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The Wealth of Nations

For teachers only
The apple icon indicates text for teachers only.
As of December 2008, The Wealth of Nations (Module 13) has been revised. If you’re using the © 2008 Teacher and Student Guides or the © 2008 PDF versions of the Teacher and Student Guides, you’re all set. If you’re using older versions of either guide, you have several options:


If you’re using the © 2005 Teacher and Student Guides:

If you’re using the © 2008 Teacher Guide and the © 2005 Student Guide:

If you’re using the © 2005 Teacher Guide and the © 2008 Student Guide:

  • The revised teacher and student pages are listed and available here, where you can download and print them for classroom use.
  • The revised student pages are also available here.
  • You can also find the revised student pages at point of use in the Module Resources below, highlighted in gray.
  • The revised student pages are available here.
  • You can also find the revised student pages at point of use in the Module Resources below, highlighted in gray.
The revised teacher pages are available here.


* Text highlighted in gray links to pages from the © 2008 Student and Teacher Guides.

ACTIVITY 1: Creating Wealth
Clean Water Tech Case Study Student Guide pages 5–6
Clean Water Tech Project Guidelines Student Guide pages 7–9
Teacher Information: Mystery Nations Revealed Teacher Guide pages T 32–T 33
SESSION 1
Before You Teach
MYSTERY NATIONS REVEALED
For teachers only
Read Teacher Information: Mystery Nations Revealed on pages T 32–T 33.
SESSIONS 2 AND 3
WATER AND ECONOMICS
Water and Economics Student Guide pages 10–11
CLEANWATER TECH COUNTRY RESEARCH Clean Water Tech
Begin researching your CleanWater Tech project country. Use the resources below to begin developing a country description and to research water usage issues and concerns in your country. Work with your CleanWater Tech project team to complete Parts 1A and 1B of the CleanWater Tech Project Guidelines.
CIA World Factbook, United States
Infoplease.com, Countries of the World
UNICEF, Information by Country
U.S. Department of State, Country Background Notes
World Bank, Countries and Regions
World Bank, DEPweb: Access to Safe Water Data

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ACTIVITY 2: Measuring Economic Well-Being
SESSION 6
Before You Teach
For teachers only
Preview the video.
THE GUAVA JELLY PROJECT

For teachers only
Play the video Is the Time Ripe for Guava? to introduce the Guava Jelly project that students will work on in this activity.
The Power of Ten Teacher Guide page T 39
SESSION 7
Before You Teach
THE POWER OF TEN
For teachers only
Preview Teacher Information: Consumer Price Index Problems (with Answers) on pages T 45–T 46.
SESSION 8
THE REAL DEAL
To get a better handle on the differences between nominal and real GDP, research changes in these two measures over time in the United States for your Guava Jelly project. Use the links provided below as a starting point for your research. Analyze what the data tell you about the differences between nominal and real GDP and the importance of these differences when measuring the well-being of a country’s economy. Share your findings with the class.

Web Resources
SESSION 9
The Unemployment Line Student Guide pages 31–32
THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE
Report on Unemployment Student Guide page 33
REPORT ON UNEMPLOYMENT
Research the unemployment rate in the United States for your Guava Jelly project. You’ll need to write a description of the national unemployment rate, trends in U.S. unemployment data over the past year, and the impact of unemployment on the U.S. economy. Use the links provided below as a starting point for your research.

Web Resources
U.S. Department of Labor, BLS: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
The White House, Economic Statistics Briefing Room: Employment
NCEE's EconEDLink

SESSION 10
FORECASTING THE ECONOMIC WEATHER
It’s time to finish your Guava Jelly project. Use the Web resources provided to gather any data you still need to collect about the current state of GDP, inflation, real GDP, and unemployment for the U.S. economy. Be prepared to share your findings and recommendation with the class.

Web Resources
CIA World Factbook, United States
UN Human Development Report Country Information
U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Economic Accounts: GDP
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Indexes
Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
The White House, Economic Statistics Briefing Room
NCEE's EconEDLink
SESSION 11
COUNTRY RESEARCH: ECONOMIC INDICATORS
Clean Water Tech
Work with your CleanWater Tech project team to start gathering the data outlined in Part 2A of the CleanWater Tech Project Guidelines. Research economic indicators for your CleanWater Tech project country, using the links provided below as a starting point for your research.

Web Resources
CIA World Factbook>
Infoplease.com, Countries of the World
UN Human Development Report Country Information
U.S. Department of State, Background Notes
World Bank, Countries and Regions
EXTENSION 2.1
How does the unemployment rate in your community compare to the national rate? Research and compare national unemployment data for the past 10 years to unemployment data in your community. Use the links provided below to answer the questions in the Student Guide.
Web Resources

U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder: Fact Sheet
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment
Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
Table 1. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and metropolitan area
The White House, Economic Statistics Briefing Room: Employment

EXTENSION 2.2
How does the U.S. government determine statistics on national trends, such as unemployment? Research the sampling methods used to determine unemployment levels in the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey, using the links provided below. Write a summary comparing the two statistical methods and explain the advantages of each.

Web Resources
U.S. Dept. of Labor, BLS: How the Government Measures Unemployment
U.S. Dept. of Labor, BLS: Current Population Survey Home Page
U.S. Census Bureau: Census 2000 Basics
U.S. Census Bureau: Employment Status: 2000
EXTENSION 2.3
Write a proposal for Audrey Cooper to convince her to expand her guava jelly business into a community in your area. Research the economic indicators of several local communities and choose one that would be a good host for the expansion. Use the links provided below as a starting point for your research. In your proposal, explain why you chose that community, based on your findings about the community’s economic indicators.

Web Resources
U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder: Fact Sheet
U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Gross State Product
U.S. Dept. of Labor, BLS: Consumer Price Indexes
U.S. Dept. of Labor, BLS: Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment
U.S. Dept. of Labor, BLS: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
Table 1. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and metropolitan area

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ACTIVITY 3: The Human Factor
Standard of Living Comparison Teacher Guide pages T 51–T 53
SESSION 12 AND 13
Before You Teach
For teachers only
  • Post RM 3.1 Standard of Living Comparison: Country Profiles throughout the room. Cover the information below “Unemployment rate” on each country profile with an opaque sheet of paper.
  • Remove the six color photographs from the back of this Teacher Guide. Refer to Teacher Information: Standard of Living Photographs on page T 57 to match each photograph to its corresponding country. Post each photograph alongside its country profile. Cover the photographs with an opaque sheet of paper or turn them around. Reveal the photographs just before beginning Round 4.

STANDARD OF LIVING COMPARISON
For teachers onlyMaterial World Photos Online
A Contrast in Investments Teacher Guide page T 54
Human Capital Student Guide page 41–42
SESSION 12 AND 13
A CONTRAST IN INVESTMENTS
Read Human Capital and answer the Questions for Reflection. Using the links provided below, conduct research to contrast Haiti and Venezuela in terms of their investment in human capital. Refer to data from your research to answer the following questions:
  1. What is the average income per person in each country?
  2. How do the countries differ in their approaches to health care?
  3. In which country is life expectancy highest?
  4. In which country is infant mortality lowest?
  5. Which country invests more in children? In health care? In education?
Web Resources
CIA World Factbook
Infoplease.com, Countries of the World
Pan American Health Organization
UNICEF, Information by Country
U.S. Department of State, Background Notes
World Bank, Countries and Regions
World Bank, DEPweb: Basic Data Tables
World Health Organization, Countries

DID YOU KNOW?

Click the links below to see an example of how GIS can be used to visualize economic and social indicators. The sample GIS map compares poverty data in the Chicago area with data on low-performing schools. You might also try out interactive maps that allow you to plot and layer data yourself. Link to sites with interactive maps below.

Chicago Areas of Poverty and Poor Schools This image was created by volunteers working with the Tutor/Mentor Connection, Chicago, IL.
National Atlas of the United States
U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder, Thematic Maps
SESSION 14 AND 15
RESEARCH EFFECTS OF POPULATION TRENDS

Research the effect of one of the following population trends in the United States, using the links provided as a starting point:

  • Growing world population
  • Uneven distribution of income
  • Population shift to urban areas
  • Eradication or spread of diseases

With your Trends team, answer the questions in the Student Guide.

SESSION 16
COUNTRY RESEARCH: HUMAN FACTORS
Clean Water Tech
Work with your CleanWater Tech project team to research the data outlined in Part 2B of the CleanWater Tech Project Guidelines. Gather information about your CleanWater Tech project country’s human capital, using the links provided below as a starting point for your research. Predict whether there will be a skilled workforce in place in order to help CleanWater Tech make its decision about expanding into your project country.

Web Resources
CIA World Factbook
Infoplease.com, Countries of the World
UNICEF, Information by Country
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Population Division
United Nations Human Development Report Country Information
United Nations Population Fund
U.S. Department of State, Background Notes
World Bank, Countries and Regions
World Bank, DEPweb: Access to Safe Water Data
World Bank, DEPweb: Basic Data Tables
World Bank, DEPweb: Map Gallery
World Health Organization: Countries
EXTENSION 3.1
Research standard of living indicators, such as life expectancy, infant mortality rate, access to services, education level, and average income, in your community. Use the links provided below as a starting point for your research. What do these data tell you about the economy of your community? Create a human factors profile of your community.

Web Resources

National Center for Health Statistics, FASTATS: Map
U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder: Fact Sheet
U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder: People

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ACTIVITY 4: Accounting for the Future
SESSION 18
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS STAKEHOLDERS
For teachers only
TIP: If time allows, you may want students to conduct additional research on ecotourism or the Galapagos Islands, either in class or for homework, in order to make the debate more substantive. Additional resources about ecotourism and the Galapagos Islands are available here.
TEACHER INFORMATION: CHANGES IN INCOME IN SALMON BAY
For teachers only
A sample spreadsheet and graphs of pre- and post-oil-spill incomes are available. Using their own graphs, students answer the questions on page 57 in the Student Guide regarding the effect of the oil spill on the community’s economy.
Teacher Information: Changes in Income Teacher Guide pages T 68–T 70
SESSION 20
Before You Teach
ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY
For teachers only
  • Read Teacher Information: Changes in Income in Salmon Bay on pages T 68–T 70.
  • Cut one copy of RM 4.2 Oil Spill Action Cards into separate cards.

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ACTIVITY 5: Alternative Indicators
In The News Student Guide pages 63–64
SESSION 23
IN THE NEWS
In your News team, use the resources below to research and analyze the topic described in your assigned headline. You will give a presentation in the style of a television news report about that country’s economic success or failure. Each news story should include the following information:
  • A brief description of any significant events occurring in that country during the time of the report (This will help provide a context for the news story.)
  • An analysis of the political or social factors that contributed to a change in the country’s economy, and a brief description of what that change was
Use the News Story Assessment as a guideline for what to include in your presentation.

Web Resources

In the News: Piracy Still Runs Rampant in China (1994–2005)

2005 Global Software Piracy Report
Pirated Goods Swamp China
NY Times: Piracy of DVDs

In The News: World is Stunned at Japan's Miracle Economic Recovery as Japan Hosts Summer Olympics! (1953–1964)

Nationmaster Encyclopedia: History of Japan-Post-occupation era
Japan Digest: Learning from the Japanese Economy

In The News: A Call to Divest (South Africa)! (1977–1988)

Facing the Truth
South African History

In The News: Corruption Blamed for Post-Soviet Economic Decline (1991–2001)

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Why Has Russia's Economic Transformation Been So Arduous?
Frontline World: Rich in Russia

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ACTIVITY 6: Business Decisions
Lessons From Disney Student Guide page 76
LESSONS FROM DISNEY
SESSION 28 AND 29
Before You Teach
CLEANWATER TECH RECOMMENDATIONS PRESENTATIONS
For teachers only
  • Review the CleanWater Tech Project Guidelines on pages 7–9 in the Student Guide.
  • Check with teams about technology they will need for their presentations. (If anyone needs a computer with a specific application, make sure that it will be available before students begin their presentation planning.)
  • Confirm visits from invited guests who will act as CleanWater Tech representatives. (Ideally, each invitee will attend at least one of the two presentation sessions.)

No student module resources for this activity.

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SKILL RESOURCES

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2/04/09