Step One:  Independently read the following passage.  I

• Incentives are things offered to you to help in the decision making process.
• Incentives are offered to encourage you to act
• Some incentives make people better off and reward them for their actions. (Postive incentive - reward)
• Other incentives leave people worse off and penalize them for their actions. (Negative incentive - penalty)

Positive incentives make people better off and are called "rewards."   These are things you want to get.

Negative incentives make people worse off and are called "penalties." These are things you do not want to happen.

Some examples:

Your Dad says you can watch TV if you clean your room.  Watching TV is the postive incentive/reward that is offered to you to help you make the good choice to clean your room.

Your Mom says you will have to go to time out if you argue with your sister.  Time out is the negative incentive/penalty that is offered to you to help you make the right choice and not argue with your sister.

Your teacher tells the class that if they all score 90 or higher on the spelling test this week, they will have 20 minutes of extra recess time.  What is the positive incentive/reward that will encourage everyone in the class to study their spelling words?

Your teacher tells you that if your homework is not done, you will not have the chance to play at recess.  Instead you will have to go to the library and do your work.  What is the negative incentive/penalty that will encourage you to make the right choice and do your homework?  

Step Two:  Independently read the passage below.   

Many incentives are offered to you (at home, at school, etc.)  You decide if the incentives will affect your behavior. Sometimes you will want to earn a positive incentive like extra recess, money, or stickers, and you will behave in a certain way to receive the incentive.  BUT  .... there some incentives that do not interest you enough to make you try to earn it. Not all incentives work for all people.  For example, a kindergarten student might really work hard for a little smiley face sticker.  As a fifth grader, you probably would not be motivated by that incentive. 

The next steps will be completed with a partner.

Step Three:  Briefly discuss each of these review concepts and questions with a partner:

Incentives are things offered to you to help in the decision making process.

Incentives are offered to encourage you to act.

Some incentives make people better off and reward them for their actions.

     (Postive incentive - reward)

Other incentives leave people worse off and penalize them for their actions.

     (Negative incentive - penalty)

What is the incentive that McDonald's offers to encourage people to buy a Happy Meal?

What is the incentive that the government uses to discourage people from buying cigarettes?

Step Four:  With your partner, complete the activity Inventive Incentive Business Plan.  Be sure to print out the last page, put both of your names on it, and turn it in to your teacher.

Step Five:  To be completed outside of class (a.k.a. "homework.")  Read the following information on PRICE INCENTIVES, CATTLE TRAILS, and BEEF.  If you wish, you may listen to the audio recording by clicking on the "Cinch-Cast." You will need to be logged in to the wiki.  User name: guest, Password: guest.  (Log-in is in the upper right hand corner of this wiki page. 

From 1865 until 1890, raising cattle on the northern plains was a big business. America’s rapidly growing eastern cities provided expanding markets for beef.  Cattle were driven on long drives to towns that grew up along the railroads.  Steers (male cattle) from Texas towns were driven north and sold in cattle towns for higher prices than could be had in Texas. Texans hired cowboys and started cattle drives. For months, these men herded the cattle north to railroad towns. 

Many of the men who found employment working with the western herds on the cattle frontier were former slaves who sought economic independence by moving west.  In the photo below, is one such group of African-American cowboys.  At the height of the cattle drives, there were over 5,000 African-American cowboys.

What did price incentives have to do with the cattle drives after the Civil War ?  Enter a response to this question in the comment box below.  Read the comments of your fellow classmates.  Feel free to respond to their comments.  

Sounds of the Cattle Drive

This is how you will be graded: