Unit Description -
Students will investigate how human progress impacts the environment and our resources and if it is worth the sacrifices and risks we may need to take. Students will look at standards of living, the impacts of population change, different types of economies, the availability of resources, and sustainability practices. The compelling question, “Is the world ready and willing to make sacrifices to promote human progress?” will ask students to determine if different areas of the world are ready and willing (some may be ready, but unwilling) to make sacrifices to meet the needs of the people as our world changes.
Supporting Questions -
How do standards of living vary among developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries?
How do we define human progress and what are some examples?
How does population impact human progress?
Which type of economy and industry is best suited for progress?
How does human progress create challenges for sustainability and what are some possible alternatives?
Standards and Practices -
SS.CV.2.6-8.LC: Describe the origins, purposes, and impact of constitutions, laws, treaties, and international agreements.
SS.IS.8.6-8.MdC: Assess individual and collective capacity to take action to address problems and identify potential outcomes.
SS.EC.1.6-8.MC: Evaluate alternative approaches or solutions to current economic issues in terms of benefits and costs for different groups and society as a whole.
SS.IS.5.6-8.MC: Develop claims and counterclaims while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both.
SS.EC.1.6-8.MdC: Explain how external benefits and costs influence choices.
SS.G2.6-8.MdC: Compare and contrast the cultural and environmental characteristics of different places or regions.
SS.G2.6-8.MC: Evaluate how cultural and economic decisions influence environments and the daily lives of people in both nearby and distant places.
SS.EC.2.6-8.MC: Explain how changes in supply and demand cause changes in prices and quantities of goods and services, labor, credit, and foreign currencies.
SS.EC.3.6-8.LC: Explain why standards of living increase as productivity improves.