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This
site offered many intersting links. I was
especially interested in the Market-Weather
Summary. This brief article really brought forth
the idea of a world economy. Many of my students
would believe that the sale of wheat in Canada
could not have a significant impact on a farmer
in the U.S. The mention of China, India, etc...
really brings the point home that we can no
longer afford to disregard the impact of other
nations on the American economy. Since I teach
special education social studies, this would be
a relevant point of consideration. Of course the
maps offer valuable information as well. For
example, students could apply information about
examining maps, reading legends, graphing data
over time (precipitation, temperature,
etc...)Students could also be asked to consider
the effects of the long term, 90 day, forecast
on farming and other businesses. How would
colder or warmer than average temperatures or
higher or lower than average rainfall in the
spring months affect farmers? (i.e., type of
seed to purchase, fertilizer needed,
insecticides needed, when to plant, what to
plant for the year, etc..) Would those factors
have an effect on farm suppliers? (i.e., what
stock to order in, what amounts of certain
products, items to emphasize in product line,
etc...) Why? There would also certainly be a
strong basis for a discussion of "ripple" effect
economics. Of course, I am considering a
somewhat narrow basis of instruction, but that
usually works best with my student population.
Beginning with what appears to be a fairly
"simple" problem and slowly expanding to include
broader considerations helps them to better
comprehend the issues.
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