Significance of the Theme

Trade, commodities, and resources are significant because of the wide-reaching influence they have on the way the world works. Everything that we consume comes from somewhere and must be grown or produced before it is sold to consumers in stores. People often forget that the goods they buy have histories of their own. Commodities and goods have created conflict and even wars throughout history, so clearly, they are important to societies.

Locally, students can see commodities being exchanged all around them, in stores, farmers markets, or even just trading collectible cards with friends. They can also explore the local regional climate and what kind of resources are being produced around them all the time. On a national level, students should understand how regional differences in climate affect what resources an area can produce and how that impacts the culture of an area. They can also explore how within a nation, different resources from different areas are combined and traded to create other goods. Globally, students can explore the significance of international trade by asking questions such as: "What goods would the U.S. not be able to obtain without trading; what can we not produce within the U.S.?" or "What goods does the U.S. produce that other nations are interested in; what goods does the U.S. produce?" Then students can explore the concept of an equal balance of trade and what it means when two countries have an imbalance in their trading relationship.

Trade and commodities influence our every day lives, no matter where you live, and this has been the case for generations. Students can begin to think about trade, resources, and commodities and then think about the issues that can emerge surrounding these things by looking at examples throughout history and then applying what they have noticed there to a current issue or conflict surrounding resources, trade, and commodities.