Transcript Economics - Canton Local

Economics
People of North America
Chapter 2
People and the Land
Core Lesson 1
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How does the land affect people?
The land and its resources affect where and how
people live.
Railroads and other new forms of transportation
helps cities continue to grow.
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Cincinnati grew into its current city because of its
location along the Ohio River.
Steamboats used to carry and move people and
goods in and out of the city.
Today, more goods travel along the Ohio River than
along any other inland waterway in the world.
Because of its location, it has become an important
center for air, bus, railroad, and river travel.
…the Ohio River
Where People Live
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A strong economy is another reason how people
choose where to live.
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People choose to live where they can find good jobs
Example: Monterrey, Mexico has a rapidly growing
population because it is a growing center for
business.
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Many businesses in this city trade with the United States.
As more businesses trade, the more jobs are created.
The more jobs, the more people who move there in
hopes of making a living.
Where People Live Continued…
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People also settle in places they enjoy.
Geography can push people out of their area or
into a new area.
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Cold and gray skies often push people into a warmer
climate.
A warm, sunny climate is part of the environment in
these places.
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Environment: the surroundings in which people, plants,
and animals live.
North American Population
Changing the Land- Natural Resources
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Natural resources and human activities both
affect the land.
Natural forces, such as wind and moving water,
constantly shape and reshape the land.
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Example: the Colorado River has carved the Grand
Canyon through erosion.
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Erosion: the process by which water and wind wear away
the land.
Strong wind and rushing water can also carry bits of
soil for miles.
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Over time it can build up and form whole new areas of
land.
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Example: much of Louisiana was formed from soil that was
carried there by the Mississippi River.
Changing the Land- Human Activities
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Examples of human activities could be building
highways and digging mines.
These activities can bring many benefits, but they
also have consequences.
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Building highways provides a way for people to
travel, but then the land cannot be used for other
purposes, such as farming.
Mining gives jobs and resources that people want, but they
also often destroy plant life and places where animals live.
 Chemicals used in mining also create pollution
 Pollution: anything that makes the soil, air, and/or water
dirty and unhealthy.
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Pollution from mines may make nearby rivers unsafe for fish,
wildlife, and people.
Changes to the Environment
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Humans sometimes make small changes to the
environment that have big effects.
The environment is made up of eco-systems.
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An eco-system is a community of plants and animals
along with the surrounding soil, air, and water.
Each part of the eco-system affects the health of all
the other parts.
Human activity can affect an eco-system in ways
people never expected.
Changes to the environment continued…
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Example of changes made to an eco-system:
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Ships have accidentally carried plants and animals
from one eco-system to another. In their new ecosystem, these plants and animals can spread quickly.
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The zebra mussel, a type of shellfish, came to the Great
Lakes attached to ships.
Because there are few animals in North America that will
eat them, they spread throughout the Great Lakes and
then into many of the country’s rivers.
Zebra mussels can cause big problems. They form groups
that clog pipes, and they eat the food that local fish
depend on.
One more example of changing the environment
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People also affect the environment when they
move soil from the bottom of the Great Lakes.
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They move the soil to make the lakes deep enough
to allow large ships to navigate through the lakes.
However, this process can stir up pollution that is in
the soil.
Lesson Review
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Would you classify pollution as a result of natural
change or human change? Why?
How does the climate influence where people live?
Give an example from the lesson of how people
change the environment, and explain why they do it.
What is the relationship between the geography in your
region and the activities people there do for fun?
What effect did the spread of zebra mussels have on
the Great Lakes?
Define the following words:
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Environment, erosion, pollution, and eco-system
Economies in North America
Core Lesson 2
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There are many different ways a country can use
its resources and organize its economy.
Everyone makes economic decisions
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Examples: what to produce/what to buy
Countries make their own economic decisions
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No country has enough resources to produce
everything its people want. To solve this, each
country has an economic system.
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Economic system: a set of ideas that guides how a
country will use its resources and produce its goods.
Every system offers ways to answer 3 basic questions:
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What goods will be produced?
How will those goods be produced?
Who will receive or buy the goods?
The United States Economic System
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The U.S. has a wide variety of workers and
businesses- some provide services and others
produce goods.
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U.S. products range from: applesauce and cars to
computers and cookware.
U.S. services include: teaching, providing medical
care, and preparing food.
The U.S. answers to the 3 economic questions
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Question 1: What goods will be produced?
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Question 2: How will those goods be produced?
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People and businesses are free to decide what they want to
produce. To make this decision, businesses try to find out what
buyers want.
People and businesses are also free to decide how to
produce their items. They can choose which resources to use.
Most will choose resources that are the least expensive or
easiest to find.
Question 3: Who will receive or buy the goods?
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The answer to this question depends on many things,
including the needs of the people in the area of the business.
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Example: a company that produces warm boots will find most of its
customers in regions that have cold climates, and not in warmer
states such as New Mexico.
Supply, Demand, and Price
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If people buy a lot of a product or service, more
companies will make it. However, if consumers do
not buy a certain service/good, the producer will
need to provide something else or go out of
business.
Consumers also affect the price that producers
charge for their goods.
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Example: suppose a company produces canned
tomato soup and canned onion soup. The company
tries to sell each for $1.00.
Tomato soup turns out to be popular; those cans sell
quickly because demand for them is high.
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Demand: the amount of something that people want to
buy for a certain price.
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When demand is high, the price usually goes up.
Supply, Demand, and Price continued…
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many people buy the onion soup.
Now, the company has too large a supply
of onion soup.
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Supply: is the amount of something that
producers want to make at a certain price.
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supply is high, prices generally falls.
 This company will probably make less onion
soup and may lower the price to get rid of
their supply.
Supply and Demand
Competition
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Competition can influence prices as well.
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Competition: occurs when businesses that sell similar
goods and services try to attract the most consumers
and make the most money.
When there is a lot of competition, consumers
have many choices of where to buy what they
need/want.
Companies “win” consumers by keeping their
prices low and their quality high.
Sometimes goods become scarce; there are not
enough product for every consumer who wants it.
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In this case, some consumers may be willing to pay
more to get it so the producers of that good may
raise the price.
Lesson Review
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What effect does competition among producers
have on prices?
What is the purpose of having an economic
system?
When might consumers compete to buy a
product or service?
Suppose you have an idea for a new product?
Why would it be a good idea to do research on
how many people might want to buy your
product?
Define the following words:
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Economic system, demand, supply, competition