The Geography of Commerce
Lessons and
Suggested Activities for
High School
Virginia
Standard(s) Of Learning
- 10.1
- The student will
use maps, globes, photographs, and pictures to analyze the physical and
human landscapes of the world in order to apply the concept of scale,
orientation, latitude and longitude
- 10.3
- The student will
explain how technological advances have led to increasing interaction
among regions
- 10.6
- The student will
analyze past and present trends in human migration and cultural interaction
as they are influenced by social. economic, political, and environmental
factors
- 10.9
- The student will
identify natural, human, and capital resources, describe their distribution,
and explain their significance in terms of location of contemporary and
selected historical economic and land use regions
- 10.12
- The student will
analyze the patterns and networks of economic interdependence, with emphasis
on formation of multi national economic unions, international trade, and
the theory of competitive advantage, in terms of job specialization, competition
for resources, and access to labor, technology, transportation, and communications
- 12.15
- The student will
analyze the United States market economy, in terms of relationships to
the global economy
Goal
Analyze
Virginia's participation in the world economic community
Objectives
The student will investigate ways that the map, "Virginia in the World: The
Geography of Commerce" represents patterns of trade
The student will be able to describe the linkages between Virginia and the
world
The student will assess the advantages and disadvantages of Virginia's location
for trade with the world
The student will suggest reasons for Virginia's trade with other regions and
countries
The student will be able to identify routes, measure distances and describe
trade patterns depicted on the map
The student will describe relationships between the volume of trade and the
relative distances to Virginia
Materials
needed
- "Virginia in
the World: The Geography of Commerce" (World Map)
- Reference materials--Almanac,
dictionary, atlas, etc
- Poster board
or butcher paper
- Markers
Time
Needed
Three
to five(3-5) class periods (will vary with teacher variations)
Procedures
Activity One: Map Investigation(s)
Ask students to study the map and answer the following questions:
- How is Virginia
shown on the map? (Blue lines w/dotted lines connected to Virginia)
- What do the gray
lines represent? (Amount of Va. exports in billions of dollars)
Teacher note: Gray lines do not indicate routes, only the value
of exports.
- Describe the
route taken for Va. exports to East Asia. (Air; ship through the Panama
Canal)
- What is the approximate
amount of Va. exports that pass through the Panama Canal? ($2.75 billion)
- What is the value
of Virginia's trade with the Caribbean? ($ .2 billion)
Teacher note: point out that the wide gray bar going west from
the bottom of the blue bar representing Virginia's exports actually passes
through the Panama and does not end in the Caribbean
- How do the gray
lines differ? (By destination and width--representing dollar value)
Activity
Two: Distances and Values
Ask students to study the map and answer the following questions:
- What two regions(indicated
by colors) are Virginia's major trading partners? (Europe and East Asia)
- Which European
country buys the most(i.e. by value) from Virginia? (Belgium $1.37 billion)
- Which East Asian
country buys the most (i.e. by value) from Virginia? (Japan $1.25 billion)
- What are the
approximate distances from Virginia to Belgium? To Japan?
Teacher note: This map is a graphic representation to show exports
and not a scaled map. Use a world map with an accurate scale.
- Describe the
relationship between the amount of exports(value) and the distance for
the Belgium and Japan example. (Generally, the greater the distance the
less we export)
- Is this true
in all cases? (No)
- Give examples
that show that it is not true. (Africa, Caribbean, South America)
Activity
Three: Virginia's Imports
Prepare students for the activity by asking students questions similar to
the following:
- What do you
own that was not made in Virginia? In the United States?
- What is the
most distant place that Virginia sells or exports products?
- How do you
measure distance? Miles? Travel time?
- Students should
map a list of five items in their household that were made outside the
United States. (Automobile, electronics, non electronic toy, clothing,
chemical)
- The next day in
class have the students identify the regions of origin for each item from
their lists. Regions are defined on the map by color.
- Have students
compile their information in a chart similar to the following. Display
the information on a chalkboard, transparency, butcher paper, etc.
| |
Automobiles
(By Type) |
Non
Electronic
Toys |
Electronics |
Clothing |
Chemicals |
| Central America
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| South America
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| Europe & N.Eurasia
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| Africa |
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| Middle East |
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| East Asia |
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| South Asia |
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| Southeast Asia |
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Australia &
New Zealand |
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| U.S. & Canada |
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- Ask students to
make observations based on information from the chart (e.g. most of the
electronics come from East Asia, etc)
- Ask the students
to discuss the validity of their observations.
- As a class, compare
the findings with the data shown in the the graph "Waterborne U.S. Imports
Into Virginia"
- Have students
discuss the transportation routes for goods imported to Virginia using
the "Major International Air and Sea Routes to and from Virginia" map.
Then have them use the "Transportation Links" graphic to identify the
possible routes for imports to reach the students home region.
- Ask students to
state the relationships between the value of Virginia's exports and imports
for selected trading partners. Data to support this activity is provided
in the "Waterborne U.S. Imports Into Virginia" graph.
Activity
Four: Regional Research and Presentation
Divide the class into cooperative learning groups and assign each group a
region (See colored regions on the map.
Responsibilities
for each group:
- Identify the countries
in each region
-
Identify
the ports of call .
Teacher note: Which ports are also major cities?
-
List
exports from Virginia to the region
-
Describe
the foreign affiliated businesses located in Virginia from this region
Teacher note: data are available at Virginia
Geographic Alliance web site at: www.runet.edu/~geog-web/alliance/vga.html.
-
Find
the percentage of tourism to Virginia from the region determine the distance,
both air and sea, from Virginia to a major foreign port of call. Have
students use a variety of geographic resources to construct a regional
profile with the following kinds of information:
- cultural:
language, religion, food preferences, customs.
- physical:
land and water features
- economic:
total GDP and GNP-GNP per capita
- demographic:
literacy rates, life expectancy, median age, etc
- primary products:
agricultural and industrial
-
Analyze how these factors affect commerce between Virginia and the region
(factors can promote or inhibit commerce).
-
Create
a poster to serve as a promotional advertisement that highlights the region's
economic assets
-
Have
students make a persuasive presentation to the class
Teacher note: Class is to role play the Virginia Economic Development
Partnership and Virginia Tourism Corporation to promote increased interdependence
between Virginia and the region
Evaluation
Instruct
students to use the information from their regional research to construct
a written response to the following question: "Describe future trade relations
between Virginia and the region"
Extending
the Lesson
Research the ports of call for Virginia exports using reference sources and
the internet. Why does Virginia export to many distant place? What types of
industries are located near these ports? Have
students write diary entries from the point of view of a merchant marine.
Begin the trip in Virginia and detail the trip to one or two ports of call.
Have
students create a cartogram relating the size of each region to the dollar
value of Virginia's exports to a region
Have
students participate in a barter economy simulation. Each region researches
what they produce(export) and could trade to for Virginia products. One group
would play Virginia and then the class would have a competitive auction to
receive a certain Virginia commodity ( e.g. 5 million tons of coal)
Research
how a canal works (with locks). Describe the role of canals in Virginia's
trade with the rest of the world. Compare the alternative route if the canal
were not present. How and why are canals outdated and ineffective in many
regions.
Research
modern shipping-cargo ships, cargo handling, speed of travel, cost per day/mile,
compare costs with land and air transport.
Research
the types of governments of selected trading partners of Virginia. Is there
a relationship between the type of government and amount of trade?
Compare
Virginia's top exports with regional stocks listed in the business section
of the newspaper. Speculate on which companies may trade Virginia produced
commodities
Explain
the historical connection which may explain the number of foreign affiliated
businesses in Virginia. What are the effects of historical events on foreign
trade?
Contact
a local business that is foreign affiliated or that exports/imports with businesses
outside the U.S.
Request
business statistics and/or speakers.
Contact
the Virginia Council on Economic Education
Contact
a local Extension Agent. Ask the agent to discuss Virginia's agricultural
exports.
Tour
the Port Authority in Hampton Roads. Write for information on modern shipping
methods, coal handling,, etc
Obtain
a list of foreign affiliated companies in your area or for Virginia. Chart
or map the affiliated countries by location(city and county) in Virginia as
well as their home country.
Visit
the Virginia Geographic Alliance web page to obtain
further resources.
Lessons
developed by:
- Georgeanne Hribar,
Ocean Lakes High School, Virginia Beach City Schools
- Bert Millburn,
Patrick Henry High School, Roanoke City Schools
- Judith Painter,
William Fleming High School, Roanoke City Schools
