but it is difficult to get permission from the government to leave your country.
When you go to the doctor, who pays for it?	You do. Sometimes you pay a health insurance company to help you pay for the doctor.	The government pays for it. You can go to the doctor for free.
Does everyone have to have a job?	No. Everyone does not have to have a job. Many people have jobs but some people want a job but have a hard time finding one.	Yes. Everyone must have a job. The government will help you find one.
Is everyone equal?	People are supposed to have equal rights. Some people have more money than others.	Everyone is supposed to be equal- everyone has the same amount of money. In many of the countries Ms. Hoffman visited, there were still people in the government who had more power and more money than others.

After learning more about the difference between Communism and Capitalism, do you have an opinion on which you would rather live under? Why do you think that most countries are no longer Communist?

Communist Images in the Czech Republic. The goal is to glorify the common worker!

Communist Imagery in Tirana, Albania

Answers: How Much Does it Cost in Turkey?

Ms. Hoffman wanted to figure out how much her new scarf costs in dollars. The scarf was 15 TL.

Did you figure out how to find the answer?

Here is one way: 15 x 0.45 = $6.75

How Much Does it Cost in Turkey!

Ms. Hoffman is visiting the country called Turkey. Here in Turkey they use money called the Turkish Lira!

Ms. Hoffman bought a beautiful scarf for herself in Kaş, Turkey. The scarf costed 15 TL (Turkish Lira). Ms. Hoffman wants to know how much that is in US Dollars!

What you will need to know: 1 TL = $0.45

Can you figure it out??

Seeing Photo Albums from Countries Ms. Hoffman has Visited

Dear Readers,

I have finally updated the Countries Visited tab on the menu right above. It has a list of all the countries that Ms. Hoffman has visited. If you click on the caption link for each country, it will take you to a photo album from that country. I hope that you enjoy some of the photos.

Thanks!