4 Social studies

These lessons will help students understand how classroom lessons about maps and geography, laws and government, economic planning, and the cultures of Africa, Asia, and Oceania are applicable to future careers.

The lessons address the following questions:

• Lesson 1: What kinds of careers require using maps on a daily basis?
• Lesson 2: Aside from police officers and court officials, what careers require the knowledge of our law codes?
• Lesson 3: What kinds of careers require defending ideas and presenting explanations?
• Lesson 4: What is ecotourism, and what careers are associated with it?
• Lesson 5: How are the skills learned in social studies useful in filmmaking careers?
• Lesson 6: What skills were used in designing the important inventions of ancient China, and what modern careers use those skills?
• Lesson 7: Why has the construction of China’s Three Gorges Dam been so controversial, and what careers have been helped and harmed by it?
• Lesson 8: What is the relationship between economic activity and environmental preservation in Australia, and how do professionals in various careers create compromise between the two?
• Lesson 9: How do professionals in the tourist industry in the Pacific Islands design targeted marketing strategies?

Lessons and relevant careers

Concept/Lesson	Career	Activity
1. Africa: Interpreting Physical Maps	Cartographer, delivery person, transportation worker	Africa map interpretation data chart
2. Laws and Government: Hammurabi’s Code	Law enforcement professional, city planner, social worker	Analysis of Hammurabi’s Code
3. Economic Planning in West Africa	Lawyer, city planner	Economic planning / problem-solving activity
4. Ecotourism in South Asia	Tour guide, hotel manager, restaurant worker	Information analysis and conclusions
5. India: A Filmmaking Capital	Cinematographer, producer, director, and other filmmaking careers	Research and filmmaking proposal activity
6. China’s Ancient Engineers	Engineer	Information analysis and conclusions
7. Modern China: The Dam Debate	City planner, government official	Problem-solving activity and debate
8. Australia: Careers, Collisions, and Compromise	Banker, tourism professional, environmental advocate	Career analysis chart
9. Pacific Islands: A Profitable Paradise	Tourism careers	Travel brochure creation activity