Understanding Global Interdependence
Lesson Objectives:
- To understand what is meant by global interdependance.
- To explore the advantages and challanges caused by global interdependace.
- To begin to understand and evaluate possible solutions to the challenges of global interdependance.
Starter Task: As the young people walk in, ask them to consider and write down ideas considering the question posed on the board. (3 minutes)
Ask for feedback from the class. (3 minutes)
Task One: Tell the young people that they are now going to watch this short clip to understand the jouney that tea has taken to get to out favourite mug at breakfast time. (3 minutes)
Mont B (2011)
Explain to the class, that this clip showed many different jobs and countries that need to be involved so that we can have tea. Make the young people aware that this would also be the same for sugar on their breakfast cereal, the making of bread for toast, fuel for transport (Primary Commodities) etc. (2 minutes)
Task Two: Tell the young people that they need to read and discuss the follwing statements concerning global interdependance on their table. They then need to write down their own defintion and justifications of what they think global interdependence is about. (5-10 minutes)
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Gain feedback from the young people on their thoughts and definitions. (3 minutes)
Task Three: Give each table a card sort, and ask them to group the cards into advantages and disadvantages of global interdependence. Then they must copy them in their book, either drawing a table or using the the table provided ( on the second page of the document). (10 minutes)
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Task Four: Show the following clip hylighting the negative effects of global interdependence. (3 Minutes)
CNN (2013)
Task Five: Ask the young people if they would like to share any thoughts, feelings, comments or questions about the clip they have just watched. How does it make them feel ? Ask the young people why they think this is allowed to happen ? Why are their such big inequalities in the world ? (5 - 8 minutes)
Task Six: Pose the question to young people as to how and why these inequalities are able to take place. Then show the follwing clip. (3 minutes)
Obtain feedback from the class (5 minutes)
Task Seven: Explain to the young people the role that International Organistations have in Globalisation ( World Trade Organisation (WTO) World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Reinforce the idea to the young people that repesentatives from all member countries are allowed to have a say, however the richer countries tend to overide other countries because they can offer more money. The richer countries will therefore be able to put thier trading interersts at the for front. However, could richer countries have the power to change trading patterns, and the impacts from poorer countries? (5- 10 minutes)
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Task Eight: Tell the young people that they have (2 minutes) to discuss on their tables what things they, the goverement or these organistaions could do to overcome these challenges of global interdependence. Feeback.
Task Nine: Make a list of the key roles of fair trade and ethical trade, and discuss with the young poeple different areas of the website.
Plenary Task: Ask the young people to stand up. Pose the question as to whether they feel global interdependence is postive or negative, and let them move to one side of the room or the other. Challenge a few young people on their opinions. (5 minutes)
Homework Task: Ask the young people to research further into one particular fair trade/ethical trade product, clothing, banannas, chocolate etc ready to discuss with the rest of the class next lesson. This work can be presented as a list of bullet points, a mind map or an annotated print out.