Is More Trade Always Beneficial for Countries?

Ages: 15-18
Suggested length: 2-3 class periods (45-55 minutes each); if students work on their essays at home, then only 2 lesson periods will be necessary.
Device accessibility: 1 device per student; if 1 device per student is not possible, direct students to review the Kialo Edu discussion at home, prior to the lesson.

Lesson Information

At a glance

This Kialo Edu discussion touches on some of the advantages and disadvantages of international trade for countries. After exploring the discussion, students will choose a prompt from a suggested list and write an individual essay on a trade-related topic (e.g., tariffs, trade agreements, etc).

Learning objective(s)

In this lesson, students will:

  • Explore an argument map that contains the benefits and drawbacks of global trade.
  • Evaluate these arguments and then use them to formulate independent arguments in an essay context.

Prior knowledge

This Kialo discussion is suitable for students with a basic familiarity with economics. To best support your students, encourage them to spend time going over the glossary in the discussion background.

Teacher preparation

Provided materials

Lesson Plan

Suggested length: 2-3 class periods (45-55 minutes each).
If students work on their essays at home, then only 2 lesson periods will be necessary.

Lesson components:
– Opener
– Activity
– Part A: Going over the Trade Glossary presentation (15-20 minutes)
– Part B: Students explore the Kialo discussion (20-25 minutes)

– Part C: Students begin their essays (focus of 1 class period)
– Optional closer (10 minutes)

Assessment
An argumentative essay on one of the following prompts:
– If you were a farmer in India, would you support a trade agreement with the EU?
– Should the US use tariffs to protect their steel and manufacturing industries?
– Should India continue to keep tariffs so high?
– Why do richer countries tend to have lower tariffs rates than poorer ones?
– Should the US continue to subsidize large parts of their agriculture sector?
See suggested rubric in provided materials.

tip
Tips:

Browse for current trade events if you would like to add further discussion topics to the essay options.

Opener (10-15 minutes)

  1. Discuss with the class a current event related to trade (e.g., the Brexit fuel crisis).

Activity

Part A: Going over the Trade Glossary presentation (15-20 minutes)

  1. Display the Trade Glossary presentation for the students.
  2. Go through each of the terms and ask students to try to explain their meaning or define them. 

Part B: Students explore the Kialo discussion at their own pace (20-25 minutes)

  1. Direct students to explore the Kialo discussion, clicking on any of the embedded sources that they find interesting. The discussion has plenty of linked sources, so students should be encouraged to click on the ones they find most interesting.
  2. Ask students to vote on the 5 claims that they consider to be the most important by giving each a score of 4.
tip
Tips:

You may wish to demonstrate voting to your students. Pick any claim and model how to give it a score of 4. You can then revoke your vote by clicking on the 4 again.

Part C: Students begin their essays (focus of 1 class period)

  1. Go over the instructions and recommendations included in the Kialo discussion background with your students.
tip
Tips:

If you wish, you can edit the discussion background to add more essay questions to the list, including any current events or trade issues that particularly interest your students.

  1. Direct students to begin writing their essays individually.

Optional closer (10 minutes) 

  1. Review how students voted as a class. Are there any patterns in how the students voted?
  2. Have students volunteer to explain why they voted as they did for their chosen claims.

Related Kialo Discussion

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