Peggy Bothwell Collegiate School Richmond, Virginia Peggy Bothwell is a sixth grade history teacher at Collegiate School in Richmond, Va. She has developed economics lesson plans and is an active participant in economic education programs.

Objectives Students learn social and governmental organization by constructing a society, a religion, and a governing structure. Students learn about scarcity and its impact on their society and government. Students learn about the impact of international economic decisions on their community. Students discover the impact of economic decisions on the social, religious, and governing structures of their immediate and combined communities. Time Required 9 days Materials Handout 1 — The Land of Erehwon Handout 2 — Village Background Handout 3 — Creation of the Village

Overview

A sixth grade course on world geography and culture challenges the teacher to introduce students not only to many aspects of place and culture, but also to economics. Without a basic understanding of economies and economic terms, students cannot fully understand the lifestyles and cultures of different parts of the world. The Land of Erehwon ("nowhere" spelled backwards) invites students to create their own society, participate in economic choices, and enjoy learning!

Teaching Activity

Day 1
Divide the class into four groups to create four different villages. During each class period, the students will work in their own groups. The teacher needs to be flexible and circulate to keep students directed. Use the last 15 minutes of each period to have each group report on what it has created and relate student examples to the appropriate economic terms.

Present Handout 1, The Land of Erehwon, to the class and give a copy to each group. Next, distribute Handout 2, Village Background, to each group. Explain to students that as members of the four villages, they will create the villages, make decisions, and describe and illustrate what life is like in their village. Each student represents a family unit of eight people: the student, a mate, three older parents, a brother or sister, and two children. Only the members of each village know what it is like to live there. Any member of a group who leaves the village and tells the secrets of that village will be ostracized and banished from the village. Success of each group in the initial stages depends on secrecy.

The Nairotsih ("historian" spelled backwards) or recorder is chosen for each group to record the events in the village, how decisions are made and what decisions the village is faced with making as events occur. The Tnatnuocca ("accountant" spelled backwards) records the history of the village in The Offering of the Goods. The record for each day from the Nairotsih and the Tnatnuocca should be kept in a folder. The Offering of the Goods is made to Goddess Llewhtob (my name, "Bothwell," spelled backwards). Create your own Goddess name by spelling your name backwards.

At certain intervals, events will occur which may change a group's life patterns. Give these events to an individual or to the group. If you give the event to an individual, tell that student they may choose to share the information with their group or use it for their own benefit. Tell students that the rest of the group may eventually learn what they know.

Day 2
Distribute Handout 3, Creation of the Village, to each group. Ask students to answer the questions and complete the documentation for the village. The Nairotsih records the history and the Tnatnuocca records The Offerings of the Goods in the folders.

Using their examples, introduce each group to the following social organization terms: culture, social structure, tribal government, monarchy, democracy, and authoritarian government. Introduce the following economic concepts to students as they create their economy: scarcity, limited resources, rationing, command economy, traditional economy, market economy, specialization, opportunity costs, comparative advantage, and absolute advantage. Introduction of the terms depends on the choices students make for their villages; you may not need to use all of these at this time. They can be worked into the lesson at a later point.

After all the groups have completed their creation documents, review and study the terms with the entire class. This introductory work may require two days instead of one.

Day 3
Provide handouts for the daily group activity or have the materials available on an overhead for the class to read. Distribute the following changes to the group of villagers or to individual persons in the groups:

• Southwest
1. Learn that the black streaks in rocks will melt when heated and harden when cooled.
2. Learn to use vines to make fish nets.
• Mountain
1. Learn that black rocks burn for a long time.
2. Develop the bow and arrow.
• Plains
1. Learn to domesticate animals.
2. Learn to use a sharp bone for sewing.
• Delta
1. Learn to fire pots.
2. Learn to plant seeds.
3. Learn to weave.

The students in each village assess changes to their village, and the Tnatnuocca and Nairotsih record the history and The Offerings of the Goods. Review the economic terms from Day 2. Focus on the changes from technology and comparative advantage.

Day 4
An earthquake destroys the mountain village. The survivors begin to roam the island. As they roam, one survivor wanders into each of the other villages. Each mountain survivor settles with a different village. See what happens: Are they absorbed into the existing villages? If so, why? If not, why not?

About halfway into the period, ask the following questions of the students. The Tnatnuocca and Nairotsih should record the history and The Offerings of the Goods.

• How does this change your culture?
• What happens when the survivors first arrive in your village?
• What do you learn from them?
• How do their cultural differences affect you?
• How do you communicate?
• What are the overall effects on your culture, lifestyle, government, social structure, and economy?

Answer questions again as a whole group or with each group. Discuss the interaction of cultures, sensitivity to other customs and beliefs, people feeling threatened by others who are different, and the idea that knowledge brings understanding.

Day 5
The separated band of mountain people decide to meet again at the Big Rivers Junction at the end of two summers. Each village is invited to go to the meeting with them. Students will return to their village before the winter season begins. Tell students to decide whether they want to go and whether they are able to go. The Tnatnuocca and Nairotsih record the history and The Offerings of the Goods. Ask the villagers the following:

• What are the dangers involved?
• What problems do you think you will have when this group first meets?

Let students meet and encounter their own difficulties before asking them the following questions. These are questions for all the groups, which met together at Big Rivers Junction:

• What problems actually occurred when people from the villages first met at the river junction?
• How does this gathering affect your thinking and decisions about your own lifestyle?
• How does this gathering affect your choices about fulfilling wants and needs?
• Has your list of wants and needs changed?
• What will you do about these changes?
• What occurred at this meeting that surprised you the most?

Day 6
Villagers return home but plan to meet again at the end of the next summer. At the next meeting, ask villagers:

• How will your life change over the next year?
• What are some of the new problems that you will face as you plan for the next meeting?
• How will you resolve these problems?
• Do you want to trade with the other villages?

Discuss the problems of exchange, barter, and currency. Ask students how they can establish a currency if they want one. The Tnatnuocca and Nairotsih should record the history and The Offerings of the Goods. The villagers should list all the goods they produce that year. Discuss gross domestic product.

Day 7
It is still the spring before the summer meeting with the other villages. Word spreads that some of The Offering of the Goods, which have been buried, are no longer there. Some villagers have dared to dig them up and nothing has happened to them. The belief still exists that the total amount of goods villagers have buried will be judged and affect the future of the villagers' children. Ask villagers:

• If The Offerings of the Goods were stolen, would this benefit you?
• What are the risks involved?
• Why would someone steal The Offerings of the Goods?
• What should be done to those who stole The Offerings of the Goods?
• How has your life changed since The Offerings of the Goods were stolen?
• Does this crisis affect your plans for the summer meeting?

The Tnatnuocca and Nairotsih record the history and The Offerings of the Goods.

Day 8
Divide the class period into thirds. Introduce the concept that items could be used as a currency. The villagers meet again, this time bringing goods and currency. In the first time segment, the villagers attempt to exchange goods for trade or barter. See if a group develops a type of currency on its own. At the end of the first third, discuss problems with barter or the advantages of currency (if one has developed).

In the second time segment, the villagers should agree to accept currency for goods. As they attempt to buy and sell using their own currency, ask villagers:

• What gives the currency value?

The villagers record exchanges and discuss problems, for example, surpluses or shortages of their own currency or a foreign currency. Discuss this as a group before you go on. In the third time segment, the villagers attempt to buy and sell currency. Discuss the results of doing this. At the final council of all villages, discuss whether or not trade agreements would benefit or hurt them. The Tnatnuocca and Nairotsih should record the history and The Offerings of the Goods.

Day 9
Each village lists its total accumulated wealth stored in The Offering of the Goods. The village with the greatest wealth wins the eternal blessings of Goddess Llewhtob in the Land of Erehwon. And they all live happily ever after.

Conclusion

The Land of Erewhon gives students an opportunity to create an imaginary society and at the same time begin to discover and label the economic concepts exemplified in the activity. They learn about cause and effect as one economic decision impacts many other parts of their future lives.

Social Organization Concepts Culture  The practices of a group of people. Social structure  The social organization of individuals and groups. Government  The political organization of people. Council  A small group of people authorized to advise or manage affairs for a larger group or population. Democratic  Groups of people make government decisions. Authoritarian  Favoring or requiring strict obedience, domineering, dictatorial.

Economic Concepts Absolute advantage  A country's ability to produce a good using fewer resources than the country it trades with. Barter  The direct exchange of goods and services without the use of money. Command economy  A society where a central authority makes most major economic decisions. Comparative advantage  A country's ability to produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than the country with which it trades. Currency  Paper currency; part of a nation's money supply. Demand  The amount of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at a certain price. Economics  The study of how societies utilize scarce resources to provide for needs and wants. Export  Goods and services produced in a country and sold abroad. Gross domestic product (GDP)  Measures the market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in one year. Import  Goods and services produced abroad and sold domestically. Market economy  An economy based on free choice by consumers and producers. Opportunity cost  The next best alternative that is given up when a choice is made. Rationing  System designed to distribute limited amounts of a product to individuals. Resources  The inputs that are used in production. Includes natural resources (land, rivers, mineral deposits, and timber), human resources (workers, entrepreneurs), and capital (machinery, buildings). Scarcity  The situation in which there are too few resources to meet all human wants and needs. Specialization  Concentrating on a single task or production operation. Supply  The amount of goods and services producers are willing and able to offer for sale at a certain price. Traditional economy  Society in which economic decisions are made according to habit, custom, or tradition.