Week 6: What Each Person Gives

Making Clear Deals - Phase 3

Last week, the learner watched a deal get made.

This week, we ask a simpler question: what does each person give, do, or promise in the deal? That is the trade part. Later, we add the legal word consideration.

Kid Hook

Look at these arrows:

• I give a sticker. You give a sticker.
• I do the dog-walking. You give me extra Saturday screen time.
• I borrow the bike. I help clean it before giving it back.

In a deal, both sides should have something on the arrows.

Today's Mission

Spot the trade part of a deal.

You'll Make / You'll Try

• two-arrow diagrams for simple deals
• a card sort that asks: Deal, Gift, or Promise That Matters But Is Not a Deal

Materials

• paper
• pencil
• index cards
• a few small objects or pictures of objects
• Case Notes

Quick 20-Minute Version

1. Draw two arrows for one example: "I give ___. You give ___."
2. Sort 4 promises into Deal, Gift, or Important Promise.
3. Say the formal term: "The trade part of a deal is called consideration."

Main Activity

Use arrow diagrams and card sorting to find what each person gives in a deal.

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Facilitator Snapshot

• Define consideration as the trade part of a deal.
• Keep the core examples physical and familiar.
• Preserve this important idea: some promises matter deeply even when they are not contract-style deals.
• Move peppercorns, nominal value, and other doctrine-heavy examples to the older extension only.
• Use shared-space, club, library, or fictional examples if a household deal feels too personal.

Jurisdiction Note

Different legal systems handle consideration somewhat differently. This lesson teaches the beginner pattern: law often looks for a real exchange when it decides whether a bargain exists.

Week at a Glance

Prep time	~10 minutes
Materials	Paper, cards, small objects, Case Notes
Core vocabulary	promise, deal, trade, consideration
Difficulty	Moderate

Facilitator Preparation

Before You Begin

• Prepare 6-8 short promise cards.
• Gather examples the learner can picture quickly: sticker, chore, bike, snack, game turn, help with cleanup.
• Be ready to compare a deal with a gift and a moral promise.

Facilitation Mindset

If the learner gets stuck, go back to the arrows.

Ask: "What goes this way? What goes back the other way?" If there is only one arrow, it may not be a deal.

Younger Learner Adaptation (Ages 8-9)

For Younger Learners

Simple idea: In a deal, each person gives or does something.

Concrete substitutions:

• Use 4 cards, not 8.
• Use pictures and arrows instead of lots of writing.
• Say "the trade part" first and add consideration afterward.

What success looks like: The learner can point to what each person gives in a deal.

Older Learner Extension (Ages 10-12)

For Older Learners

• After the learner gets the kid version, explain the historical oddity that tiny value can sometimes still count legally.
• Terms like peppercorn doctrine, nominal consideration, and forbearance belong here, not in the main lesson.
• Ask older learners why law might care more about exchange in some bargains than in gifts.

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Guided Session 1

The Two-Arrow Test

Learning Goal

By the end of this session, the student can:

• identify what each person gives in a deal
• use arrow diagrams to show exchange
• explain why trade makes a deal different from a gift

Activities

1. Draw the arrows

Write simple examples and draw arrows both ways:

• I give a sticker. You give a sticker.
• I do the chore. You give 20 extra minutes of screen time. Draw:

I give -->
<-- You give

Explain that when both arrows are filled, you usually have the trade part of a deal.

2. Fill the arrows with examples

Try examples such as:

• sticker for sticker
• help fold laundry for extra screen time
• use of a bike for helping clean it after
• pet sitting for a small thank-you gift that was promised in advance

For each one, ask:

• What does Person A give?
• What does Person B give?
• Are both arrows filled?

3. Add the formal word

Once the learner can use the arrows, say:

"Law often calls this trade part consideration."

Then rewrite one example using the formal word in parentheses.

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Guided Session 2

Promise, Gift, or Deal?

Learning Goal

By the end of this session, the student can:

• tell the difference between a one-way promise and a trade
• explain why not every good promise is a contract-style deal
• use the word consideration carefully

Activities

1. Sort the examples

Create 3 piles:

• Deal / trade
• Gift
• Important promise, but not this kind of deal

Use examples like:

• "I will give you this sticker for your bookmark."
• "I will buy you ice cream because I want to."
• "If you water my plant this weekend, I will let you borrow my game."
• "I promise I will be kinder to my little brother."
• "If you clean the hamster cage, I will add 15 minutes of reading time tonight."

2. Ask the key question

For each example, ask:

"What does each person give?"

If only one side is giving something, the learner can usually see why it is not the same kind of deal.

3. Protect the moral point

Say clearly:

"Some promises matter a lot even when they are not contract-style deals. Friendship, care, and kindness still matter."

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Independent Practice

Goal

Notice the trade part in real or pretend deals.

Activities

1. Arrow audit

Find 3 examples from life, stories, or pretend play. For each one, fill the arrows.

2. Rewrite one promise

Take one vague promise and turn it into a clearer trade example for learning purposes.

Example:

"I promise I will help more at home" becomes "If I empty the dishwasher every evening this week, I earn 20 minutes of game time on Friday."

Make clear that this is a practice exercise, not a rule that must be used in real family life.

Case Notes

Add this to Case Notes:

Date:

One deal I noticed:

What each person gave:

The trade part (consideration) was:

One promise that mattered but was not a trade:

Sentence starters for younger learners:

• "I give ___."
• "You give ___."
• "This is a trade because ___."

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Check for Understanding

After this week, check whether the learner can:

1. Show both sides: "What does each person give in this deal?"
2. Use the formal term gently: "What does consideration mean here?"
3. Protect the moral point: "Can a promise still matter even if it is not this kind of trade?"

If the learner can do at least 2 of these, they are ready for Week 7.

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Pause and Notice

What Matters Here

This week is not teaching children to turn every human relationship into a contract.

It is teaching them to notice when a deal includes a real exchange and when a promise belongs more to kindness, trust, or responsibility.

This week's takeaway: Consideration means the trade part of a deal: what each side gives, does, or promises.

Preview of Next Week

Next week, you will use everything from Weeks 4 through 6 to write a clear household agreement for one small job or responsibility.