How are different countries around our planet able to support themselves through the import and export of natural resources?
Critical Thinking
Students will use critical thinking skills while participating in the World Trade Simulation where they must meet particular criteria in order to ensure their assigned country is able to function given the import and export of particular natural resources.
What natural resources does my selected country have access to based on the boundaries of the country?
How does the availability of natural resources impact the success and wealth of a country?
How are natural resources, including people, exploited on our planet?
Students should be able to research a country of their choice and determine what natural resources are found on that land.
Students should be able to identify what each natural resource is used for and why it is important for human civilization.
Written and Oral Discourse - Students will communicate in writing while researching and will communicate with one another while engaged in simulated world trade.
Presentation Skills - Students will use presentation skills in order to present information about the country that they researched
Note taking - Students write key ideas in their lab notebooks so that they may use the resource on labs and other assessments.
Simulations - Students will learn about the variables that can be manipulated in a scientific simulation so as to learn about a phenomenon. Students will engage in a simulation as a final assessment.
Differentiation:
Explicit instruction of expectations for answering questions in complete sentences (TTQA) on formative and summative assessments.
Explicit instruction on lab notebook setup and maintenance throughout the course.
Explicit instruction on reading articles, lab activity instructions, and textbook passages (Bold Words, Headings, Interpreting Diagrams and Charts).
Providing a variety of tools to help students identify different specimens
HS-ESS3-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-3. Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among the management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
Textbook - Living in the Environment G.Tyler Miller and Scott Spoolman
https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/natural-resources/ (CIA.gov - The World Factbook - Natural Resources by Country)
National Geographic - World Trade Simulation
World Population Review
[Our Hidden Google Drive Resource link]