Proficiency Statement and Indicators Students should be able to:
Demonstrate the influence of physical and cultural factors upon the economic
systems found in countries of the Western World.
Explain how physical geography, specialization, and trade influence the ways people
earn income in various countries.
Explain how increased specialization and trade make countries more wealthy yet more
interdependent.
Explore how different economic systems (traditional, command, market) answer the basic
economic questions of what to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce.
Describe the level and sources of income (gross domestic product-GDP)in countries of
the Western World.
Compare and contrast how education and technology influence productivity and economic
development in countries of the Western World.
Identify situations in which the actions of consumers and producers are helpful
(e.g., education) or harmful (e.g., pollution) to others, inside and outside a country,
who are not directly involved in the consumption or production of a product.
Explain how international trade requires a system for exchanging money between nations.
Sample Student Activities Students might:
1) Plan a family budget for a family of four based on the per capita income of a nation.
2) Develop charts and graphs showing the economic role of women in several countries.
Choose several common products (e.g., a candy bar, items of clothing, etc.). Identify
the ingredients or components. Research and identify locations on a world map where
these products originated.
1) Write to the embassies of selected countries requesting information. Develop a chart comparing/contrasting standards of living among these countries. 2) Research the type of
economic system or systems used in a country over a long period of time. Analyze changes
in everyday life as economic systems develop or change (e.g., change from a traditional
to a market economy).
Color code a world map showing different GDP levels. Create a profile of specific countries
highlighting economic factors (e.g., GDP, productive resources; trade statistics).
Compare GDP levels with literacy rates/levels of educational attainment, use of technology, etc.
1) Report on pollution levels in different countries and on ways different countries deal with pollution.
2) Play the role of consumers and producers of products from various countries. Compare points of view.
Analyze the classified ads from a foreign, English- language newspaper. Convert salaries to dollars.
