Economy and government in Europe

Rainy Monday. Me oh my...when's the rain going to stop? Mrs. Tillery was out today.

Today, students reflected on what they observed about the economy of their particular region of Europe on Friday. Students wrote down the data they collected in a chart of Comparative Economics. We looked at all of the data collected and observed which parts of Europe seemed to be wealthier than others and we made guesses as to why.

Then, we began to study government in Europe. We began by reflecting on what we think government is and how it influences our lives and the lives our family members. We did a simulation activity where students pretended they were stranded on a deserted island. The only things they had with them to survive were given to them by Miss Devine in a box. Students created tools for survival and the classroom was crazy chaos as students figured out how they would survive. We then processed this activity as a means to understand why humans might have created systems of government.

Later, we defined government and the five functions of government using this graphic organizer. We divided into groups and researched 4 different types of governments and took notes on these types of governments in our graphic organizer. Tomorrow we'll share our findings and educate each other on other types of government.

Homework: Finish up reading about your assigned government and complete the notes sheet. Do the "Reflecting on Europe" questions to prepare for tomorrow's class discussion on diversity in Europe.