Article
Shutterstock.com (Pikachu); CTRPhotos/Getty Images (Transformer); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Lego Figures); Art Directors & TRIP/Alamy Stock Photo (Cabbage Patch Kid); Jess Merrill/Alamy Stock Photo (Beanie Baby); Shutterstock.com (Mario, Smurf); DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images (Luke Skywalker); SplashNews.com; Nosey costume illustration by Danny E. Rivera; Shonelle Cooper-Caplan (Pepper, Mr. Frog); Esti Choi (Myles); Isabel Santos (Arturo); Shutterstock.com (Background)
Alike and Different,

Toys or Treasures?

Could your old toys be worth a lot of money? 

By Tod Olson
From the May/June 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will understand different ways toys may be considered treasures.

Lexile: 510L
Featured Skill: Comparing Texts,
Vocabulary: collectors, rare, treasure hunt
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.3 Decoding RI.1.1 Key details RI.1.2 Main idea RI.1.3 Connecting information RI.1.4 Vocabulary RI.1.5 Text features RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and images RI.1.7 Use visuals RI.1.9 Compare two texts RI.1.10 Read grade-1 nonfiction texts SL.1.1 Discuss grade-1 texts L.1.4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to a word’s meaning
TEKS Standards
  • Social Studies (7) Economics. The student understands the concepts of goods and services. The student is expected to: (A) identify examples of goods and services in the home, school, and community; (C) identify the role of markets in the exchange of goods and services. (8) Economics. The student understands the condition of not being able to have all the goods and services one wants. The student is expected to: (A) identify examples of people wanting more than they can have; (B) explain why wanting more than they can have requires that people make choices.

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Toys or Treasures?

This Luke Skywalker toy is more than 40 years old. Back when it was made, it cost two dollars. 

Today people pay thousands of dollars for a toy like this. It is worth more than a diamond ring! Why would anyone spend so much on an old toy? 


Why Buy Old Toys?

Most people buy toys to play with them. But toy collectors don’t. They don’t even open the toys! 

Collectors hope the toys will be worth a lot of money one day. 


Hard to Find

Very old Luke Skywalker toys are rare. That means they are hard to find. That is why some people pay a lot of money to have one. 

It is the same with some other old toys. Fifty years ago, there was a new toy car called the Roller Beach Bomb. Not very many were made. Today this toy could be worth more money than five real cars!


Treasure Hunt

People do not just collect toys for money. Some collectors also love old toys. Others like searching for them. Collecting toys can be like a big treasure hunt. 


My Treasures

Not all treasures are worth a lot of money. We asked three kids if they had any treasures.

Pepper’s Treasure: Mr. Frog

Pepper used to take Mr. Frog everywhere. Now she keeps his picture in her backpack. That way he is always with her.


Myles’s Treasure: A Shark Tooth

Myles got a fossil kit from his parents. Inside was a shark tooth. Now it is his treasure. 


Arturo’s Treasure: Little People

Arturo makes little people from things he finds at the park. He uses twigs, pinecones, and leaves. 


Slideshows (1)
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (2) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Compare texts

Social Studies Focus

History, economics

Vocabulary

collectors, rare, treasure hunt

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

Small Group

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: “Background Builder: Ahoy, Pirates!” “Big Read-Aloud: The Search for Pirate Gold,” “Mini Read: A Puppy Found Treasure”
  • From the Storyworks archive: “Paired Text: The True Story of Rubik’s Cube” (March/April 2024); “Picture This: Go, LEGO Car!” (September 2023)
  • Suggested books: The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds; What’s in Your Pocket? Collecting Nature’s Treasures by Heather L. Montgomery; Memory Jars by Vera Brosgol

Before-Reading Resources

  • Vocabulary Slideshow (5 minutes) collectors, rare, treasure hunt

Suggested Reading Focus

Compare texts (20 minutes)
  • Tell students they will be reading two stories about toys that people consider treasures but for very different reasons.
  • Begin with the main story. Read the section “Why Buy Old Toys?” Ask the following questions: How is the way collectors treat toys different than how kids treat toys? Why do collectors not open toys?
  • Read the section “Hard to Find.” Ask the following questions: What makes a toy rare? Why are rare toys exciting to collect?
  • Read the section “Treasure Hunt.” Ask the following question: Why do collectors like to collect toys?
  • Read the second story, “My Treasures.” Ask the following question: How are the toys in this article similar to and different from the toys in the main article? Why are they considered treasures?
  • Ask children which they’d rather have: a toy from the first story or a toy from the second story. Why?

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Skills: Compare texts (15 minutes)

Extension Activity

Skills: Writing (10 minutes)

  • Remind students that collectors consider their toys treasures and treat them differently than toys students may play with every day. As a class, decide on a toy that students think could be worth a lot of money in the future. Complete a shared writing activity listing the steps of caring for this toy if students wanted to be sure it would be worth a lot of money in the future.

Text-to-Speech