Student Activity 3

Essential Questions

How does specialization affect production?

Background

It is more effective to produce goods by breaking down the production into actual tasks and assigning individuals to complete these tasks. By using this method, higher quality goods can be produced.

Specialized tasks of bridge building

Strategies

Strategy 1

Thinking Skills: Procedural Knowledge

• Have the students scan the following recipes. Guide the discussion to the kinds of resources needed to make each of these recipes by asking the following questions:
  1. What kind of resources do the items in the recipes represent?
  2. Why are they necessary to produce a quality product?
  3. What might happen if we substituted other items for those listed in the recipes?
  4. What other resources are needed to produce the product?
  5. Who will make the products?
  6. Who will buy the food needed for the recipes?
• Have students review the directions for construction of a recipe book. Divide the class into cooperative groups and have them brainstorm the best way to produce a recipe book. Provide them with the recipes and the directions for completing the book.
• Allow time for each group to put together the recipe book. Monitor the process to be sure each group is constructing a quality product (Quality Control) and is following the directions for constructing the book.
• Talk about the completed products. Ask each group what the process was for constructing the recipe book. Have the groups that produced the most booklets talk about how they were able to do produce more. Lead the discussion to a reflection on the following questions?

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Strategy 2

Link to Literature

• Use the following book to initiate a discussion of resources needed to produce a product: The Goat in the Rug, Charles L. Blood and Martin Link

  Use the following questions to guide the discussion:

  • What is the product that is being produced?
  • What are the resources Glenmae needs to produce the rug?
  • Put the questions on the board or on chart paper for later use.

  Divide the class into small groups. Have the groups first discuss what the different types of resources are. Have them give examples of each.

  Distribute a set of cards to each group with the resources from the story printed on them. Provide each group with a large piece of chart paper divided into three sections: natural, human, and capital. Have the groups cooperatively sort the cards to fit the three categories. Have them fill in the chart and display it on the wall. Discuss the completed charts and assess them for accuracy.

  Printable Student View

  Resources Needed to Produce a Rug

  NATURAL	HUMAN	CAPITAL

  Have the students re-read the story looking for the various tasks needed to produce the rug.

  • Ask them to record each task on a separate card.
  • Have them arrange the cards in the proper sequence.
  • Have the groups share their sequence of tasks and initiate a discussion to have the total class come to consensus on the correct sequence.
  Construct a bulletin board display using pictures to illustrate this sequence of events. Use the bulletin board to initiate a discussion of the production process. Ask the following questions:
  • How could the production process be improved to promote the production of more then one rug?
  • Would more rugs be produced in the same amount of time if tasks were shared by other people?

  Check for Understanding

  • A rug company saw the beautiful rug that Glenmae made and asked her to make 50 more of them to sell in their store by the next month. Write a letter to Glenmae explaining what she will need to do in order to have the rugs ready for delivery.