Worksheet Grade 4 Social Studies & Civics

Larkfield's Dry Summer: A Grade 4 Water Choices Worksheet

A grade 4 economics worksheet where students use multi-digit multiplication to compare the costs and water savings of three choices during a fictional town's dry summer.

Grade: Grade 4
Subject: Social Studies & Civics
Material: Worksheet
Time: 30 min
Prep: No prep
Materials: None

Standards

D2.Eco.1.3-5 C3 Framework

Compare the benefits and costs of individual choices.

How this material aligns: Items ask students to compare the benefit (gallons of water saved) against the cost (price after a rebate) of three household choices, which is the benefit-cost comparison of individual choices this standard names.

All materials for D2.Eco.1.3-5 →

4.OA.A.3 Common Core Math

Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.

How this material aligns: Several items are multistep whole-number word problems, such as finding total gallons saved across eight weeks and checking whether three choices fit a budget, matching the multistep problem solving this standard requires.

All materials for 4.OA.A.3 →

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This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely, without attribution. Updated 2026-07-17.

Objectives

Students will use multiplication to find how much water each choice saves over a summer.
Students will compare the cost and the water savings of different choices to judge which is the best value.

Vocabulary

Key words: benefit, cost, rebate

Teacher overview

This worksheet places grade 4 multiplication inside a real economics idea: weighing the benefit of a choice against its cost. During a fictional dry summer, the town of Larkfield asks families to save water and offers a small rebate for each water-saving choice. Students read a short table, then use it to compute savings and compare which choice gives the most water for the money.

Larkfield's Dry Summer: A Grade 4 Water Choices Worksheet — Grade 4 Social Studies & Civics

Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Student Worksheet

Suppose the town of Larkfield is having a very dry summer. The town asks each family to save water. To help, the town gives back a rebate of 5 dollars on each of the water-saving choices below. Use this table to answer the questions. The benefit is the water saved. The cost is the price after the rebate.

Water-saving choice	Price	Gallons saved each week
Low-flow showerhead	20 dollars	210 gallons
Faucet aerator	6 dollars	70 gallons
Rain barrel	35 dollars	120 gallons

The Larkfield summer lasts 8 weeks. Answer each question and show your work.

What does the showerhead cost after the 5-dollar rebate?
How many gallons does the showerhead save in all 8 weeks?
How many gallons does the rain barrel save in all 8 weeks?
A family installs the aerator and the rain barrel. How many gallons do they save together in one week?
Over the full 8-week summer, how many gallons do the aerator and rain barrel save together?
Which single choice saves the most water in one week?
Which single choice costs the least after the rebate?
A family has 40 dollars to spend. After rebates, can they buy all three choices? Show the total cost.
Which choice do you think gives the best water savings for its cost? Explain your reasoning.
The showerhead saves 210 gallons a week. If the dry summer lasted 10 weeks instead of 8, how many gallons would it save?

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key

Answer: 15 dollars. The showerhead costs 20 dollars, and 20 - 5 = 15 dollars after the rebate.
Answer: 1,680 gallons. The showerhead saves 210 gallons a week, and 210 x 8 = 1,680 gallons.
Answer: 960 gallons. The rain barrel saves 120 gallons a week, and 120 x 8 = 960 gallons.
Answer: 190 gallons. The aerator saves 70 and the rain barrel saves 120, and 70 + 120 = 190 gallons in one week.
Answer: 1,520 gallons. Together they save 190 gallons a week, and 190 x 8 = 1,520 gallons over the summer.
Answer: The low-flow showerhead. It saves 210 gallons a week, which is more than the aerator's 70 gallons or the rain barrel's 120 gallons.
Answer: The faucet aerator. It costs 6 dollars, and 6 - 5 = 1 dollar after the rebate, the lowest of the three.
Answer: No. After rebates the choices cost 15 + 1 + 30 = 46 dollars, and 46 dollars is more than the 40 dollars the family has.
Answer: Answers will vary. A strong answer names the faucet aerator, because it saves 70 gallons a week for only 1 dollar after the rebate, so it gives many gallons saved for a very low cost.
Answer: 2,100 gallons. The showerhead saves 210 gallons a week, and 210 x 10 = 2,100 gallons.

Differentiation

Support (below grade level)

Let these students use a multiplication chart or a calculator for items 2, 3, 5, and 10, and circle the two numbers in the table they need before they multiply. Accept the reasoning in item 9 as a single sentence.

Extension (above grade level)

Ask students to figure out how many total gallons a family would save over the 8-week summer if it bought all three choices, then write a sentence about whether the extra water saved is worth the higher cost.

ELL supports

Pre-teach benefit, cost, and rebate with a simple picture: water saved on one side of a scale and money spent on the other. Provide a sentence starter for item 9: "The best choice is ___ because it saves ___ gallons for only ___ dollars."