Middle Grades Programs :: JA Global Marketplace®

The Economics of Staying in School explains the economic benefits of an education.

JA Global Marketplace provides practical information about the global economy and its effect on students’ lives. Six required, volunteer-led activities.

The key learning objectives listed beside each activity state the skills and knowledge students will gain.


 

 



 

Activity One: “X” Marks the Spot

Working in groups to identify import items found throughout the classroom, students begin to recognize that trade with other countries affects their daily lives. Students understand that international trade occurs when nations want or need resources or services from other countries because they themselves cannot satisfy those needs and wants at reasonable costs.

 

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • define trade.
  • explain why countries trade with one another.
  • list at least five products or items imported from other countries and locate those countries on a world map.
Activity Two: You Be the Judge

Students learn that nations use several methods to increase their trade benefits. Agreements with one or more countries often are made to facilitate trade and
avoid conflict.

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • identify quotas, tariffs, subsidies, embargoes, and standards as barriers governments use to control trade and increase benefits for their countries.
  • describe how multilateral agreements can facilitate trade.
  • describe how the World Trade Organization functions as a court to help nations settle trade disputes.
Activity Three: Let’s Make a Deal

Students work in groups to identify and understand the business practices used in other countries. Students discover that business practices vary from country to country and that understanding these practices can have a positive impact on trade.

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • explain how cultural practices vary from country to country.
  • develop group plans to create a food franchise by learning about the business practices of select countries.
Activity Four: People Power

Students discover how the movement of people facilitates international trade. They discuss examples of immigration and, through creative activities, gain insight into the lives of immigrants. They learn that economic opportunity often is the driving force behind immigration and global trade.

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • describe reasons why people move from one country to another, particularly those seeking economic opportunity.
  • give examples of contributions immigrants bring to countries and the hardships they often endure.
  • identify global trade and immigration as a means of international exchange of human resources.
Activity Five: World of Words

Students discover how advances in communication and transportation have improved productivity and facilitated world trade. From moveable type to the Internet, students trace the international flow of information and its impact on world economies.

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • describe how improvements in technology and transportation and the sharing of ideas have affected the flow of information and increased productivity.
  • calculate productivity.
  • list examples of technological developments throughout history.

 

Activity Six: World of Money

To participate in international trade, businesses and individuals must be able to purchase goods and services from each other. Students will learn that countries have different currencies with different values. To purchase goods from another country, it usually is necessary to use that country’s currency. Some European countries have facilitated the exchange process by adopting the euro as a common currency.
 

 Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • explain why international trade requires an exchange of currency.

  • convert U.S. dollars into another currency using an exchange rate.

  • provide possible reasons why
    countries might support or oppose a common currency.

JA Global Marketplace enhances students’ learning of the following concepts and skills:

Concepts–Trade, Market, Domestic trade, International trade, Exports, Trade barrier, Quota, Subsidy, Embargo, Tariff, Standard, Business practices, Culture, Franchise, Global trade, Immigrate, Emigrate, Entrepreneurship, Human resources, Productivity, Technology, Exchange rates, Currency

Skills–Interpreting maps, charts, and globes, Oral and written communication, Working in groups, Gathering and organizing information, Critical reading, Persuasion, compromise, and bargaining, Analyzing points of view, Brainstorming, Critical thinking, Math calculations

JA Global Marketplace was purposefully and strategically developed to align with academic content areas, specifically with world history, geography, and social studies disciplines. This program’s focus on reading, writing, and mathematics standards ensures relevance in all classrooms affected by high-stakes testing.

JA Global Marketplace is a series of six activities recommended for students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The average time for each activity is 45 minutes. Extended learning opportunities were developed to enhance and extend the learning of these core activities. JA Global Marketplace contains an optional CD-ROM supplement designed as an interactive, take-home piece for students. Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed activity plans for the volunteer and materials for 32 students.

All JA programs are designed to support the skills and competencies identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. These programs also augment school-based, work-based, and connecting activities for communities with school-to-work initiatives.

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