Activity 01
Mapping Activity: Trade Routes
Provide world maps and string. Students identify Irish imports like coffee or electronics, then connect origins to Ireland with string and labels. Discuss routes and transport modes in plenary.
Explain how the internet connects people across different countries.
Facilitation TipDuring the Mapping Activity, have students label routes with both transport types and environmental impacts to connect geography with real-world consequences.
What to look forProvide students with pictures of common items (e.g., a t-shirt, a toy car, a banana). Ask them to write or draw where they think each item might have come from and how it might have traveled to Ireland.
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Activity 02
Role-Play: Global Marketplace
Assign countries to groups with product cards. Groups negotiate trades using play money, noting benefits and issues like transport costs. Debrief on real-world parallels.
Analyze the benefits and drawbacks of global trade for different nations.
Facilitation TipFor the Role-Play, assign roles with clear stakes so students feel the tension between profit and fairness in trade.
What to look forPose the question: 'What is one good thing and one not-so-good thing about buying toys made in China instead of toys made in Ireland?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to consider jobs and prices.
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Activity 03
Digital Connection Chain
In pairs, students write messages as if from different countries, passing them class-to-class via paper chain. Simulate internet delays or access issues, then compare to actual tools like email.
Predict how increased global connection might change cultures over time.
Facilitation TipIn the Digital Connection Chain, use a timer to show how messages travel at different speeds depending on infrastructure.
What to look forAsk students to write down one way the internet connects people in Ireland to people in another country, and one example of a food or product they eat or use that comes from another country.
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Activity 04
Culture Mix Gallery Walk
Students draw or collect images of global influences in Ireland, like sushi or Bollywood. Post around room for gallery walk with sticky note predictions on future changes.
Explain how the internet connects people across different countries.
Facilitation TipDuring the Culture Mix Gallery Walk, ask students to note which cultures they see in their own daily lives to make globalisation personal.
What to look forProvide students with pictures of common items (e.g., a t-shirt, a toy car, a banana). Ask them to write or draw where they think each item might have come from and how it might have traveled to Ireland.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Start with objects students know, like classroom items, to build familiarity before introducing global examples. Use simple comparisons, such as ‘This pencil costs €1 in the shop but €0.10 to make,’ to introduce ideas of trade and cost. Avoid overwhelming students with too many countries at once; focus on 2-3 clear examples that contrast local and global production. Research suggests children grasp globalisation best when it connects to their daily routines rather than abstract facts about countries.
Successful learning looks like students explaining trade routes with confidence, debating benefits and drawbacks with evidence, and identifying local versus global connections in everyday items. They should show empathy for unequal access to technology and appreciate cultural blending without romanticising globalisation’s effects.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During the Role-Play: Global Marketplace, watch for students assuming all trades result in mutual benefit. Use the role cards to force imbalanced trades so students feel the impact of ‘losing’ in a simulation.
After they debrief, ask each group to share one trade where their side gained more and one where they gained less. Highlight how different outcomes create winners and losers globally.
During the Digital Connection Chain, watch for students assuming everyone has equal internet access. Use the signal zone simulation to show how some areas have ‘no signal’ zones.
During debrief, display real statistics on global internet access and ask students to mark areas on their maps where they think access is limited. Discuss why these gaps exist and what might close them.
During the Culture Mix Gallery Walk, watch for students thinking all products come from far away. Use the product origin hunt to show the mix of local and global items.
Ask students to sort their findings into ‘Made in Ireland’ and ‘Made Elsewhere’ piles. Discuss how even ‘local’ items may include global parts, like fabric from China in an Irish-made shirt.
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