Exploring Our World People, Places, and Cultures

Chapter 6: The United States and Canada Today

Web Activity Lesson Plans

Introduction
Students have learned about the economies of the United States and Canada. The United States has the largest economy in the world, and Canada is its largest trading partner. The U.S. Census Bureau tracks the dollar amount of goods that flow into and out of the United States each month and issues reports that summarize various statistics on trade. In this activity, students will analyze a report about the top trading partners of the United States.

Lesson Description
Students will visit the U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics Web site to view data about U.S. trade partners. This lesson will help students learn about the United State’s trading partners and its imports and exports.

Instructional Objectives

1. The learner will be able to find total monthly U.S. imports/exports in the economic report.
2. The learner will be able to compare and contrast statistics on U.S. trade with different nations.
3. The learner will draw conclusions about trends in the American economy.

Student Web Activity Answers

1. Dates are dependent on the information presented on the Web site.
2. The table on “Total Trade” summarizes the amount of imports and exports between the top 15 trade partners of the United States. The import and export tables show statistics specific to imports or exports between the top 15 trade partners of the U.S.
3. A trade deficit would occur when the amount of imports is higher than the amount of exports. A trade surplus would occur when the amount of exports is higher than the amount of imports.
4. Answers are dependent on the information presented on the Web site.
5. Leaders might use the data to evaluate whether a trade agreement is benefiting their nation’s economy or hurting it, depending on the number of exports or imports.