Overview

Young students are eager to learn about the world around them. But the task of understanding location and distance can be challenging. Combining ideas from economics and geography, teachers can address that challenge by engaging students in concrete activities growing out of an analysis of their own experiences as consumers.

First, students identify the products they use most at home. Next, students follow clues and use reference tools in an effort to match the products they identify with the countries that produce those products. This activity leads to a discussion of the concepts import and export. Ideas arising from the discussion are developed further in a simulation activity involving world trade.

Teaching Activity

Day 1 — Introduction
Generate interest for the project by asking students what things they like to buy. List their responses. Provide help as necessary by asking about toys, clothes, and favorite foods.

Objectives Students recognize themselves as consumers by identifying the top products consumed by the class. Students discover and apply map and research skills to locate and match countries with identified products. Students define and understand imports and exports. Students analyze possible reasons for production of a product in a given country. Students implement a trading simulation, choosing a country and a product they will export and import to countries within the class. Time Required 8-10 days Materials Handout 1 -- Parent Letter Handout 2 -- Top Products Consumed Graph Handout 3 -- Private Eye Magnifying Glass Handout 4 -- Product Clue Sheet Identification Cards (three top products, three countries, and the United States: see Example 5a) and Identification Clue Cards (see Example 5b) Import/Export Cards (index cards with import on one side and export on the other, one per student) Import/Export Clues (see Example 6) Resource books, encyclopedias, atlas, maps, and globes

Explain to the students that when they buy goods or services to satisfy their wants, they are acting as consumers. Also, explain that the things they buy and consume are products — goods made using resources.

Distribute the Parent Letter (see Handout 1). Give students an example of how the information on the letter should be completed — e.g., Beanie Babies made by Ty. Instruct the students to take the letter home, fill it out with their families, and return it to class.

Day 2 — Discovering Products
Using information from the returned Parent Letter, compile a master list from the students’ lists. Then determine the top three products from the master list.

Distribute the Top Products Consumed Graph (see Handout 2) to students. Graph the top results with the class. Explain to the class that they will conduct an investigation to locate where these products are produced.

Day 3 — Matching Products to Countries
Create four clues for each of the three products identified and enter them onto Handout 4, Product Clue Sheet (also, see Example 4). Divide the class into three groups and assign each a Product Clue Sheet. Ask groups to investigate clues and predict in which country their assigned product was produced. Provide resources in the classroom for this task: resource books, encyclopedias, maps, an atlas, and/or a globe. For fun, distribute the Detective Magnifying Glass, Handout 3, for the students to use in the investigation. Give students time to search through the resources. The amount of time and guidance required will vary depending on the size and ability of individual classes. After students have completed the assignment, review the clues and discuss the reasons companies might have for producing a product in a particular country.

Day 4 — Understanding Imports and Exports
This activity will help the students grasp the meaning of import and export. It will also assist students with learning the locations of countries, oceans, and continents.

Explain to the class that products produced and transported to another country are exports. Use word association (e.g., a comparison to exit) to help the students remember the definition. Explain that imports are products produced in one country and brought into a second country.

Discuss geography terms such as north, east, south, west, oceans, islands, and continents. Point out the location of the United States in relation to other countries. Have several globes and maps for the students to use as a reference.

Then choose seven students to represent the three top products (i.e., Nike, Schwinn, and Nintendo), the three countries in which those products are produced (i.e., China, Taiwan, and Japan), and the United States. Give the students corresponding, labeled index cards (Identification Cards, see Example 5a).

Make a circle on the floor to represent the world. The seven students should stand outside the circle (floor globe).

Distribute corresponding Identification Clue Cards (see Example 5b) to nine students. Explain that the clues will be read one at a time.

As a clue card is read, the student representatives holding Identification Cards should listen and determine whether the clue refers to them. If it does, the student should move to that country’s location on the floor globe. (For example, if clue #1 is "Nike shoes are produced here. I export Nike shoes," then the student representing China should respond.) The student representing the United States should raise their card each time a U.S. clue is read. Students may use references for assistance if necessary.

The activity continues as each clue card is read, and the corresponding country or product moves into place.

Day 5 — More About Imports and Exports
Prepare a card for each student with import on one side and export on the other.

Instruct the students to listen as clues are read (see Import/Export Clues, Example 6). Students should respond to clues by showing their cards — either import or export.

Then choose a student to come to the map and locate a country from that clue’s description. Continue until all clues are read.

Day 6 — Choosing Countries and Exports
Working in groups, students decide on a country and product to export. (In my work with this activity, one group of students chose Australia as their country and farm equipment as their product. Other groups chose Japan and cameras, and Taiwan and televisions.)

Each group designs a country logo and product card for exporting.

Day 7 — Importing/Exporting Day
The groups reveal their country and their products to the class. Ask the groups to locate their chosen country on the map. Then ask them to stand in the floor globe in their country’s location.

Trading begins with one country offering to export their product to another. Other countries decide if they need the product. Continue until all countries have the opportunity to export their product and import another.

Day 8 — Assessment
Have the students write and illustrate what they have learned in a response entitled "Exports and Imports Around the World."

Help the students create a bulletin board using the consumer graphs, detective work, country logos and products, and their responses.