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Students become decision makers as they apply their knowledge of economic specialization and interdependence in the production of resources to provide goods and services.
Overview
The Constitution of the United States of America was created in part to allow citizens a voice in the development of economic and governmental policies. Fourth and fifth grade students involved in this simulation will become active participants in examining policy decisions similar to those addressed by the American Founding Fathers. Students will analyze state versus federal systems of government, the American philosophy of government, and the frustrations associated with the creation of a country. They will consider the accomplishments, problems, and economic limitations associated with the Articles of Confederation. Through simulation, they will participate in the fictional development of a family that purchases items to meet its needs, a state which produces goods and provides services, and a country in which the states need to function interdependently in order to survive and prosper. After studying these topics and problems, students will create a preamble to the Constitution of the United States of Separtica.
Teaching Activity
Week 1
Introduce students to the Separtica simulation by distributing and reviewing Handout 1, Introduction to Separtica; Handout 2, Articles of Confederation of Separtica; and Handout 3, The Six States. Then divide students into six groups to form the six states of Separtica.
Instruct each state to elect/fill the following positions: governor, treasurer, military analyst, secretary of agriculture and industry, public relations officer, congressperson, and average citizen. These positions are independent of a citizen's occupation. The governor runs state meetings and facilitates group activities; the military analyst helps to create state laws and ensures their enforcement; the public relations officer creates product advertisements and leads the design of the state flag; the congressperson represents the state in meetings of the national Congress; the secretary of agriculture and industry supervises the buying, selling, and trading of products; the treasurer maintains the state's bank and economic records; and the average citizen produces a newsletter and fills in for others when needed. Next, ask each state to create 10 laws and design a state flag.
Assign each student an occupation and a salary. Occupations can be random or relative to the geographic region (for example, a citizen of Mooton might be a cattle rancher). Salaries should differ in amount. Create and record salaries on a salary balance sheet in that student's state currency.
Next, ask students to create a fictitious family through original journal writing. Family units will determine expenses and number of purchases needed to sustain itself.
Then lead students in currency conversion exercises. Distribute Handout 4, State Products and Costs, and Handout 5, Purchasing Sheet, to the class. Instruct students to plan their purchase of supplies for themselves and their fictitious families. Encourage students to make purchases between and within states. Convert currency before actual purchases are made between states. A federal reserve may be set up for this purpose.
Ask students to record their purchase of supplies on their Purchasing Sheets; then distribute the sheets to the correlating secretary of agriculture and industry. Ask students to deduct purchases from their salary and record their new monetary balance.
Week 2
Distribute the Product Inventory Sheet, Handout 6, to each state's secretary of agriculture and industry. Before distributing each handout, fill in the columns for that state's products and the cost per unit for those products. This information can be found on Handout 4. Then decide on beginning units of inventory for each product and fill in the column for beginning units. Next, instruct each state's secretary to tally Purchasing Sheets received on the Product Inventory Sheet, deducting the units sold and recording new supply balances.
Separtican states will begin to experience different twists of fate with subsequent consequences. See Fates of Separtican States. Read Fate 1 to the class, and ask each state to consider consequences based on their citizenship. Hold a meeting of Congress to decide whether to respond to Waterworld's actions. Resolutions must fall within the confines of the Articles of Confederation. Our class discussed the following repercussions for Waterworld: request relief money, boycott, and war. It is helpful to have another staff member run meetings of Congress weekly or biweekly during a free period. Congresspersons should discuss resolutions with citizens of their state, so they may vote in accordance with their state's wishes. Read Fate 2 and ask students to adjust accordingly. Citizens not living in Planter's Paradise will need to purchase medicina from Sandland.
Week 3
Increase each state's product inventory by 10 percent, and pay students a salary in accordance to their occupation. This will be their final pay check, but they are unaware of this fact.
Use social studies texts and other materials to discover how the Founding Fathers of the United States felt about issues involving expansion, Native Americans, and weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation. You may want to have several "Founding Fathers" visit the classroom in costume to reinforce these concepts. This is an excellent opportunity for making a literary connection.
Now read Fate 3. Develop and present options for responding to this fate; then ask each state to select an option or create its own. Options may include retaliation, confrontation without retaliation, or no action. Present consequences or rewards based on the option chosen by each state; ask students to adjust accordingly. For example:
- Response: Oilia burns down the Foundlings' settlement.
Consequence: All citizens receive third degree burns on their hands. Each citizen must research and write a one-page paper on burn treatments. - Response: Waterworld retrieves the fishing nets stolen by the Foundlings.
Consequence: Scale salve production is immediately back to 100 percent. - Response: Treesylvania adopts a wait-and-see attitude.
Consequence: Costs them two weeks of production and a reduction in wages.
Week 4
Fate 4 is presented to Congress by a Unisan citizen. Congress shares this information with all Separtican citizens. Develop response options to this fate and present them to the class. Ask each state to select an option or create one of its own. Response options examined by our class included:
- Exchange your state's currency for pink currency to pay back the loan.
- Print more currency.
- Refuse to pay the loan back and declare war on Unisa.
Present consequences or rewards based on responses chosen for Fate 4; ask students to adjust accordingly. If students wish to print more money in order to repay the Unisans then you may permit this. However, instruct the Unisans to refuse this money as it has no value. Impose harsh penalties for those states wishing to wage war on the Unisans.
It's time for students to purchase another lot of supplies. Encourage students to purchase large quantities so that resources become scarce or fully depleted. This is essential to the success of the simulation.
After supplies are purchased, the depleted resources should then be announced to all students. Some students will not receive all of their purchases because of the scarcity of resources. Based on the Articles of Confederation, states cannot demand purchase money be returned to its citizens.
Instruct citizens to work in their state groups to find solutions to the major problems facing the country of Separtica.
Week 5
All Separticans should now join together to discuss state solutions to the depletion of resources. List solutions on chart paper and share with the class; then hold an open forum discussion.
Convene Congress immediately to vote on solutions to the economic and governmental problems facing Separtica. Lead Congress to create a centralized government and currency system. Swear members of Congress to secrecy, and do not share solutions until the next teaching day. Once Congress shares their resolutions, use additional resources to show how issues of weak government were resolved.
Present a lesson on the Preamble of the United States Constitution. After guiding students toward creating their own Separtican Constitution, ask each state to work individually to create a preamble for this new document. Then ask each state to share its ideas. As a class, work to revise ideas into a cohesive document and create a final preamble for the country.
You may wish to have a final celebration incorporating games, activities, and food that represent the resources of all the states. Work with public relations officers to mastermind this event.
For an extended version of this Separtica lesson plan, visit the Powell Endowment Web site at http://www.powellendowment.org/pages/SeparticaBIG.htm
Economic Concepts
Capital Resource Tools, buildings, machinery, equipment, roads, and all other goods constructed by people for use in producing goods and services. Consumer An individual who buys goods and services for personal or household use rather than for use in manufacturing, processing, or resale. Demand The amounts of a good or a service that buyers are willing and able to purchase in a particular market at various prices at a given time. Export To carry or send goods or services to another place or country. Human Resource Also called labor resources. The mental and physical skills and abilities of people that are used to produce goods or services. Import To bring goods or services into a place or country from another place or country. Interdependence A supportive relationship between two or more people, organizations, or societies. A link between decisions and events in one part of the world or in one sector of an economy to other parts of the world or other sectors of the economy. Natural Resource All gifts of nature that can be used to produce goods and services. Natural resources include such things as farmland, water, fish, crude oil, mineral deposits, and climatic conditions. Opportunity Cost The benefit that is given up when a choice must be made because resources are scarce in relation to wants. In choosing between two alternatives, there is always an opportunity cost. Producer Those who use resources to make goods or to supply services. Producers can be individuals, proprietorships, families, partnerships, or corporations. Scarcity The condition that results from the existence of relatively unlimited wants and relatively limited resources available to satisfy those wants. This condition forces people to make choices. Specialization The concentration of one's efforts as related to the division of labor. Supply The amounts of a good or service that sellers are willing and able to provide at various prices in a particular market at a given time. |
Handout 1
Introduction to Separtica Welcome to Separtica! It is now the year 2087, and you have been living in the United States of Separtica for seven years. Separtica is located on a planet in a galaxy far, far away from your former home on Earth. You are among the lucky ones. Approximately 10 years ago, in the year 2077, a brilliant scientist discovered a large asteroid headed for planet Earth. According to her predictions, the asteroid would collide with Earth in the year 2080, bringing the end of life as we know it. The majority of people on Earth, including many prominent astronomers, believed the asteroid would bypass Earth at a distance of 20,000 miles. Fortunately, there was a young astronaut genius who believed the scientist and knew Earth would not be spared. The astronaut along with an elderly engineer constructed the largest and most complex space shuttle humans had ever seen. People laughed at these men and told them they were wasting their time. Even you thought the men were silly for over two-and-a-half years. As the asteroid traveled closer and closer to Earth, you began to get nervous. When you looked through a digital telescope, the asteroid looked as if it was headed straight for your home. So you decided to take your chances and join 10,000 other men, women, and children who planned to fly to the moon and stay there, at least until the asteroid passed by Earth, if it was indeed going to pass. On Oct. 31, 2079, you boarded the space shuttle and lifted off. Due to a malfunction in the space shuttle's super plutonium capacitor, the shuttle was unable to land on the moon. For six months, it flew with incredible speed until crashing on a strange planet now known to the shuttle's passengers as home. As you and the other passengers climbed awkwardly out of the shuttle and looked around, you noticed the land appeared similar to Earth's. Unfortunately, the man-made objects you were so familiar with did not exist here, leaving an environment similar to that of the American Colonial period. Everyone on the shuttle survived. Of the 10,000 passengers, 4,000 chose to stay at the crash site and create a country named Unisa. You, along with the remaining 6,000, hoped for better living conditions to the west and set out in that direction. The citizens of Unisa were kind enough to lend you enough supplies for your journey and additional supplies for your first few months of settlement. Four months later, extremely weary from travel, your group settled in a territory and formed their own country. You and the other travelers chose the name Separtica for this country, due to your separation from Earth and the dreadful disaster that did indeed occur. The new citizens of Separtica then decided to disperse in groups of 1,000 across the region and form six states. The next question you faced was how to govern. Since government on Earth had moved far from the visions of the Founding Fathers in the last 50 years, you were not familiar with the Constitution. One member of the group, however, had paid close attention in fourth grade social studies and remembered learning about the Articles of Confederation, the first system of government in the United States of America. Not entirely sure about this system, you wished you'd paid better attention in social studies class. A vote was finally taken, and it was decided that since there were no better ideas, you would adopt this system of government for Separtica. Before splitting up to form the new states, several Separtican citizens wrote the Articles of Confederation of Separtica, and everyone signed it. You and the other citizens of Separtica were eager to be on your way to set up homes and begin new lives. |
Handout 2
Articles of Confederation of Separtica The Articles of Confederation of the United States of Separtica binds the following states together as one country: Waterworld, Sandland, Mooton, Oilia, Treesylvania, and Planter's Paradise. The United States of Separtica was established for the purpose of joining its citizens together to protect the general welfare during times of peace and times of conflict. Article I
Article II
Article III
Article IV
E. Congress may not:
Article V
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Handout 3
The Six States The six states of Separtica are located in three very different geographical regions: north, central, and south; two states lie in each region. The northern region contains the states of Treesylvania and Waterworld. The states of Sandland and Oilia are located in the central region, while Planter's Paradise and Mooton are located in the southern region. Each state has its own natural resources, creating six very different economies. Geography and Economy
Treesylvania Treesylvania is located in a mountainous area in the northern region. Dense forests and moderately rich soil supports the growth of many types of trees. This natural resource creates a prosperous lumber industry. Lumber can be used to manufacture paper, build homes and furniture, as well as produce other products the state might find beneficial. Treesylvania exports paper and lumber to other states. In addition, apple trees provide a valuable resource both to Treesylvania residents and residents of other states. Although the soil is good for tree growth, the terrain of the land makes it difficult to grow other food crops and maintain fields for grazing. Therefore, additional food products must be imported from other states. Oilia Oilia is located in a dry area in the central region of the country. Several months after arriving, one of the state's residents discovered oil on the land. Ever since, oil has been discovered throughout the state, providing an excellent source of fuel. Other states value this resource tremendously, as electricity is not yet available on the planet. This resource has brought Oilia out of the depths of poverty. In addition to oil, Oilia exports straw, which is used in building homes. Oilia does not have adequate soil for growing food crops or grazing land for cattle and must import all food products from other states. Sandland Sandland is a relatively poor state in the central region of the country. Due to the desert-like climate and sandy soil, food production is impossible. There are very few trees, making it necessary for all lumber to be imported. Bricks can be made with the abundance of sand, but most citizens of other states choose to build with lumber because it is less expensive. Fortunately, a new plant recently has been discovered in Sandland. This cactus-like plant, called medicina, has the ability to cure the disease of scurvy. Scurvy, which develops as a result of vitamin C deficiency, has caused much illness and death throughout the country. Mooton Mooton is a prosperous state in the southern region of Separtica. The primary resource in this state is cattle. There are plenty of grazing areas to support these animals. A large lake also provides extra water for the cattle, and the water is extremely important in this warm region. Mooton exports meat, milk, and cheese to other states. Since cattle graze across the entire region, vegetable and fruit crops must be imported. Planter's Paradise The majority of citizens of this state truly believe it is paradise. The moderate climate and rich soil provide a fantastic environment for the growth of a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Planter's Paradise makes a significant amount of money from the export of oranges, corn, cotton, wheat, and green beans. This state must import lumber, meat, dairy, and fish products from other states. Trading
Currency Systems in Separtica Blue Dollars: Sandland, Waterworld
Currency Conversion
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Handout 4
State Products and Costs All products must be purchased by the unit shown. Costs cannot exceed one-half of your salary. Blue Currency: Waterworld and Sandland
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Handout 5
Purchasing Sheet Every citizen of Separtica must purchase supplies for his/her family. Fill out a Purchasing Sheet for each state from which you are ordering supplies. Name ________________________________
Your State _________________
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Handout 6
Product Inventory Sheet The secretary of agriculture and industry from each state should track transactions for that state in the units sold and balance columns. Teachers should fill in the product, cost per unit, and beginning units columns. (See Week 2.) State _________________________________________
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Fates of Separtican States
Fate 1
Treesylvania The salt water eroded the tree roots of 10 percent of their available lumber resources. Mooton Flooding destroyed grazing land; a large number of cows died of hunger. Loss of resource availability equaled 100 pounds of meat and 50 gallons of milk. Planter's Paradise Salt water and flooding caused damage to wheat and cotton crops. As a result, 25 percent of each available resource was destroyed. Oilia Since houses in Oilia are not built on firm soil, three citizens (teacher will identify disaster victims) lost their homes. No lumber from the home may be salvaged, but other supplies were recovered. (Citizens may not choose to live with other family units.) Sandland Water from the flooding warped brick-making molds and cut production for one week. Waterworld No damage to resources whatsoever. Surplus of fish provide citizens of Waterworld with a fish fry. See teacher for a special snack and surprise! Fate 2
Fate 3
Waterworld The Foundlings rebelled against your use of fish for producing scale salve by stealing your fish nets. Half your nets were stolen, reducing the production rate by 50 percent. It will take two weeks to make new nets in order to recover from this loss of capital goods. Treesylvania The Foundlings are disturbed by your deforestation practices. They burned your lumber yards and completely cut production by destroying your inventory. You will not have inventory for sale for two weeks. Oilia The Foundlings are angry that you are drilling in their burial grounds and ask you to stop. Foundling families arrive daily to protest your drilling for oil. These protests have cut your production by 50 percent as they block access to the oil wells. This protest will last for two weeks. Sandland The Foundlings are upset because your gathering of a certain plant to produce medicina interferes with their hunting. Foundlings hunt an animal that feeds on this same plant. (You have not found these animals to be of use to you in any way.) Their hunting parties threaten you; you will be unable to harvest this plant for two weeks, until their hunting season is complete. Planter's Paradise The Foundlings are upset because families are taking over more and more of their acreage for planting. You justify your behavior because of your belief in manifest destiny. You sense hostility and fear they may take action in the future, although currently, your crops are undisturbed. Fate 4
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