Social Studies, Special Topic: Mercantilism

Standards Met: Standard (RH.9-10.2) Determine the central ideas of information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text; Standard (RH.9-10.3) Analyze in detail a series of events described in the text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them; Standard (RH.9-10.5) Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis; Standard (RH.9-10.10) By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9-10 complexity band independently and proficiently.Big Ideas:trade, manufacturing, raw materials and finished goods,imperialism, colonies, economic systems, political systems, markets, shipping. This lesson aims to assist students in developing their own understanding of mercantilist economic theory and policy.This lesson activates prior knowledge ofthe commercial, political and social elements of trade, colonies, raw materials and finished goods, supply and demand, wealth accumulation. Students will be able toparticipate to the outer limits of their knowledge of economic theory and practice in a teacher-designed guided inquiry that employs heuristic reading to foster and reinforce students’ own understanding of mercantilist economic systems that elicits questioning, discussion, and note-taking, the latter of which will be accomplished by way of teacher-authored worksheet that is engineered expressly for struggling and alienated students.
Classroom Aim: What is mercantilism? How does a mercantilist economic system function? Who is at a disadvantage in a mercantilist economic system? Why? What are the political implications and consequences of mercantilism?
Do Now:Focus on One Word: 1.Commodity; 2.Barrier; 3.Tariff
Class Work:Guided inquiry, by way of heuristic reading, into mercantilism as both an economic theory and system, as well as a political and social phenomenon.
Independent Practice:Section III, Additional Facts, Questions A-B.

Methods and Materials: The gravamen of this lesson is based on a one-page reading from The Intellectual Devotional American History which explains the economic theory and practice of mercantilism, as well as its political and social motivation and consequence. Moreover, this lesson is part of two that are bound by their conceptual opposition, for the other lesson that accompanies this one is on laissez-faire. Students will begin by defining eight key vocabulary words on a teacher-authored worksheet that accompanies the readings. Students will proceed to the reading, and will answer eight questions about the text, which will lead them to an appropriately fundamental understanding of mercantilism. There are three context clues worksheet that open each day of work on this lesson, as delineated in the Do Now box above.

This lesson is designed to meet the needs of alienated students who may or may not be dealing with impediments to learning, including low levels of reading ability, attention deficits, executive function weakness, or a variety of other behavioral and cognitive struggles. Therefore, this lesson may have as many as four different versions of its reading, edited for students’ reading ability. While this lesson addresses a concept from the social studies curriculum, its primary focus is on enhancing students’ overall literacy and facility with language.

Need for Lesson: SS SPCL TPC MRCNTLSM*lp ;SS SPCL TPC MRCNTLSM*dn1;SS SPCL TPC MRCNTLSM*dn2; SS SPCL TPC MRCNTLSM*dn3; SS SPCL TPC MRCNTLSM*rd SS SPCL TPC MRCNTLSM*ws

Key Points and Connections:

  • Ask students if they can imagine what the political consequences of mercantilism, would be—especially in the colony being exploited.
  • Ask students if they can imagine how colonists reacted to mercantilist trade policy.

Essential Questions:

  • What is trade? What is fair trade? What is free trade?
  • What is a market? What is a free market?
  • Cui bono? Who benefits from a mercantilist economic system?
  • Who, then, is at a disadvantage in a mercantilist economic system?
  • What are the potential or real political problems and risks of a mercantilist economic system?

Next Lesson:Social Studies, Special Topic Lesson, Laissez-Faire