Global Lessons. The University of Chicago Center for International Studies

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1 Global Lessons The University of Chicago Center for International Studies presents Global Lessons as part of its commitment to providing educational resources for K-12 educators. These materials offer thematic international & area studies content on topics including culture, economics, politics, history, and environmental issues. With Global Lessons, CIS aims to provide classroom materials that will not only help to expose students to global issues, but also to empower them to think critically about their role as global citizens. Understanding the Global Economy: Bringing the World Market into Your Classroom Little Farm, Big Farm A Comparison of Farming pre and post Industrial Revolution The University of Chicago Center for International Studies

2 The 2009 Summer Teacher Institute, Understanding the Global Economy: Bringing the World Market into the Classroom, was developed to provide educators with an interdisciplinary examination of how changes in the global economy are affecting countries around the world. Topics discussed ranged from the positive and negative effects of globalization on labor, social rights, agriculture and other natural resources, to how the effects of the current global financial crisis have been seen specifically in Japan, Brazil, Congo, India, China, the U.S., and the Gulf Region of the Middle East. International case studies were used to illustrate how trade has contributed to the interconnectedness of societies. The experts who spoke at the Institute come from diverse backgrounds, providing an indepth and multifaceted review of the Global Economy. Lessons were created based on speakers presentations at the Institute, and can be appropriately incorporated into a wide array of subjects taught at K-12 grade levels. The Institute was cosponsored by the University of Chicago Center for International Studies (CIS) with the Center for East Asian Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Center for East European and Russian Eurasian Studies, the South Asia Language and Area Resource Center, and the Center for Latin American Studies. The following lessons were created by Harrison Mann, 5 th grade teacher at Roosevelt Middle School, with Jamie Bender, Outreach Coordinator for the Center for International Studies at the University of Chicago. All illustrations were done by Institute participant, Dan Brinkmeier, Field Museum Associate in Anthropology and Zoology, and Environment, Culture and Conservation (ECCo) Fellow. For more information on the Center for International Studies outreach programs and to download classroom lessons developed from this Institute and resources from other events, visit:.

3 Little Farm, Big Farm -- A comparison of farming pre and post Industrial Revolution Subject: History Grade Level(s): 6-8 (All lessons can be adapted for other age groups.) Time Duration: 3-4 class periods Illinois Learning Standards Addressed: History 16.A.3b Make inferences about historical events and eras using historical maps and other historical sources. 16.C.2b (US) Explain how individuals, including John Deere, Thomas Edison, Robert McCormack, George Washington Carver and Henry Ford, contributed to economic change through ideas, inventions and entrepreneurship. 16.C.2c (US) Describe significant economic events including industrialization, immigration, the Great Depression, the shift to a service economy and the rise of technology that influenced history from the industrial development era to the present. 16.C.3a (US) Describe economic motivations that attracted Europeans and others to the Americas, E.3a (US) Describe how early settlers in Illinois and the United States adapted to, used and changed the environment prior to Economics 15.A.1a Identify advantages and disadvantages of different ways to distribute goods and services. Objectives: Students will be able to compare and contrast farms before WWII and after WWII in respect to size, crops planted, machinery, and distribution. Key Terms: Industrial Revolution a period of rapid technological advancement in Europe and North America that increased the productivity or efficiency of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and transportation, collectively leading to the industrialization of local and national economies. Some historians argue that the industrial revolution was not as sudden as its name suggests and was actually spread out over several decades, beginning in perhaps the late 18th century and continuing on into the second half of the 19 th century.

4 Globalization -- Globalization is the interaction between societies, and even individuals, around the world through the processes of trade and technology. Materials: Small Farm Products picture (Overhead A) Big Farm Products picture (Overhead B) Old Machinery picture (Overhead C) New Machinery picture (Overhead D) Old Shipping Methods picture (Overhead E) New Shipping Methods picture (Overhead F) King Corn movie directed by Aaron Woolf (not included) Small Farm vs Big Farm Worksheet Suggested: Dan Brinkmeier s (Field Museum of Natural History) presentation given at the University of Chicago, 2009 Summer Teacher Institute, Understanding the Global Economy. sources.shtml Activities and Procedures: 1. Sing the song Old McDonald Had a Farm and talk about how McDonald had a lot of things on his farm. 2. Show the Small Farm Products (Overhead A) picture and discuss/record everything your students identified on the picture. Point out that one single farmer would grow a lot of different crops and have different livestock such as chicken, pigs, and cows. Mention this was before World War II, over 60 years ago. 3. Show the Big Farm Products (Overhead B) pictures and have students discuss/record what they see. Mention this is what farms look like today. 4. Ask students what differences they notice between Overhead A and B. (This can be a discussion or a written response.) 5. Show the Old Machinery (Overhead C) picture. Draw attention to the fact that the farmer is using a plow pulled by the horse. 6. Show the New Machinery (Overhead D) picture. Draw attention to the fact that the farmer is using a larger tractor. 7. Ask students what differences they notice between Overhead C and D. (This can be a discussion or a written response.) *It is suggested that you discuss the differences in appearance and performance of the farm technology. Focus on how much more field a tractor can plow and how much faster the new machinery is compared to

5 the old machinery. The new technology makes farming a lot easier on the farmers, because they don t have to walk in the hot sun all day. The new technology also allows the farmers to be more efficient and harvest more crops in less amount of time. 8. Show the Old Shipping Methods (Overhead E) picture. Discuss how many decades ago it was that farmers would ride their carriages to the people that lived nearby. When train tracks were built, farmers could quickly and efficiently ship their crops to hundreds miles away. 9. Show the New Shipping Methods (Overhead F) picture. Discuss how farmers now use tractors to collect the corn and other food they produce. They then have trucks deliver them to barges and ships to different states, countries and continents. 10. Ask students what differences they notice between Overhead E and F. (Discussion or written response) *It is suggested that you discuss how an increase in technology has resulted in more customers for farmers. You may choose to draw attention to the comparison of numbers of customers farmers have now compared to before WWII and how much many more crops they can distribute with trucks and boats compared to before WWII. 11. Ask students which crop they think is grown most in the United States? (Corn) Ask if they know why corn is the most produced crop? (In the movie, King Corn, it explains how our government subsidizes corn for ethanol, food for livestock, and cheap ingredient for processed foods.) 12. Show the movie, King Corn. (You will need to rent or download this separately.) Assessment: Small Farm vs Big Farm Worksheet

6 Overhead A SMALL FARM PRODUCTS Pre-Industrial Revolution

7 Overhead B BIG FARM PRODUCTS Post-Industrial Revolution

8 Overhead C OLD MACHINERY Pre-Industrial Revolution The farmer is using one small plow.

9 Overhead D NEW MACHINERY Post-Industrial Revolution This farmer is using a tractor.

10 Overhead E OLD SHIPPING METHODS Pre-Industrial Revolution

11 Overhead F NEW SHIPPING METHODS Post-Industrial Revolution Name

12 Small Farm vs. Big Farm Homework 1) List three things you could find on a small farm before the Industrial Revolution. 2) What crop is grown most in the United States? 3) According to the movie, list two reasons why it is the most produced crop. 4) List two advantages of using a tractor vs. a single plow. 5) Why would it be hard for a farmer in California to send his products to a store in Minnesota before the Industrial Revolution? 6) Which body part did the King Corn say was completely made out of corn? 7) Why has it been easier for a farmer to have a lot more clients and make a lot more money post-world War II?

13 Name ANSWER KEY Small Farm vs. Big Farm Homework 1) List three things you could find on a small farm before the Industrial Revolution. Corn, beef, milk, vegetables, wheat, etc. 2) What is the most grown crop in the United States? Corn 3) According to the movie, list two reasons why it is the most produced crop. It is a much cheaper additive in processed foods than pure sugar It is an alternative to oil for automobiles Farmers feed it to their livestock to fatten them up 4) List two advantages of using a tractor vs. a single plow. Farmer doesn t have to walk around in the hot sun Tractors can plow a much greater surface area than a single plow 5) Why would it be hard for a farmer in California to send his products to a store in Minnesota before the Industrial Revolution? Not many effective modes of transportation Food would spoil by the time it got to Minnesota Communication would be hard without the internet and high speed phones 6) Which body part did the King Corn say was completely made out of corn? Hair 7) Why is it easier for a farmer to have a lot more clients and make a lot more money post-industrial Revolution? Better technology for equipment, communication, and methods of transportation.