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Gold Standards

Students will explore concepts associated with gold, such as the gold standard in monetary currency and as a paragon of excellence, and learn about the lessons taught by the story of King Midas.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Natural Materials
  • String

Steps

  • Step 1

    Have students discuss associations with gold. For example, the gold medal in the Olympics is the highest achievement, gold stars often indicate mastery of a subject, it is a symbol of wealth, it is used to beautify art, etc. Ask students if they know the story of King Midas in Greed mythology. Summarize the course of events in this story: how although he was wealthy and had a daughter he loved dearly, he was always dissatisfied and was greedy for more. When he performed a good deed for a companion of Dionysus, another king, Dionysus promised to grant him a wish. King Midas wished for everything he touched to turn to gold. Dionysus warned him that this could have a bad outcome, but Midas was unmoved. Sure enough, his wish came true. King Midas was happy until he hugged his beloved daughter and she, too, turned to gold.

  • Step 2

    Have students discuss the implications of the story. What lessons does it impart about the dangers of greed? How does it teach us to appreciate what we have? What can we learn about the consequences of our actions? When King Midas prays for atonement and his golden touch is reversed, what do we learn about the importance of second chances?

  • Step 3

    Take students outside on a nice day and have them collect natural items such as pinecones, seed pods, twigs, leaves, etc. In the classroom have them paint the objects gold and attach string to them. When the paint is dry, have them tie small notes with mottos about greed, gold, appreciation, second changes, etc. that they learned from this story.

  • Step 4

    Have a class discussion about the lessons they wrote about and attached to their gold objects. Discuss how gold is valued and important for many societies' monetary systems but how we should appreciate it without being consumed by the desire to have more and more.

Standards

SEL: Self-Awareness: Understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. 

SEL: Responsible Decision-Making: Make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations, using critical thinking skills. 

Adaptations

Have students ponder the proverb, "All that glitters is not gold." Can they think of any examples of things that look beautiful on the outside but might not be good on the inside? Examples might include a toy that looks shiny and new, but breaks easily because it was made of poor-quality parts. Or perhaps they see a dessert item with frosting and decorations, but when they take a bite it is too sweet or has an unpleasant taste.

Have students form groups to write a skit based on the lessons of the King Midas story: being appreciative of what we have, learning not to be greedy, and learning that our actions have consequences.