International Trade
Guiding Questions
- What are the benefits of free trade?
- What are the benefits of protectionism?
- What factors influence development of trade policy?
Objectives
- Students will evaluate benefits and drawbacks of free trade.
- Students will consider moral dilemmas related to free trade.
Student Handouts
Educator Resources
- Marketplace
- Free trade
- Protectionism
- Sanctions
Have students read the International Trade Essay.
Ask students to name some products that they regularly buy that are made outside of the United States. What are the results for the U.S. of these buying practices?
Distribute Handout A: International Trade Graphic Organizer and have students work in small groups to fill in the table and answer the questions at the bottom.
Conduct a whole-class discussion of the essay and graphic organizer. Invite students to share the questions they are curious about.
The concluding paragraph includes this sentence: “Always remember the power you hold as a consumer.” How can you use your power as a consumer to support companies whose business model you approve of?
Have students do some research to find the answers to the questions they wrote on the table.