RATIONALE

The effects of the “world is flat” phenomenon are all around us. 

1. Look at the labels in your clothing.
2. Listen to the accents of the people on the other side of a “help” line. 
3. Check out the country of origin of the fruit you ate this morning. 
4. Look at where the factory in your town has just built a new plant. 
5. Find out who owns the local supermarket chain and bank.

It is a fact:  Knowledge and goods circle the globe with a speed and accuracy never before encountered.  And this phenomenon shows no chance of slowing down.

The middle grades, when students are beginning to imagine their place in the larger society, present an opportune time to help young people understand how the world in which they are consumers is organized.  Through a study of international economics, students will

1. Increase their knowledge about and interest in Economics
2. Strengthen their roles as knowledgeable citizens by increasing their understanding of the economic forces at work in the local, national, and international levels
3. Enhance their understanding of how economics interacts with other factors they are studying, including geography, culture, politics, technology, and religion, and
4. Improve their capacity to compete in the workforce which is being radically affected by a globally integrated economy.

In Massachusetts, the History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks for the middle grades are built around knowledge of the world at large.  This setting provides an opportune time to introduce the concepts underlying international trade.  Need and opportunity are one.

This website is sponsored by the Economics Sub-committee of the Global Education Advisory Committee to the Board of Education.*  It is designed to support teachers in increasing their knowledge of Economics and build their confidence in teaching this discipline, by identifying and providing developmentally appropriate economic education resources – searchable through major content area, state standards, or economic concepts – and suggesting specific ways of integrating the resources in a frameworks-aligned document.

*These Advisory Committees are mandated under Ed Reform (1993).  For more information see http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/sac/