Two friends holding their hands open. A $10 bill sits between them on the ground.
Illustrations by Tom Garrett (Debate); Shutterstock.com (All Images)
Debate,

Finders Keepers?

Jack and Leah found $10 on the sidewalk. Should they keep it?

From the May / June 2021 Issue
Topic: Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
  • W.2. Write opinion pieces RI.2.8 Describe how reasons support the points the author makes in a text RI.2.10 Read grade-2-appropriate texts SL.2 Participate in conversations about grade-2 texts SL.2.1A Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions

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YES!

YES!

It's OK to keep it!

It's OK to keep it!

Jack

First of all, we found the money. It’s ours. It’s not like we’re stealing $10. We’re so lucky!

Also, we would return it if we knew who lost it. But we don’t know who the money belongs to. How would we find the right person? We can’t just put up signs saying “Found, $10.” Anybody could lie and say it was theirs.

Finally, $10 is a lot to us. But it’s not a lot in the grand scheme of things. If we found $50 or $100, I would say we have to work harder to return it. But keeping $10 isn’t a big deal.

We found the money. It’s ours. It is not stealing.

We could return it. But it would be hard to find the person who lost it. We can’t just put up signs saying “Found, $10.” Anyone could say it was theirs.

Ten dollars is a lot to us. If we found more money, we would have to work hard to return it. But it is OK to keep 10 dollars.

NO!

NO!

It’s not OK to keep it!

It’s not OK to keep it!

Leah

First of all, we found the money, but that doesn’t mean it’s ours. I feel bad for the person who lost it.

Next, it’s against the law in a lot of states to keep money that you find if you can find the owner. We can ask in nearby stores. We can ask the people up the street. We can even make signs that say “Lost Money.” When people come forward, we could ask them how much money they lost. If they say $10, we’d know they were the right person.

Finally, we could take the money to a police station if no one says it’s theirs. If no one claims it after a few weeks, we may even get it back!

We found the money. But that doesn’t mean it’s ours.

It can be against the law to keep money that you find. We can ask in nearby stores. We can ask the people up the street. We can even make signs that say “Lost Money.” If someone says it is theirs, we can ask how much money they lost. If they say 10 dollars, we know it is the right person.

We could also take the money to a police station. If no one says it is theirs, we may even get it back!

THINK AND WRITE: What do you think?  Is it OK to keep money you find? Write what you think!

THINK AND WRITE: What do you think?  Is it OK to keep money you find? Write what you think!

IMAGE CREDITS: ILLUSTRATIONS BY TOM GARRETT; SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (ALL OTHER IMAGES)

IMAGE CREDITS: ILLUSTRATIONS BY TOM GARRETT; SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (ALL OTHER IMAGES)

Activities (1)
Skills Activities
Activities (1)
Skills Activities
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

Have students preview the text features. Ask:

  • What is the topic of the debate? (Prompt students to use the debate title and the picture as clues.)
  • What are the two opinions people might have about this topic?

2. READING THE DEBATE

  • Read the debate as a class or divide the class into groups.
  • You can also have students read the debate as partners, with each student reading one side aloud.

3. DISCUSSING

As a class or in groups, have students discuss:

  • Which opinion do you think makes the most sense?
  • What is your opinion? What information or argument helped you form your opinion?

 

4. WRITING

  • Pass out our opinion-writing printable (available in your Resources tab). Ask students to write their opinion in the top section.
  • Then students can underline three points in the debate that back up their opinion.
  • Last, they can complete our printable to show what their opinion is.

Text-to-Speech