Summary
For the annual Spooky Summer Soiree costume party, Jessica and Marcus still don't have costumes — Annie Scrambler bought every costume at the discount store. They hit the neighborhood sidewalk sales to find what they need while staying within a tight budget. Vocabulary spotlight: dollar, quarter, dime, nickel, cost. Pairs well with money math; rich in ELA vocabulary and context-clue practice.
Viewer safety
Spooky-but-silly atmosphere — mild cartoon frights, no genuine horror.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Jessica and Marcus have to solve two problems at once: find costumes AND stay within budget.
- What words from the episode describe money? (dollar, quarter, dime, nickel, cost) — what is the difference between them?
- How did the characters decide what they could afford? What math did they use?
- Have you ever had to make a decision about spending money carefully? What did you do?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: dollar, quarter, dime, nickel, cost, budget.
Try it: You have exactly $2.00. Draw and name items from a sidewalk sale priced between 10¢ and 75¢. Circle the combination of items that uses as much of your $2.00 as possible without going over.