Our World®

Our World® is designed to introduce students to key aspects of global trade and to help them understand how most countries are economically interdependent. This program is designed to comply with the 6th grade curriculum. 

The goals of Our World® are to:

• develop the students' awareness of global trade and the difference between exports and imports. 

• help the students discover the benefits and complexities of global trade. 

• increase the students' understanding of the role of foreign exchange in global markets. 

• increase the students' knowledge of key aspects of economies in various countries. 

• heighten the students' awareness of how businesses contribute to a global economy. 

• supplement the elementary social studies curriculum with business and economics-related skills and concepts. 

• make the students aware of the importance of education for global job opportunities. 

Our World® Activities

Our World focuses on imports and exports, the role of foreign exchange, and how countries are interdependent.

Activity One: The World in My Classroom

The students identify imports within their own classroom and use a world map to find their sources. They discover that businesses trade- import and export-in a global economy. 

Key Learning Objective  The students will...

• define import and export

• distinguish between domestic trade and global trade

• recognize evidence of global trade

Activity Two: Trading Places

The students discover through a puzzle-solving activity that businesses often import and export goods and services to meet the wants and needs of the people in their countries.

Key Learning Objective  The students will...

• examine various reasons businesses trade natural, human, and capital resources

• identify supply and demand as reasons why people trade
  

Activity Three: Dollar for Dollar

The students discuss how countries trade, and they are introduced to exchange rates. They engage in a trading activity that illustrates some of the complexities of global trade. 

Key Learning Objective  The students will...

• identify the role of money in global trade

• compute currency conversions

 

Activity Four: Business Matters

The students learn that different businesses struggle with different issues when trading globally. They discover international marketing tasks required by any business entering global markets.

Key Learning Objective  The students will...

• extract information from business case studies

• assimilate components of an international marketing strategy 
  

Activity Five: Global Business Challenge

The students present their international marketing strategies. They explain their product, price, promotion, and place decisions. 

Key Learning Objective  The students wills...

• demonstrate their knowledge of international trade

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Our World® enhances the students' learning of the following concepts and skills:

Concepts

• Business 

• Currency 

• Demand 

• Economic 

• systems 

• Exchange rates

• Exports 

• Global economy

• Government 

• Imports

• Interdependence

• Marketing

• Markets

• Resources 

• Supply 

• Trade 

• Trade barriers

Skills

• Abstract reasoning 

• Collecting data 

• Constructing puzzles

• Converting currencies

• Differentiating 

• Giving reports 

• Map reading 

• Math computations 

• Note taking 

• Oral presentations 

• Reading 

• Teamwork
  

Our World® is a series of five activities recommended for students in grade 6. The average time for each activity is 45 minutes. Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed activity plans for the volunteer and materials for 32 students.

All JA programs have technology enhancements and are designed to support the skills and competencies outlined in the SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) report. These programs also augment the school-based, work-based, and connecting activities for communities with school-to-work initiatives.
  

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