Comparing Economic Systems of Africa: A Color-Coding Activity

Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) addressed with this activity:

SS7E3 Describe factors that influence economic growth and examine their presence or absence in Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya.

a. Evaluate how literacy rates affect the standard of living.

b. Explain the relationship between investment in human capital (education and

training) and gross domestic product (GDP per capita).

c. Explain the relationship between investment in capital goods (factories,

machinery, and technology) and gross domestic product (GDP per capita).

d. describe how the distribution of natural resources affects the development of

Africa.

e. Describe the role of entrepreneurship.

SS7E1 Analyze different economic systems.

b. Explain that countries have a mixed economic system located on a continuum

between pure market and pure command.

c. Compare and contrast the economic systems in South Africa, Kenya, and

Nigeria.

Activity Length: Approximately 3 days, depending on how fast your students read (60-70 min. classes)

Student Materials needed: blue, yellow, red, and green colored pencils/markers/highlighters/crayons

Activity Background: In my opinion, the economics standards listed above are some of the hardest to teach in 7th grade Social Studies. There are vast amounts of information out there on each country’s economy, but very few of them are completely aligned to the Georgia standards, and even fewer are written on a 7th grader’s level. In this lesson on comparing economies, students will practice close reading by underlining parts of the text in colors that are coded by topic. This activity helps students chunk the material so they don’t become overwhelmed, and it also forces them to engage in metacognitive exercises as they read for information. Best of all, it covers tons of economic topics within one comprehensive text, giving them a complete picture of the countries' economies. In the final step, the activity concludes by asking students to evaluate the countries' economies from strongest to weakest, support their final answer with evidence from the text, and explain their reasoning. The activity includes the complete text (covering South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria), worksheets with full instructions for students, and a helpful key for teachers.

If you're interested in this activity, you should check out the companion activities for SW Asia and SE Asia! Or, save money by purchasing the bundle of all three.