Georgia SS6E2.a

Social Studies6th GradeLatin America and Canada

The Standard

Explain how specialization encourages trade between countries.

Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies · Give examples of how voluntary trade benefits buyers and sellers in Latin America.

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify products countries can make efficiently because of their resources, climate, workers, or skills. They explain why countries sell those products and buy others they produce less efficiently.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can use examples such as Chilean copper or Brazilian coffee to explain specialization and trade. The student can describe how buyers gain goods and sellers gain income.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think specialization means a country produces only one product or must stop making everything else. They may also think trade benefits only the seller, or that countries trade only when they cannot make a product at all.
How to Assess It: Give this exit prompt: “Chile sells copper and buys coffee from Brazil. Explain why both countries choose to trade and how each benefits.”

Lesson moves

Give groups country resource cards and product tokens, then have them specialize, trade, and compare what they gained.
Ask, “Why might Chile sell copper and buy coffee?” Students write a claim supported by resources, production, and mutual benefit.
Play a trade-match game where students pair Latin American countries’ specialized exports with countries that want those goods.
Inspect grocery labels for coffee, bananas, or chocolate from Latin America, then map where each product was grown or made.

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