JA Global Marketplace®
JA Global Marketplace is designed to provide practical information about the key aspects of the global economy, what makes world trade work, and how trade affects students' daily lives.
JA Global Marketplace is a series of six activities recommended for students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The average time for each activity is 45 minutes. Extended learning opportunities were developed to enhance and extend the learning of these core activities. JA Global Marketplace contains an optional CD designed as an interactive, take-home piece for students. Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed activity plans for the volunteer and materials for 32 students.
All JA programs are designed to support the skills and competencies identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. JA programs also correlate to stat standards in social studies, English, and mathematics, and to Common Core State Standards. JA Global Marketplace was purposefully developed to align with academic content areas, specifically world history, geography, and social studies.
| Pillars of Student Success | Entrepreneurship: | Financial-Literacy: | Work-Readiness: |
|---|
| Program Implementation | Program Grade-Level |
|---|---|
| Classroom-Based | Middle School |
| Program Concepts | Program Skills |
|---|---|
| Trade, Market, Domestic trade, International trade, Exports, Trade barrier, Quota, Subsidy, Embargo, Tariff, Standard, Business practices, Culture, Franchise, Global trade, Immigrate, Emigrate, Entrepreneurship, Human resources, Productivity, Technology, Exchange rates, Currency | Interpreting maps, charts, and globes, Oral and written communication, Working in groups, Gathering and organizing information, Critical reading, Persuasion, compromise, and bargaining, Analyzing points of view, Brainstorming, Critical thinking, Math calculations |
Program Sessions
Activity One: "X" Marks the Spot
Working in groups to identify imported items found throughout the classroom, students begin to recognize that trade with other countries affects their daily lives. Students understand that international trade occurs when nations want or need resources or services from other countries because they themselves cannot satisfy those needs and wants at reasonable costs.
Activity Two: You Be The Judge
Students learn that nations use several methods to increase their trade benefits. Agreements with one or more countries often are made to facilitate trade and avoid conflict.
Activity Three: Let's Make a Deal
Students work in groups to identify and understand the business practices used in other countries. Students discover that business practices vary from country to country and that understanding these practices can have a positive impact on trade.
Activity Four: People Power
Students discover how the movement of people facilitates international trade. They discuss examples of immigration and gain insight into the lives of immigrants through creative activities. They learn that economic opportunity often is the driving force behind immigration and global trade.
Activity Five: World of Words
Students discover how advances in communication and transportation have improved productivity and facilitated world trade. From moveable type to the Internet, students trace the international flow of information and its impact on world economies.
Activity Six: World of Money
To participate in international trade, businesses and individuals must be able to purchase goods and services from each other. Students will learn that countries have different currencies with different values. To purchase goods from another country, it usually is necessary to use that country's currency. Some European countries have facilitated the exchange process by adopting the euro as a common currency.