Middle Childhood Education

Middle Childhood Education Lesson Plan Template v. 2

Teacher Candidate Name: Molly Smith
Lesson Title/#: Scarcity
Grade Level: 6th Grade (Sixth Grade)
Essential Question: Is specialization good or bad for a country?

Lesson Foundations
Content Standards

History Standard 6.14: Scarcity- When regions and/or countries specialize, global trade occurs.

*Science and SS should also

include common core for
reading/writing

Writing Standard 6.6: Production and distribution of writing- Use technology, including the
internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Learning Objective(s)
Students will

Prior Academic
Knowledge and Skills

1. Students will argue why different regions will specialize for trade through discussion and
distribution of writing. (Evaluate)
2. Students will interpret why different regions specialize and trade using interactive
technology. (Apply)
-

What have you or your

mentor taught previously that
will inform what students are
learning today?

Materials & Resources

Students have used QR codes in the past and have the app downloaded on phones.
Students know the proper educational use of cell phones in the classroom.
Students have previous experience with the usage of Chromebooks, google documents
and internet in the classroom.
Students know that the choices people make have both present and future
consequences (economic decision making skills)
Students know the concepts of scarcity and the fundamental questions of economics
including what to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce.
Students know basic concepts of when countries become scarce, this leads to
specialization in certain products. This will then lead to global trade.
Basic definitions of specialization, trade, fundamental questions, scarcity, economics,
Chromebooks
QR Codes
Stations Worksheet
IPhones & Headphones
Google Docs
Twitter: www.twitter.com @Class134Econ
Interactive Map:

Middle Childhood Education

https://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g5s_u3/
Socrative: www.socrative.com Code: D1CKEE1R
Poll Everywhere: www.polleverywhere.com students will respond on:
www.PollEv.com/mollysmith512

Assessments

Describe the assessments that will be used in this lesson to monitor students mastery of the lesson objective(s). List assessments in order in which they
appear in the lesson.

Name and
number of
Assessment
A1: Poll
Everywhere

A2: Twitter
interaction

Description of assessment
Formative: Students will
answer the following
questions on their
Chromebooks to get them
thinking about trade:
Define a fair trade. What
are some examples from
your own life?
(Understand)
Formative: Students will
watch a YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=-IW8ZzY3xt8
video and will then log
into Twitter using their
google accounts. A QR
code will be presented to
take them to the page. An
initial question will be
presented and further
thoughts to keep in mind
when interacting on the
Twitter feed. Class will
tweet to @Class134Econ

Evaluation Criteria - What is the evidence (the answers) of student

learning? Specifically list evidence of learning and learning objectives.
LO1 (Analyze)

-Fair Trade- A trade that suits both of our wants and needs
-Swapping food that is wanted at the lunch table and trading valuable
Pokmon cards.
LO1 (Analyze)/ LO2 (Apply)

Middle Childhood Education

Initial question: Why do

nations trade?
(Understand)

A3: Google
Document Writers
Response

Further thoughts and

questions to interact and
answer with on the Twitter
page: Shouldn't a strong
country such as the
United States produce all
of the computers,
television sets,
automobiles, cameras,
and VCRs it wants rather
than import such products
from Japan? Why do the
Japanese and other
countries buy wheat,
corn, chemical products,
aircraft, manufactured
goods, and informational
services from the United
States? (Apply)
Formative: Students are
going to reflect on the Poll
Everywhere question they
answered at the
beginning of class. Poll
Everywhere answers will
still be presented on
board throughout class.
At the beginning of class,
you answered what fair
trade was. Based off of

@Class134Econ By trading, nations can specialize in certain products

and not be completely self-sufficient. They wont have to produce
absolutely everything if they specialize and trade.

@Class134Econ I dont think we should produce everything. Some

countries might be better at it than us. We also might be better at
some things than the other.
@Class134Econ The Japanese might rely on other countries for these
products because of the lack of resources they have for these
products in their environment. The United States may have an
abundant amount of these resources. It would make sense if Japan
traded with the U.S. in this case for these products.

LO1 (Analyze)

Middle Childhood Education

your answer, respond to

the following questions:
(Answer the questions in
paragraph form)
Why did you decide to
engage in this trade?
What did you hope to
gain? Why do you think
the other person agreed
to the trade? (Apply)
A4: Socrative:
Interactive Maps
(Transatlantic
Trade)

The trade that I reflected upon in my Poll Everywhere at the beginning

of class was swapping food at lunch. If there is something that I dont
like in my lunch, I trade with someone who likes what I have, and I like
what they have. If I have a friend who is way better at making peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches then I am, Im going to want to get a
peanut butter and jelly sandwich from them. What I mainly hoped for
from this was to get a delicious sandwich that would be way better
than what I had in my lunch. I think we came to this agreement
because I really like peanut butter and jelly, and she really liked the
chips I was willing to trade with her.
LO1 (Analyze)/ LO2 (Apply)

Formative: Students will

be provided (on the
station worksheets) the
link and QR code to The
Transatlantic Trade
interactive map.
https://www.eduplace.com
/kids/socsci/books/applica
tions/imaps/maps/g5s_u3/
Within this map, students
will be able to see what
regions specialized in
during this time. They will
also see this as a brief
introduction to the
Transatlantic Trade. As
they are completing this
interactive map with the
directions provided on
their worksheets, they will
answer the following
B. Production of a limited amount to provide productive efficiency in
questions on Socrative:
an overall system
1. What is the

Middle Childhood Education

2.

3.
4.
5.

6.

definition of
specialization in
economics?
(Understand)
What products did
the thirteen
colonies specialize
in? (Understand)
What products did
the England/Europe
specialize in?
What products did
Africa specialize in?
(Understand)
T/F. The thirteen
colonies were
completely selfsufficient.
(Understand)
Countries around
the world aren't
completely selfsufficient. We have
learned in previous
classes that scarcity
leads certain
regions to specialize
in certain products.
How then does
specialization lead
to trade? (Apply)

A. Fish, lumber, iron products

B. Iron, Teas, Spices

C. Gold, Slaves
False

Short Answer: Specialization leads to trading with different countries

because of the demand from other countries. Countries rely on each
other for these resources. By specializing, it helps the countries
become more efficient in what they are producing.

Instructional Procedures/Steps

Each portion of this section should be aligned with learning objectives. Note when you are addressing a learning objective and when enacting an assessment.

Middle Childhood Education

Opening
_____4_____
-

Minutes

Hook?
Activate prior
knowledge?
Communicate LOs?

Teacher will

Student will

Include instructional practices, questions you will ask, checks

for understanding, differentiation, evidence of culturally
responsive teaching practices.

What will students be doing?

What evidence of learning will students demonstrate?
Student-centered learning/opportunities for practice and
application.

Teacher will have the Station Worksheets in

the middle of students tables, I will have Poll
Everywhere on the projector, Chromebooks
available for students to take when they
come in, QR code for puzzle flipped over on
desks, and students will already be separated
into three stations with labeled tables.
Teacher will set up the stations by labeling
(presented on notecards at table) tables 1, 2,
and 3. The notecards on the table will also list
the students that should be sitting there.
Having students separated ahead of time will
eliminate a transition and promote efficiency.
Since Poll Everywhere will be on the
projector, I will write up on the board
directions for students to refer to as they
walk in the door. Directions on board:
1. Get your Chromebooks from the cart
2. Log in to Chromebooks and answer the
following question on
www.PollEv.com/mollysmith512
3. Discuss your answers at your table
4. Have your phones available to scan QR
Codes.

Students will take their Chromebook, and answer

the question off of the Poll Everywhere site.

A1/LO1: Poll Everywhere: Define a fair trade.

What are some examples from your own life?
(Understand) Relating a question to their
everyday lives will hook the students.
Transition: You guys came up with great
examples of fair trade. Make sure you keep in

-Fair Trade- A trade that suits both of our wants

and needs
-Swapping food that is wanted at the lunch table
and trading valuable Pokmon cards.

Middle Childhood Education

mind the answers presented on the board.

The learning objectives for today are.. oh
wait, where are they?! I need you guys to
help me figure out what they are by scanning
the QR code at your desk!

Students will scan their QR Codes with their

phones to find that there is a puzzle piece.
Students will take worksheets from middle of table
and begin at the current station they are in.

Students will only receive a puzzle piece of

their QR code

Instruction
______42____
Minutes
Procedures and steps
to the lesson.
Strategies?
Assessments?
Q & A?
Evidence of
learning?
CRP?
Planned supports?
Transitions: Identify
when you are
transitioning and how
you will make that a
smooth transition?

In order to figure out the rest, you guys will

be going through stations. After going
through each station, you will receive another
puzzle piece to the answer. There are station
worksheets in the middle of your tables. Go
ahead and take the worksheet and start at
the station you are at.
This applies for each station below- Students
will begin working at the current station they Students will work at current stations
are seated in. Each station will be timed for
14 minutes (timer on board so students can
monitor as well). On their station worksheets,
the directions are listed for each station, as
well as any links or QR codes required for
that station. They will have their
Chromebooks and headphones available at
each station. They will carry around these
worksheets to each station to reference for
directions. After each station, they will
receive another puzzle piece via QR code of
their learning objectives for the day:
A2/LO1/LO2: Station One: Students will
watch a YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW8ZzY3xt8
video and will then log into Twitter using their
google accounts. A QR code will be presented

Middle Childhood Education

to take them to the page as well as further

direction to use their headphones when
listening to the video. Prevents distraction.
An initial question will be presented and
further thoughts to keep in mind when
interacting on the Twitter feed. They will then
tweet to @Class134Econ
Initial question: Why do nations trade?
(Understand)
Further thoughts and questions to interact
and answer with on the Twitter page:
Shouldn't a strong country such as the United
States produce all of the computers,
television sets, automobiles, cameras, and
VCRs it wants rather than import such
products from Japan? Why do the Japanese
and other countries buy wheat, corn,
chemical products, aircraft, manufactured
goods, and informational services from the
United States? (Apply)

Teacher questions for further enrichment and

check for understanding at station one:
Teacher will come around to each table to
engage learners in further questions.
Why are some states in the U.S. able to
produce certain fruits all year long?
(Understand)

@Class134Econ By trading, nations can specialize

in certain products and not be completely selfsufficient. They wont have to produce absolutely
everything if they specialize and trade.
@Class134Econ I dont think we should produce
everything. Some countries might be better at it
than us. We also might be better at some things
than the other.
@Class134Econ The Japanese might rely on other
countries for these products because of the lack of
resources they have for these products in their
environment.

Because of the environment they are in. Some

states may have more suitable climates for the
fruit.
They are able to produce some things all the time,
but not every single thing.

Middle Childhood Education

Do you think the United States is able to

produce everything all year long? (Apply)
A3/LO1- Station 2: Students are going to
reflect on the Poll Everywhere question they
answered at the beginning of class.
At the beginning of class, you answered what
fair trade was. Based off of your answer,
respond to the following questions: (Answer
the questions in paragraph form) Once you
are finished, share with the teacher.
Why did you decide to engage in this trade?
What did you hope to gain? Why do you think
the other person agreed to the trade? (Apply)

Students will log onto the Google documents

account to answer the following response, and the
share it with the teacher.

The trade that I reflected upon in my Poll

Everywhere at the beginning of class was
swapping food at lunch. If there is something that I
dont like in my lunch, I trade with someone who
likes what I have, and I like what they have. If I
have a friend who is way better at making peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches then I am, Im going to
want to get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
from them. What I mainly hoped for from this was
to get a delicious sandwich that would be way
better than what I had in my lunch. I think we
came to this agreement because I really like
peanut butter and jelly, and she really liked the
chips I was willing to trade with her.

How does this connect to why countries

might trade? (Apply)

A country is going to want to trade with someone

who is really good at making that product. If their
country isnt that great at making that particular
product, they are going to want to trade with
someone who does.

Teacher questions for further enrichment and

check for understanding at station two:
Teacher will come around to each table to
engage learners in further questions.

Yes, if the United States really likes something,

Middle Childhood Education

Do you think these same strategies are used

in the real world when it comes to global
trade? How? (Apply)

they are going to want it. We see this when they

trade with places such as China.
When countries see something they really want
that they dont have, they want to trade.

What makes countries want to trade? (Apply)

A4/LO1/LO2: Station 3: Students will be
provided (on the station worksheets) the link
and QR code to The Transatlantic Trade
interactive map.
https://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/
applications/imaps/maps/g5s_u3/ Within this
map, students will be able to see what
regions specialized in during this time. They
will also see this as a brief introduction to the
Transatlantic Trade. As they are completing
this interactive map with the directions
provided on their worksheets, they will
answer the following questions on Socrative
(They will type in code: MSMITH24):
1. What is the definition of specialization
in economics? (Understand)
2. What products did the thirteen colonies
specialize in? (Understand)
3. What products did the England/Europe
specialize in?
4. What products did Africa specialize in?
(Understand)
5. T/F. The thirteen colonies were
completely self-sufficient. (Understand)
6. Countries around the world aren't
completely self-sufficient. We have
learned in previous classes that scarcity
leads certain regions to specialize in

B. Production of a limited amount to provide

productive efficiency in an overall system
A. Fish, lumber, iron products
B. Iron, Teas, Spices
C. Gold, Slaves
False
Short Answer: Specialization leads to trading with
different countries because of the demand from
other countries. Countries rely on each other for
these resources. By specializing, it helps the
countries become more efficient in what they are
producing.

Middle Childhood Education

certain products. How then does

specialization lead to trade? (Apply)
Teacher questions for further enrichment and
check for understanding at station two:
Teacher will come around to each table to
engage learners in further questions.
What lead to these regions to specialize in
these products? (Apply)

Other places were wanting and demanding the

products. The regions that are demanding the
products are scarce in what they are demanding.
Right now we are demanding electronics and foods
from other countries. Just as they demanded in the
past, we are demanding today as well.

What are the similarities we see here in

todays global trade? (Apply)
Transition: Teacher will guide students to
answer question on the board via Poll
Everywhere before coming to the living area
to discuss learning objectives.
Closure
_____4_____
-

Assess?
Wrap up?
Set-up?

Minutes

Teacher will guide students to finish the

Students will answer question via Poll Everywhere,
phrase/analogy on Poll Everywhere by
put chromebooks away, then meet in living area
scanning their QR code or typing in the link to for reveal.
www.pollev.com/mollysmith512 (Provided on
board from opening) Examples will be
provided on the screen.
The system of global trade in the world is
like (Analyze)
Once students finish the phrase/analogy,
they will put chromebooks away, leave
station sheets at desk, and meet in living
area to reveal learning objectives and discuss
essential question.

A juggler, a soccer game, etc.

Middle Childhood Education

Think Pair Share: Do you think specialization

is good or bad for a country? (Analyze)

I think it is good for a country. When we looked

through the different stations, we saw that some
places are really good at making products than
others. This provides great efficiency and good
quality products.

Teacher will ask students what their guesses

are as to what they learning objectives of the
day were:
Based off of what we learned and the clues
given, what do you think the learning
objectives are? What would fit in as the last
piece to your puzzle? (Apply)

I think one of the objectives are why countries

specialize in trade
I think one of the objectives is working with
technology to learn about scarcity and trade.

Teacher reveals learning objectives after

hearing some guesses.
Learning objective one is complete because
you, as economists, interacted with
technology to write out your answers to
certain prompts that involved scarcity and
specialization. With the technology, you were
able to complete learning objective two by
looking at different regions of the interactive
map to see why regions specialize and trade.
You saw different regions specialize, which
then lead to global trade. Great job today,
everyone.
Modifications/Acc
ommodations/Enri
chment

IEP Students: Station worksheet with main points bolded and highlighted, examples of the Poll
Everywhere question presented on board, directions listed for each station on station worksheets,
multiple ways to reach websites (QR codes and links)

Differentiation: How
will you provide

Gifted/Talented: Enrichment questions provided for students as I walk around the room to monitor

Middle Childhood Education

students with specific
learning needs
instructional support?
How will you provide
students access to
learning?

stations.

Academic
Language

Identify
Language Function: Interpret

Struggling Students: For struggling readers/writers, pictures will be provided on station worksheet
next to key terms. Station worksheet with main points bolded and highlighted. Sentence starters
on the Google document written response.

What language function

do you want students to
develop in this lesson?
What vocabulary do
students need to
support learning of the
learning objective for
this lesson?
What supports do you
have in place to assist
students with AL?

Vocabulary: Scarcity, Economics,

Specialization, Trade, Global Trade,
Fundamental Questions, Economic Choices.

Planned Supports
Language Function: Students interacting with
technology to produce written support (Google
documents, Poll Everywhere, Socrative, and
Twitter), list of steps/QR Codes/links on station
worksheets, examples provided on Poll
Everywhere and Twitter.

Vocabulary: constructing definitions of terms

through interacting with technology. Students will
be producing writing with the usage of the terms.
Handouts reinforcing the use of the terms as a
reference for direction.

Syntax or Discourse?
Syntax or Discourse? Oral and written support.
Oral support through enrichment questions and
discussions with teachers/peers. Written support
through Google documents, Twitter, Socrative, and
Poll Everywhere.

Referenced these lessons:

http://www.ccsoh.us/Downloads/Chapter15-MOG6SST.pdf

Middle Childhood Education

http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/lessons/FEOG1.htm