Global Trade: Kenya to UK

Active learning works for this topic because young learners build concrete understanding of global trade by touching, moving, and talking through the physical journey of everyday products. Moving from pictures to actions helps children grasp abstract connections between places, people, and products.

• Year 2
• Geography
• 4 activities
• 20 min–35 min

Learning Objectives

1. Classify products traded between Kenya and the UK based on their origin and destination.
2. Explain the sequence of steps involved in transporting tea from Kenyan farms to UK consumers.
3. Compare the physical geography of Kenya and the UK relevant to agricultural production.
4. Identify the roles of different people and transport methods in the global trade supply chain.
5. Articulate the importance of fair trade practices for producers in Kenya.

Timeline Challenge

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Sequencing: Tea Journey Timeline

Distribute laminated cards showing 8-10 steps from Kenyan farm to UK cup, with images and labels. Small groups arrange them on a long mat strip, then present their order to the class. Follow with a class vote on the most logical sequence.

Prepare & details

Can you put the steps in order to show how tea travels from Kenya to your cup?

Facilitation Tip: During the Tea Journey Timeline, model the first two steps aloud to reduce confusion about where to start.

Setup: Long wall or floor space for timeline construction

Materials: Event cards with dates and descriptions, Timeline base (tape or long paper), Connection arrows/string, Debate prompt cards

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Role Play

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Role Play: Trade Chain Partners

Assign roles like Kenyan farmer, ship captain, UK shopkeeper using props such as toy boats and tea bags. Pairs negotiate 'trades' step-by-step, recording agreements on clipboards. Debrief on what each role contributes.

Prepare & details

Why is it important for people in different countries to buy and sell things to each other?

Facilitation Tip: In the Trade Chain Partners role play, give each student a simple prop or card so they physically step into their role.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Concept Mapping

⏱ 35 min·Whole Class

Concept Mapping: From Kenya to Cup

Project a large world map. Whole class adds sticky labels for Kenya, shipping routes, UK ports, and local shops, using string to connect paths. Students draw personal tea packet journeys from memory.

Prepare & details

What do you think fair trade means for the farmers who grow our food?

Facilitation Tip: For the Mapping activity, provide pre-printed arrows and labels so students focus on placement rather than drawing.

Setup: Tables with large paper, or wall space

Materials: Concept cards or sticky notes, Large paper, Markers, Example concept map

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Timeline Challenge

⏱ 20 min·Small Groups

Sorting: Fair Trade Choices

Provide product cards marked fair trade or not, with farmer stories. Small groups sort into piles and justify choices based on price benefits. Share findings in a class chart.

Prepare & details

Can you put the steps in order to show how tea travels from Kenya to your cup?

Facilitation Tip: When sorting Fair Trade choices, use real product packages to make the differences tangible and relatable.

Setup: Long wall or floor space for timeline construction

Materials: Event cards with dates and descriptions, Timeline base (tape or long paper), Connection arrows/string, Debate prompt cards

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by letting students experience the journey before explaining it. Avoid long lectures about trade terms; instead, use concrete objects, movement, and small-group talk. Research shows that six- and seven-year-olds learn geography best when they manipulate materials and narrate their own steps. Keep vocabulary simple and tied to the physical process they are handling.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently sequencing the journey of tea or coffee, describing the roles of different workers, and discussing fairness in trade with evidence from maps and role-play. They should connect each step to a real place and time.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Sequencing: Tea Journey Timeline, watch for students placing tea-growing in the UK.

What to Teach Instead

Use the climate cards and Kenya/UK map included in the sequencing kit to redirect: ask students to compare weather symbols for both countries before placing the tea bush card.

Common Misconception

During Role Play: Trade Chain Partners, listen for students saying the product appears in shops without travel.

What to Teach Instead

Pause the role play at the shopkeeper scene and ask, ‘How did the tea get from your hands in Kenya to your hands here?’ Have students physically walk the lorry and ship steps again to correct the misconception.

Common Misconception

During Sorting: Fair Trade Choices, watch for students assuming all trade is fair.

What to Teach Instead

After sorting, ask each group to present one difference between fair and non-fair trade packages. Use the farmer cards from the sorting kit to read aloud why fair pay matters.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Sequencing: Tea Journey Timeline, collect picture cards and ask each pair to explain one step to you before moving on. Note whether students can name the location or worker at that step.

Discussion Prompt

During Role Play: Trade Chain Partners, listen for explanations of fairness. After the role play, ask, ‘What would happen if the price dropped? How would the farmer feel?’ Record key ideas on the board to assess understanding.

Exit Ticket

After Mapping: From Kenya to Cup, ask students to draw one arrow on their map showing a journey step and write a sentence naming the transport used. Collect these to check if they can link a mode of transport to a place.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask early finishers to add a ‘cost card’ to each step showing estimated money spent or earned.
• Scaffolding: Provide picture-word cards for students to match before arranging the full sequence.
• Deeper exploration: Compare Kenya’s climate data with UK climate data using simple graphs to explain why tea grows in one place and not the other.

Key Vocabulary

Export	Goods or services that are sent out of a country to be sold in another country. For example, Kenya exports tea to the UK.
Import	Goods or services that are brought into a country from another country for sale. For example, the UK imports coffee from Kenya.
Supply Chain	The journey a product takes from where it is made or grown to the person who buys it. This includes farming, processing, shipping, and selling.
Fair Trade	A system of trading that aims to ensure farmers and workers receive fair prices for their products and have good working conditions. This often includes community support.