Piracy and Chains of Production, Distribution and Consumption Description of Learners: The student body will be made up of middle school students in grades 7-8. The target student body is somewhat diverse socioeconomically, with a wide range of lower income to high income households. Some students within the student body are also English language learners. In terms of gender, the student body is relatively balanced. ELL’s would receive additional help in drafting their letter found in section four of the unit. For the purposes of the assignment, the student body will be situated in a rural school setting with a high population of farmers.

I. Introduction to the Unit

A. Rationale/Scope: As technology progresses, the importance of digital literacy is more important than ever for students. Students need to be equipped with the tools and skills needed to succeed in this arena, and importantly they have to be aware of the economic, social and legal implications of their use of digital media. As citizens, students also need to be aware of the way that networks of consumption, production, and distribution effect their lives on a daily basis (NCSS Theme 7). These supply chains apply both to the digital environment with intellectual property, and the products a student enjoys on a regular basis, such as music, food, and clothing. Students will be directly looking to answer the following question:

 “What factors influence decision-making on issues of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods?” (NCSS Standard 7- Student question)

B. Modifications: Students with disabilities will receive special modifications on a case by case basis, but generally students will receive extra worksheets which helps aid their comprehension and recollection of the material, as well as additional help from the teacher.

C. Past & Present: The unit seeks to connect the past and the present by presenting students with at least two time periods in which piracy exists, but in different forms. Students will be presented with the example of Blackbeard in the 18th century, and Piracy in the 21st century to demonstrate the trends of piracy over time. The unit will be introduced with an accessible lesson on agriculture.

II. Applicable Standards

NCSS Thematic Standard 7: Production, Distribution, and Consumption Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumptions of goods and services.

NYS Social Studies Standard 2: World History Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

NYS Social Studies Standard 4: Economics Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

NYS Social Studies Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

III. Sub Topics for the Unit.

1. Agriculture/Chain Introduction: This Sub-Group will focus on solidifying the students’ traditional understanding of the production, distribution, and consumption systems given a real world example. This sub topic will serve to introduce the