Topic: United States of America – economy / Role of the United States in the global economy

Target group

8th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

XVI. Selected problems and geographic regions of North and South America: meridional extent and surface formation ... situation of indigenous people; slums in big cities; megalopolis, Silicon Valley as an example of technology

7) explains the reasons for the development of technology and its importance in the development of a knowledge‑based economy on the example of Silicon Valley.

8) using statistical data, defines the role of the United States in the global economy.

General aim of education

You will learn about the United States– the best economically developed country in the world.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• to describe the relationship between the economy of selected US states and their natural features;

• to assess the role of the United States in the global economy;

• to show Silicon Valley on a map and list the reasons for the development of the hi‑tech industry and its importance for the global economy.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Introduction

• The teacher explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

• The teacher asks the question: „What natural and non‑natural factors influence the economic development of the state?”. Introductory talk.

Realization

• The teacher gives information that the United States is the world's largest economic power. He asks students to think about what has had a decisive impact on the rapid economic development of this country..

• Using the problem method of the „Exchange of ideas”, students provide solutions that determined the economic development of the most developed country in the world. Using the board in LearningApss, they write examples on the interactive whiteboard. They confront the material found in the e‑textbook. They add content that is not on the worked out interactive board.

• The teacher informs students that the United States plays a big role in global trade. It has the largest share in imports and exports takes second place after China. The teacher asks students to find information on the most important groups of export goods in the handbook and in the Internet resources. Discussion.

• The teacher displays a table from the e‑textbook presented Gross Domestic Product of the United States, China, Japan and Germany. Data analysis. Drawing conclusions.

• The teacher asks for a search in the statistical years for information on the income from tourism and the place that the United States occupies in terms of visiting tourists. Talk.

• Work in pairs with a textbook: description of the characteristics of United States agriculture and indication the role of the United States in global agricultural production.

• The teacher indicates two people to present the issues elaborated. One student, using the North American wall map, indicates the agricultural regions and the crops characteristic of them. Another person indicates the largest industrial districts, using a map from the e‑textbook „United States. Main Districts and Industrial Centers”. It lists the most important goods manufactured in the United States that occupy a leading position in the world.

Summary

• The teacher asks students to carry out the recommended interactive exercise themselves.

Homework

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

United States of America – economy / Role of the United States in the global economy

The United States of America is the most economically developed country in the world. In 2014, it generated 22.3% of the gross world product; China is second with 13.3%. What factors led to the emergence of such powerful country and the largest economy in the world?

Geographical factors include:

• a large, conveniently located, continuous territory with access to two oceans;

• favourable climatic conditions for the development of agriculture, fertile soils, abundance of natural resources.

Social and political factors that have contributed to the development of the USA include:

• mass immigration of entrepreneurial, success‑seeking people with the right financial means and experience;

• internal unity and no threats from the outside (the United States is bordered by Canada in the north and Mexico in the south);

• great opportunities for growth supported by financial markets, exceptionally mobile workforce and strong entrepreneurial culture;

• development of scientific research, introduction of new technologies and steady economic growth practically all the time;

The industry in the United States is based on its rich natural resources. Energy‑producing raw materials are of particular importance for the economy. Bituminous (black) coal is mined in the Appalachians, south of the Great Lakes and in northern Rocky Mountains. Oil and natural gas are found in the Gulf of Mexico, California and Alaska. Metal ore deposits are extracted in the Great Lakes region and in the Rocky Mountains.

Sources: World Mineral Production 2009–2013, British Geological Survey; OICA

The United States is one of the largest food producers in the world and its main exporter. Natural conditions favor the use of 45% of the area of his great state for agricultural purposes. The distribution of crops in the United States is adapted to natural conditions. The location of the country in several climatic zones allows the cultivation of many plant species appropriate for both temperate and subtropical climate. Soil quality and climatic conditions – mainly air temperatures and annual precipitation distribution – resulted in the creation of regions of agricultural specialties in specific areas. The largest number of agricultural areas is in the eastern and central states as well as on the west coast. The most important characteristics of agriculture.

USA are:

• crop zonation and related agricultural farming method;

• agricultural commodity, i.e. production for sale on the internal market and for export;

• a high degree of mechanization in agriculture (only 1.6% of the active population work in agriculture);

• dominance of large farms (farms) with an average area of approx. 200 ha;

• high yields per hectare, eg maize 99.7 dt / ha (for comparison – in France 81.4, and in Poland 65.8);

• the impact of the state on the size of agricultural production depending on global prices and demand for agricultural products;

• introduction of modern methods of agricultural production: fertilization, drainage, plant protection, organic farming.

The United States of America is the world’s largest economic power today.

The economy of the United States of America generates more than 22% of the total gross world product. The USA plays an essential role in global trade. It is the largest country in the world by imports (12.3%) and second largest in exports (8.4%), only behind China. One of the most important groups of products exported by the United States are hi‑tech products, i.e. aircraft equipment, computers, electronic devices, pharmaceutical products, research and development equipment, chemicals and arms. These products account for 22.6% of all exports from the United States. The most important trading partners of the United States are: China, Canada, Mexico and Japan. These four countries account for as much as 50% of the overall value of American imports and exports. The high value of trade with Canada and Mexico follows from the fact that these two countries and the United States are parties to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Agreement was signed in 1994 in order to remove trade barriers between the three largest countries of North America.
The United States is also the country that invests the most money abroad. In 2013, almost 30% of all international investments in the world were made by the USA. Trade in services is also of major importance for developed countries – and the United States is the largest importer and exporter of services in the world.

Source: International Monetary Fund

• The distribution of industry over the territory of the United States is uneven. Old industrial centres and regions are concentrated in the so‑called Manufacturing Belt spreading across the north‑eastern part of the country. The last few decades have also seen rapid growth of industrial centres in the Pacific Coast and in the south of the country.

• For several dozen years, the US industry has been characterised by rapid development of hi‑tech sectors: electronics, information technology, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, arms. Tech hubs play an important role in the country’s economy.