Is Globalization Good or Bad?
Driving Question: What are the benefits and challenges of globalization?
Our world is more connected than ever, but not everyone experiences those connections the same way. Dive into real-world examples that show how globalization creates both opportunity and inequality.
Learning Objectives
- Use evidence to compare the relative benefits and drawbacks of globalization for different groups of people.
- Create arguments using historical evidence to support claims and communicate conclusions through informal writing.
Opener: Is Globalization Good or Bad?
Looking for additional approaches for teaching vocabulary. Check out the OER Project Vocabulary Guide.
Understanding globalization requires us to revisit some familiar terms while learning some fresh ones at the same time. This matching activity will help you connect the old with the new.
Webs of Globlization
Curious to see images of how this activity looks in the classroom? Read the Community Forum thread, Our Interconnected World – Small Class Size?? for some photos of how this yarn activity is woven into the classroom.
Globalization has knit our world together in ways that affect how we live, work, and connect. Reading about it is one thing, but seeing it is another! Explore the concept of globalization through movement, visuals, and reflection to better understand how our world is deeply interconnected.
Globalization: Good or Bad?
I addition to thinking about the upsides and downsides of globalization, you might also want to consider the Future of globalization.
Is globalization helping or hurting the world? In this part of the lesson, you’ll explore both sides by watching a video on its benefits, and then reading about the challenges it creates for people, places, and economies.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- What is globalization?
- Why has global trade increased in recent decades?
- What are some benefits of globalization?
- How does your T-shirt show the impact of globalization?
- What major changes has globalization brought to the world?
After you watch
Respond to these questions: Do you think the benefits of globalization are worth the cost? How might your answer change depending on where or how you live?
Key Ideas
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- Who were the Zapatistas?
- What was their main complaint about NAFTA?
- What is direct action?
- What is austerity?
- What did protesters in Seattle do to oppose globalization?
After you read
Respond to this question: What would it take for you to engage in “direct action” and protest injustice in the streets?
Closer: Is Globalization Good or Bad?
Your students should have a lot of practice making and testing claims, but there is always room to grow. Give them feedback using the Claim Testing: Feedback Form.
In this closer, you’ll weigh the evidence, consider different perspectives, and begin forming your own informed opinion: Is globalization good, bad, or something in between?
Behind the Bouquet
Globalization isn’t just about trade deals and big ideas—it’s about people. This article takes you inside Colombia’s flower industry to show how globalization can create opportunities, but also hardships, depending on where you stand.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- How did Colombia’s economic history shape its role in the global flower trade?
- How does Valentine’s Day in the US affect Colombia’s economy?
- How has Colombia’s flower export boom affected US flower growers?
- What is “the ugly” side of Colombia’s flower industry?
- Who are the winners and losers in the global flower trade?
After you read
Respond to this question: What factors matter most in deciding whether Colombia’s flower trade network is truly beneficial?
