Content Area: Social Studies

 

Index: 6.5B Grade 12 CPI 8

 

Standard: 6.5 - Economics

 

Strand: B -  Economics and Society

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 8 -  The student will evaluate the activities and impact in various countries of major international institutions including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization.

 

Grade: 12

 

Sample Activities:

 

·        Living History Interviews. Students interview family members and community friends about the effects of businesses and other companies leaving the area. What jobs have been lost? What jobs have been gained? How are lost jobs replaced when new kinds of businesses develop? What is the balancing effect here?

 

·        A related issue to free trade is the retraining of the American workforce. Proponents of free trade have argued that workers must acquire technological skills in order to find high wage jobs in the new information-based economy. Students evaluate federal efforts to promote worker retraining. Can retraining take place on a large scale? What kinds of new jobs should people be trained for? Employment data suggest that low-paying, service-sector jobs are on the rise, while formerly high-paying factory jobs are disappearing. How does an overall decline in real wages affect the economy? Can worker retraining increase real wages?