Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Creating Graphs to Evaluate Economic Relationships

Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 7th Grade
Content Standard Addressed:
SS7E3: Describe factors that influence economic growth and examine their presence or absence in
Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya.
SS7E3.b: Explain the relationship between investment in human capital (education and
training) and gross domestic product (GDP per capita).

Technology Standard Addressed: 1.1d Technology Operations: Students understand the

fundamental concepts of technology operations; demonstrate the ability to choose, use and
troubleshoot current technologies; and are able to transfer their knowledge to explore emerging
technologies.

Selected Technology Tool: Microsoft Excel

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/human-

development-index-vs-gdp-per-capita?
tab=table&time=1990..2021&showSelectionOnlyInTable=1&country=ZAF~NGA~KEN

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

✘ Remembering ✘ Understanding ✘ Applying ✘ Analyzing ✘ Evaluating

Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level): (Select the best level)

Level 1: Awareness Level 2: Exploration Level 3: Infusion ✘ Level 4:

Integration

Level 5: Expansion Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

Students will see the information they are to evaluate in two ways: numbers and plots on the graph.
Students will use this information to draw conclusions that will be express through written and visual
communications on the infographic. They will work with a partner to strengthen their understanding
of the data and relationship between the concepts explored. The necessary vocabulary will be
displayed on the classroom’s markerboard. The instructions for each part of the lesson will be
displayed via PowerPoint.

Students will utilize productivity tools to create and present the information and their conclusions.
The warm up activity will use background knowledge of vocabulary and concepts to introduce the
assignment. The information will be represented in multiple media and formats to allow for better
comprehension outcomes. The students will express the information using numbers, words, and
graphs. The students will engage with the information and concepts by utilizing the productivity
software to move the information between each form. The lesson moves students through multiple
tasks at their own pace with the ability for students to decide how they want to present the information
they have evaluated.
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
Lesson idea implementation:
Students will utilize Microsoft Excel to analyze data from the Our World in Data website to evaluate
the claim “increased human capital increases gross domestic product per capita increases creating
better outcomes for citizen in a specific country.” The teacher for this lesson will review the
vocabulary for the lesson: GDP per capita, human capital, human development index. Students will
define these terms in their own words during the daily warm up in the first five minutes of the class
period. The teacher will have two students give their definition for each term, then he will give the
definition previously discussed.

The teacher will introduce the countries being evaluated and where the information is located. The
teacher will prepare for the lesson by uploading the Excel spreadsheet template with data to Canva (or
another learning management software used in the school), so students can access the template via
their student laptops. This lesson with take two fifty minute class periods to complete. On day one,
students will be introduced to the lesson and begin to use the data to create scatter plot graphs in
Excel. Students will begin by inputting numbers from The United States, Japan, and France to see
how the graphs are created. Two of these countries were studied in fifth and sixth grade, and all of
these countries are considered developed and rich. Students will use the Our World in Data website to
gather information for all six countries for the years 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019, and 2021. These years
will give a good representation from for growth or decline in each country, and the differences
between 2019 and 2021 will account for the economic decline experienced during the COVID-19
pandemic. Students will input these numbers into the Excel template accessed on the LMS, and as the
students add the data, a graph will populate for them. Students may customize or create their own
graphs, but will be encouraged to check their work with the template. Students will work in two
person teams to plot the graphs for Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya. On day two, student teams will
analyze the graphs, numbers, and differences between the information presented from day one to
create their infographic evaluation.

Students will be assessed informally throughout their work period. The teacher will check for
understanding after the warm up and the directions are given to the students verbally and using a slide
on the classrooms’ smartboard. After students have completed their graphs in Excel, they will upload
their files to the LMS, this file will be part of their formal assessment for the lesson. Students will
create an evaluation of the information . Students will create an infographic that utilizes the graphs
and written explanation of their groups evaluation of the claim and data analyzed. The infographic
will state their position on whether increased human capital increases GDP per capita, showcase their
two graphs, and explain their finds from the graphs. This infographic will be uploaded to the LMS,
printed by the teacher to showcase outside the classroom, and will be the second part of the students’
formal assessment for the lesson.

The teacher will conclude the lesson with a short, ten minute, discussion about the information
students observed from the data. The teacher will discuss with the students why the GDP might
decrease in a country from one year to another. The example of 2019 to 2021 will be used as the data
shows the Covid-19 pandemic created a drop in GDP for most countries. The teacher will discuss with
the students how a drop in GDP affects the HDI in that country. Students will receive a grade for
accuracy of their graphs and conclusions drawn from the data. Feedback will be given to students
individually through the LMS and broadly at the beginning of the following class period.

Reflective Practice: After designing this lesson idea, how do you feel the activities you created could
impact student learning? You may have designed this idea as an introductory activity to a unit of
study. With that in mind, what could be done to further extend the lesson? Are there other technology
tools that could further enhance this project?
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

I think that utilizing graphs and other visual representations of data and information is critical to
understanding relationships. Students utilize graphs in math classes to learn how to create visual
representations and using the same techniques in social studies strengthens understanding of concepts
that can stretch across disciplines. Economics is daunting to many people because of the numbers and
graphs, but lessons that use these techniques along with written or verbal explanations gives students
the ability to truly study the choices being made in a given situation. This lesson can be built upon by
referring back to the graphs, information, and evaluations as we continue to study African countries,
and those on any other continent, because the conclusion that human capital increases GDP per capita
and positive outcomes can be related to any country. The use of the BPT allows students to gain a tool
and ability to make these graphs more efficiently. Basic productivity tools like Excel have many
features that allow people to record, aggregate, sort, analyze, and manipulate data throughout their
lives. The use of these tools is interconnected to their education and professional careers. Introducing
these tools and utilizing them throughout their studies will benefit students in their future endeavors.