Social Studies - World Geography
Lesson Plans

WG Strand 5: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Humans have created complex and varied economic systems. These systems, whether based on free markets or other structures, have various levels of development, infrastructure, and divisions of labor. Economic systems are influenced by their unique landscapes and resources, and their locations influence patterns of interconnections with other economic systems. Geographers can use the insights they learn about economic development to identify patterns or propose solutions to complex issues.

Possible Guiding Questions to Consider:

• What and who defines a state as developed?
• How does culture manifest itself in the development of economic systems?
• How does geography influence the ways in which people make a living?
• Why have some regions developed more rapidly than others?
• What are some of the economic patterns evident in more-developed and less-developed countries?
• Why are economic activities sometimes located in unexpected or unconventional places?
• What are the challenges of sustainable development?

WG Standard 5.1:

Students will explain the essential attributes of a developed economy and the patterns of development that differentiate less-developed from more-developed places.

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