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Overview:
In this lesson students will be called upon to role-play in an international oil summit. This lesson will provide students with an opportunity to learn about the production, distribution, and consumption of oil, particularly in Asia.
This lesson is one in a series developed in collaboration with The Asia Society, with support from the Freeman Foundation, highlighting the geography and culture of Asia and its people.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, economics, history, science
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 1: "How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective"
Standard 11: "The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface"
Standard 13: "How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface"
Standard 16: "The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources"
Time:
Two to three hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Oil Survey worksheet (PDF, Adobe Reader required)
- Paper, colored markers, or pens
- Scissors
Objectives:
Students will
- describe production, distribution, and consumption of oil in Asia;
- research an Asian country's production, distribution, and consumption of oil and petrochemical products; and
- demonstrate an understanding of oil's impact on an increasingly interdependent international community.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Begin this lesson by asking students:
- To what extent is the United States dependent on foreign oil imports?
- How much oil do Americans use in a day, week, month, or year?
- Where does our oil come from?
- What boundaries need to be crossed to ensure the flow of oil to and within the United States?
- What cycles impact the cost, availability, or use of oil in the United States?
After discussing these questions from an American perspective, tell students that they have been selected to represent an Asian nation at a summit on the current and future use of oil. Explain that instead of answering the discussion questions from an American perspective, they will answer similar questions from the perspective of a citizen of an Asian country. Assign students to delegations, or small groups, that will represent different Asian countries and/or regions. The delegations should include two to three students. Each delegation should research, organize information, analyze data, synthesize new solutions to anticipated problems, and present their findings.
Development:
In preparation for their presentations, have students research the past, present, and future of oil dependence in their own country and Asia. Assign each delegation one of the following countries to study:
- Russia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Saudi Arabia
- China
- India
- Kazakhstan
- Japan
- Afghanistan
- Azerbaijan
Have students complete the Oil Survey worksheet (PDF, Adobe Reader required) as they research their Asian country's access to oil. Explain that they will need to complete the survey three times; once for the past (1950), once for the present, and once for the future (2050). Explain that they will be using this information to understand trends in oil production and consumption in Asia over time.
Allow students to use the Internet to access sources of reliable information on oil production and consumption in Asia. Some suggested Web sites are listed in the Related Links section of this lesson.
Closing:
Have each delegation present their findings to the class. Have each group explain how oil production and consumption has changed in Asia over time and the extent to which Asian countries are interdependent on oil.
Upon completing this lesson, students will have a thorough understanding of the impact that oil production, distribution, and consumption has had on nations and Asia. Students will understand the importance of place, boundaries, flow, and cycles as geographers might apply them to the oil economy. Students will also engage themselves in higher-level thinking strategies that lead to an understanding of future trends, options, and public policy that might govern or regulate the use of oil in Asia.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students create a line graph showing both the production and consumption of oil per capita in their Asian country between 1900 and 2000. Then have students analyze the trend to predict how production and consumption will change between 2000 and 2100.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students compare and contrast energy consumption per capita for industrialized nations vs. non-industrialized nations.
Related Links:
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