Brenda
Santos
A Web Quest for Economics Students
(Grade 12)
Who gets what?
Which of the two major economic systems
best
facilitates the distribution of food?
INTRODUCTION:
Who
doesn’t like to eat? Humans are certainly
a diverse bunch, with many cultural differences in addition to our personal
preferences. But one thing we all have
in common, regardless of culture or nationality, is
our love of food.
Various
economic systems aim to distribute goods and services—including food—in a
number of different ways. In this
project, you will examine two of the most debated economic systems in the
world, the centrally-planned economy and the free-market economy, to determine which is a better solution to the problem of feeding people.
TASK:
As
a group, research how the two major economic systems accomplish food
distribution and decide which system meets this goal most effectively and
efficiently. Create a Power Point
presentation that presents your research and your findings. In a slide show of at least 10 slides, your
group must do the following:
1. Define and describe the problem of hunger in the
2. Identify causes of the problem.
3. Describe and evaluate the two main economic systems
and how they distribute food.
4. Analyze the costs and benefits of each of the two main
economic systems.
5. Select the economic system that best addresses the
problem of hunger.
PROCESS:
Your group will work together
to complete the following steps. Each
group is responsible for handing in a disk containing your Power Point
presentation and a hard copy of the following:
·
Responses to the
Research Questions
·
Public Policy
Analysis
·
“Rough draft” of
your 10 Power Point slides (on paper)
In addition, your group will
share the Power Point presentation with the class and provide oral explanation
to accompany the slide show.
THE STEPS:
1.
Research the
sources listed below in order to respond to all of the following
questions. You should also refer to your
textbook and other sources.
2.
Use the Public Policy Analyst
approach to complete the steps outlined in the task, and summarized below.
·
First describe
the problem of hunger and identify at least three causes of the problem.
·
Second, describe
the two main economic systems (free-market and centrally-planned) and do a Feasibility/Effectiveness
matrix for each.
·
Third, do
Cost/Benefit analysis of each system.
·
And finally,
decide which system your group believes best facilitates the effective and
efficient distribution of food, and defend your choice.
3.
Plan the text and
graphics of your 10 slides and create a first draft of each on paper.
4.
Create a 10 slide
Power Point presentation that focuses on your research and your findings.
5.
Plan the oral
component of your presentation and be ready to present on the scheduled day.
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS:
1.
Define the
following terms:
a. market g. incentive
b. factor market h. competition
c. product market i. invisible hand
d. specialization j. collectives
e. profit k. communism
f. self-interest l. socialism
2.
How do each of
the two major economic systems answer the three key economic questions
?
·
What goods and
services should be produced?
·
How should these
goods and services be produced?
·
Who consumes
these goods and services?
3.
What is the role
of the government in each of the two major economic systems?
4.
According to Adam
Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, how do
the invisible hand of the market place and self-interest “regulate” the
free-market?
5.
Why does Adam
Smith believe that laissez-faire is the best economic policy a government can
have?
6.
According to Karl
Marx, how is the free-market system flawed?
7.
How many hunger
related deaths are there each day?
8.
What problems,
other than death, result from hunger?
9.
What is being
done by governments around the world to eradicate hunger?
10.
What is being
done by private organizations to eradicate world hunger.
RESOURCES:
In addition to your text and
other books, the following websites will be useful in completing your task.
Center for the Moral Defense of Capitalism
The Electronic Passport to
Russia and Communism
Study Guide for
the Communist Manifesto
EVALUATION WITH
RUBRIC:
Your group will be graded
based upon the following rubric.
|
|
Needs Improvement Excellent |
|
Research Do your responses to
the research questions reflect thorough, careful research? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
|
Analysis Process Does your Public
Policy Analysis reflect careful thought of the problem and analysis of the
two economic systems as solutions? |
1
2 3 4 5 |
|
Power Point Presentation Does your Power Point
presentation creatively present the required information, follow the
appropriate procedure, and compel the audience? |
1
2 3 4 5 |
|
Choosing an Economic System Have you made a convincing argument that one of the economic systems more effectively and efficiently distributes food? |
1
2 3 4 5 |
|
Group Work and Class Presentation Have you conducted
yourselves professionally during class time while doing your research and
while presenting your findings to the class? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
23-25 points A
20-22 points A-
17-20 points B
14-16 points B-
10-13 points C
5-10 points D
0-5 points F
STANDARDS
Standard 2: World History
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning
points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a
variety of perspectives.
Standard 4: Economics
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding
of how the
economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources,
how
major decision-making units function in the
national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem
through market and non-market mechanisms.
Standard 5: Civics,
Citizenship, and Government
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the
governmental
system of the
States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional
democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship,
including avenues of participation.
National English Language Arts Standards
E1c Read and comprehend information materials.
E2a Produce a report of information.
E3b Participate in group meetings.