Lesson Plan

Australias Trade with Asia:

a poor mans crop, a rich mans food

Year level: 9

Australian Curriculum Learning area: Business/Economics and Geography

Learning Intention: In this lesson students explore Australia's interdependence with
other economies, identifying Australia's major trading partners in the Asia region
and the major items and patterns of trade.

Link to Australian Curriculum Standards
Business and Economics
Australia as an economy and its place within the broader Asia and global economy (ACHEK038)
Reflect on the intended and unintended consequences of economic and business decisions (ACHES049)
Analyse data and information in different formats to explain cause and effect relationships, and illustrate
alternative perspectives (ACHES045)

Geography (Unit 2: Geographies of Interconnections)
The effects of the production and consumption of goods on places and environments throughout the world and
including a country from North-East Asia (ACHGK068)

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for thinking and communicating
In Economics and Business, students develop ICT capability when they access and use digital technologies as an
investigative and creative tool. They locate, evaluate, research, plan, share and display data and/or information. Using
digital technologies, students create, communicate and present economics and business data and information for a
variety of reasons and audiences.

Cross-curriculum priority: Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia

OI.2 Interrelationships between humans and the diverse environments in Asia shape the region and have global
implications.
OI.7 Australians play a significant role in social, cultural, political and economic developments in the Asia region.

General capability: Intercultural understanding

Students are involved in learning about and engaging with diverse cultures in ways that recognize commonalities and
differences, create connections with others and cultivate mutual respect. In Economics and Business, students develop
an understanding and appreciation of the different ways other countries respond to economic and business issues and
events. They consider the effects of decisions made by consumers, producers, businesses and governments in
Australia on other countries, and the way decisions in other countries affect the Australian economy.



Process

Part 1: Engage and Explore / Cashew Farming in Indonesia
Using their devices, have Students download Pin Drop on their devices and hand around
a bag of cashew nuts for students to taste. Ask the students to find the Island of Flores on
their maps. In which country/continent is it? What types of items might they trade?

In pairs, have students read through worksheet 1 Interconnections. Have students make
a list of all the different locations that cashews are traded. Using Pin Drop, have students
map the transport route from Dun Tana, Flores, to their home town, plotting each location.

Have them compare the direct distance from Flores to their home town, and then the
actual traded distance. How many miles/km is each route?

In small groups, students discuss:
How are transport and communication technologies used in the trade of cashews
from Dun Tana to Australia?
How might the trade of cashews be fairer for the farmer?
Why are cashews known as a poor mans crop, a rich mans food?
What are the main social and environmental issues in this scenario?

Group feedback and discussion: What other types of products do we import from Asia?


Part 2: Elaborate and Explain / Australias Trade with Asia

Materials Hunt
In small groups, students roam alternative settings in the school identifying types of
goods/materials that may have been imported from Asia (students could visit the
woodwork rooms, library, car park, canteen etc. Possible items could include food, IT
items, timber, fabrics, backpacks, clothing etc.). As a class, compare and collate data.

Fact Finder Activity
In small groups, have students create a fact sheet using trade information from the
following websites, categorizing information under the following headings:
Major Australian exports
Major Australian imports
Australia's balance of goods trade (amount of imports compared to exports)
Australia's main export and import destinations.

Suggested websites:
DFAT country and region fact sheets
http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/fs/

Austrade
http://www.austrade.gov.au/Export/Export-Markets/Countries

International Monetary Fund
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm

Australian Bureau of Statistics
http://www.abs.gov.au

Have students compare and contrast fact sheets.
Group discussion:
What percentage/are the main types of imported goods that come from Asia?
What percentage/ are the main types of goods exported to Asia?
How many of these goods were on this list of items you identified around the school/can
you identify in your home?

Part 3: Evaluate
Discussion / Have students discuss in pairs and justify their answers
What does this activity tell you about the economic connections between Australia and
countries in the Asia region?
How does our personal choices impact global communities and relationships?

Assessment / Feedback
Formative assessment

Resources and Materials
Some cashew nuts

Pin Drop
https://www.pindropapp.com

World Vision worksheet: Interconnections (see resources section)

Suggested websites:
DFAT country and region fact sheets
http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/fs/

Austrade
http://www.austrade.gov.au/Export/Export-Markets/Countries

International Monetary Fund
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm

Australian Bureau of Statistics
http://www.abs.gov.au

* This lesson assumes students will have access to Ipads/laptops and internet