Week 1 (What do we trade?)

Today we are going to learn about what trade is and how trade is conducted around the world.

Have you ever played a trading card game like Happy Families, Match Attax or Pokemon (without the battling game)? You swap one thing for another - but you wouldn't swap a player like Cristiano Ronaldo for a player who hasn't scored as many goals or won as many trophies - they aren't necessary valued the same.

 

What is world trade? Write down what you think this is.

 

Next - read the first six slides of the Powerpoint presentation below.

Then - have a go at the UK Imports and Exports activity sheet below (you don't need to do the trading game activity on the Powerpoint - we have another one you could do below).

 

Then - have a read of the Cocoa Trading Chain document, which describes the role each part plays in producing a chocolate bar.  Each role in the chain receives a share of the money for each chocolate bar sold. You have to guess how much share of each £1 goes to each role in the chain. Consider carefully what you think they deserve.

 

Then you can read the Chocolate Trade Game Introductory activities document and find out how you did. 

 

As an extension task you could use the world map attached to plot where all the cocoa producing countries are and then plot where all the chocolate producing countries are on the map. What do you notice?

What have you learnt about world trade? Is it fair?

 

Is there one part of the world that is not as rich? Why?

Which part of the cocoa chain receives more money? Why? Is this fair?

 

Post your conclusions on the blog.