GLOBAL CONNECTIONS INQUIRY
Exploring Global Connections
DAY 1 ACTIVITY
15-20 Minutes

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Explore where items you consume were produced

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Paper or notebook
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Pencil, pen, or other writing tool
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“Where Is That From?” handout (optional)
THIS WEEK

We’re thinking about
the question:
“How do the things we use connect us to people and places around the world?”
Your challenge this week is to create a “My Global Connections Infographic” showing how the everyday items you consume connect you to distant people and places.
Let's Get Started!

What did you eat this morning? What are you wearing? Have you or anyone in your house used a cell phone today?
Many of the things we use every day have journeyed from around the world to get to us. We are connected to distant places through the items we consume.
We also live in a global community with the people that produce these items. We are connected to them through the trade of ideas, goods, and services.

consume:
to eat, drink, use, or buy

Take a close look at the label on the item below to learn how far it traveled.
View the map below to observe how far the item traveled.
Examine more everyday items below to learn how far they traveled.
Perhaps you can kick a soccer ball pretty far… but not as far as this soccer ball has traveled! This soccer ball was made in Pakistan.
See all those pentagons and hexagons? Chances are they were stitched together by hand.
Many of the fruits and vegetables we eat come from other places in the world.
Bananas grow in warm, tropical climates. These bananas come from Ecuador, which is among the top five countries that produce bananas.
Blueberries are grown in the United States, but often the blueberries we eat in winter have made the long trip from Chile!
Have you noticed the tags inside your clothes? Well, those tags tell a great story! They tell where your clothes were made.
This shirt may say "USA" on the front, but it was actually made in Egypt!
View the map below to observe the country and continent where these items began their journeys to the United States.

Your challenge this week:
Create a “My Global Connections Infographic” that shows how the everyday items you consume connect you to distant people and places.
Today, you will discover where the items that you use come from.
You're going to:
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Go on an object hunt! Look around your home to find out where items came from.
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Write down the following information on a piece of paper (or use the “Where Is That From?” handout if you like):
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The name of the item, the country it was made in, and the continent that country is in
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Use the Countries of Each Continent resource to help you.
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Learn more about mapping and geography terms, such as hemispheres, poles, lines of latitude and longitude, and more!