Ch.

12-Lesson 15 - World Businesses

Sarah Constan
I.

Lesson plan overview and description

1. Expected duration: 45 minutes
2. Social Sciences: economics
3. Concepts: World business
4. Vocabulary: none
5. Skills: whole group discussion, small group work, reading, classifying,
graphic organizer completion, Smartboard technology, compare and
contrasting
6. Broad goals:

i. To understand that many of our items are imported from countries

around the world.
ii. To understand why businesses depend on other businesses.
iii. To understand why we use and buy products from other countries.

II.

Content Outline
Lesson 4-World Businesses
A. What to know: How do businesses around the world make money?
B. A Business District
1. Businesses depend on one another and use technology to
communicate.
2. Many goods are exported to other countries and they depend on
other businesses for parts, transportation, and sales.
3. Reading Check-Generalize: How do Tokyos businesses depend on
other businesses?
C. Summary
1. Businesses around the world make money in different ways.
2. Many companies in Tokyo sell their goods around the world.
3. A cooperative in Mozambique sells its products to local markets.

III. Standards
1. PDE SAS Standards
i.

6.4.3.B: 6. Economics, 4-Economic Independence, 3-Grade 3, BIdentify examples of trade, imports, and exports in the local
community.
2. PDE Common Core: not applicable
3. NCSS Themes and Subthemes
III.
People, Places, and Environments
a. Todays social, cultural, economic and civic issues demand that
students apply knowledge, skills, and understandings as they address
questions.
VII.

Production, Distribution, and Consumption

a. People have wants that often exceed the limited resources available to
them.

VIIII. Global Connections

a. Global connections have intensified and accelerated the changes
faced at the local, national, and international levels.

IV. Lesson Objectives

1. Students will be able to identify specific items imported from countries
around the world by choosing and classifying items around the classroom.
2. Students will be able to understand and explain why items are imported to
the United States from other countries by discussing as a whole group.
3. Students will be able to compare and contrast items made in the United
States and items imported to the United States by independently completing
a venn diagram.

V. Teaching Procedures
1. Anticipatory Set

The teacher will place a handful of items at each table of students. The items
will be checked for tags that say Made in ___.

Students can also check their shoes, coats, or any other article of clothing in
their cubbies.

Students will be directed to study the item and note where the item is from.

The teacher will call on students to share the country mentioned on the
tag/label of the item, and create a T chart on the board.

Once all countries have been added to the T chart, students will be called up
to the board, by group, to add their tally under the country.

2.

Lesson Input

The teacher will begin the classroom discussion by asking/stating the

following:
1. What are your thoughts about these findings?
2. Why do you think so many of the items in our lives are made in other
countries?
3. What are you thoughts about why certain countries manufacture more
items than other countries?

The teacher will create a Smartboard lesson based on information from the
textbook (see the outline above). The following questions from the teacher
will help lead whole group discussions:
1. What are some items we manufacture or grow in the U.S. that we maybe
send to other countries? (This is an open question that offers many
answers and can be researched further as a lesson extension.)
2. Answer and discuss the following question from the textbook: How do
Tokyos businesses depend on other businesses?
3. Why do you think Tokyo, Japan is such a large business center?
4. Discuss with the class the reasons why we use things made in different
countries rather than only using things made in the United States. Some
items aren't made in the United States at all and have to be purchased
from abroad.
5. Other items may be cheaper or easier to make in other countries.
6. Some U.S. companies employ factory workers overseas to make products
for the U.S. market.

3.

Guided Practice

Have students read the short story "Lizzie's Morning" at

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/archive/xpeditions/activities/11/lizzi
e.html?ar_a=1 within their small groups.

Have students list the items and processes described in the short story along
with the places they originated.

The teacher will walk around the room and stay involved in the group
discussions.

Once groups have finished, the teacher will ask all students to sit on the rug
to discuss their findings.

4.

Independent Practice

Students will complete a venn diagram comparing and contrasting items

made in the U.S. to items around the world.

Direct students to also include in the venn diagram why each country, or
region, imports/exports such items.

5. Differentiation

I will differentiate this lesson based on the specific learning and behavioral
needs of my students.

6. Closure

A multiple choice Smartboard assessment will be presented to the students

with 5 questions regarding the material. The teacher will call on volunteers
to approach the Smartboard to answer the questions.

The teacher will then discuss and/or reinforce the answer.

VI. Teacher and Student Resources and Evaluation of Resources

A. Student Reading Resources:

Berson, M. (2010). Social Studies: Our Communities. Orlando, Fla.: Houghton

Mifflin Harcourt School.

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/archive/xpeditions/activities/11/lizzi
e.html?ar_a=1

B. Teacher Resources:

Berson, M. (2010). Social Studies: Our Communities. Orlando, Fla.: Houghton

Mifflin Harcourt School.

http://www.globalenvision.org/forteachers/27/1229

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/archive/xpeditions/lessons/11/g35/b
elongings.html?ar_a=1

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/archive/xpeditions/activities/11/lizzi
e.html?ar_a=1

C. Evaluation of Teacher Resources

Resource Title or
Website

Influence:

3+ Characteristics

Accessibility

Overall
Rating

Teacher and student

resources available
including graphs,
tables, and pictures.

easily accessible
and free

This is a
quality
resource, and
moving
forward the
additional
support items
should be
utilized in
future
lessons.

easily accessible
and free

This site offers

an array of
interesting
articles and
links to lesson
plans, which
appear to be
trustworthy

Significant
Influence (SI)
Minor
Influence (MI)

Social Studies: Our

Communities

SI

Extra support, such as

study guides, available
to assist teachers and
students.

Content is detailed and

grade level
appropriate.

http://www.globalenvisi
on.org/forteachers/27/1
229

SI

Multiple links to
interactive lesson
plans for elementary
school students,
categorized by grade
level.

Other social topics

discussed such as
sustainable energy and
youth skills.

and
appropriate
for
elementary
school
students. I
would
recommend
this site to
other
education
professionals
and would use
this site again
for future
lessons.

The website is well

organized and easy to
understand, allowing
ease of implementing
ideas into a lesson.

http://education.nation
algeographic.com/archi
ve/xpeditions/lessons/1
1/g35/belongings.html?
ar_a=1

SI

This stie offers a

detailed lesson plan
featuring objectives,
materials,
development, closure,
etc., appropriate for
this lesson.

reliable, easily
accessible, and
free

I would highly
recommend
this site to
educators for
lesson
assistance,
and to
students and
families for
extra
activities at
home and for
interesting
articles to
read and
discuss with
one another.
National
Geographic is
a reliable
publication
and website
that I will
continue to
use to
supplement
my lesson
plans.

reliable, easily
accessible, and
free

Please see
comments
directly
above about
the National

The site offers other

articles, activities, and
lessons, by grade level.

The site offers links for

educators, students,
and families.

http://education.nation
algeographic.com/archi
ve/xpeditions/activities
/11/lizzie.html?ar_a=1

MI

This is an extension of
the above National
Geographic link,
featuring the same
characteristics as the

above resource.

Geographic
website.

This specific activity

offers alternatives for
younger students,
older students, and
parents.

Key concepts are

posted on the site.

VII. Formative and Summative Assessment

Students will be formatively assessed during whole group and small group
discussions by the teacher. The teacher will note his/her observations on a
sheet of paper for each students, or on post-its.

Students will be summatively assessed by their small group work T chart and
their independent venn diagram.

VIII. Technology/Materials/Equipment

Smartboard

internet access

Youtube

student textbook and teachers book

white or chalkboard

markers

items from around the room plus small clothing items

T chart worksheets

venn diagram worksheets

IX. Reflection on Planning

I have great interest in international relations and business, as it was my first area
of study in college. I think its important for children, starting at a young age, to
understand the world consists of more than just their family, neighborhood, school,
and town/city/state communities. Not only do they need to know this, they need to
understand how they are connected with these other countries and how we help
each other in ways they may not even realize. Even though this lesson just touches
the tiniest tip of an enormous world business iceberg, its an appropriate starting
point for students that can lead to many more discussions, questions, and other
topics and events to discover. The possibilities are endless. I enjoyed creating this
lesson as well as researching similar lessons and activities. There were so many I
came across that I had difficulty deciding on just one! If I were to teach this lesson,
I would keep those other activities and discussion topics on hand to possibly touch
upon during this lesson, or to use as an extension or additional day of instruction.