How+do+I+create+a+Country+Profile?

__LESSON NINE:__
How do I create a country profile?

__DESCRIPTION:__
Students will learn what is meant by different terms commonly used to describe the economic and political characteristics of a country.

__TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION:__
Preview materials. A more thorough glossary of terms can be found on the CIA World Fact Book’s website

__TEACHER PREPERATION:__
Print, and preview materials.

__STEP BY STEP PLAN__
//Anticipate//: Give each student a card (__Basic Country Information Handout__) with information about a country. Ask students to line up in order based on different categories (such as GDP or literacy rate). Do multiple ‘line ups’ and ask students share observations.

//Anticipate (alternative)//: Use CIA World Factbook country comparisons to make your own anticipatory questions. For example, which country do you think spends more money on military, as a percentage of GDP, Sweden or Iceland (answer: Sweden! Iceland is the lowest I the world!).

//Inform//: Present the __How to Create a Country Profile__ powerpoint which will introduce key terms in creating a country profile

//Allow//: Tell students that the countries they will be representing. Instruct them to work in their delegate pairs through the __Basic Introduction__ Worksheet.

//Debrief//: Ask students to share answers to the __Basic Introduction__ Worksheet.

//Checks for understanding//: Consider one or more of these culminating activities for exit tickets, homework assignments, or formative assessments.

//Identify//: Ask students to explain what is meant by the following terms: import commodities, Gross National Income per Capita, sanitation services, life expectancy at birth, and internally displaced people.

//Evaluate//: Ask students to complete one of the proposed content extension activities.

//Skill Building Extension://
//Consider activities in the Roll Call: Notice and Remember Who is in the Room section and Voting: Making Decisions from a Specific Point of View section on pages of 9-10 and 22 __Preparing Students for Model United Nations Conferences – Mini-Activities that Build 21st Century Skills__ to get kids excited about representing the point countries in the conference.//

//Content Extension: Ask students to research countries on the World Happiness Index. Ask them to reflect on the validity of this index, or any index, to create an accurate country profile.//

//Content Extension: Ask students to consider the following question: “Which would provide a more accurate profile of a country, a 30 minute interview with one person or 30 minutes reading about the country form the CIA World Factbook? “ (get at the idea of the difficulty of creating a profile for something as complex as a country (or a person for that matter!)//

//Content Extension: This may be an overdone activity, but ask students to read excerpts the following anthropological study (which is actually the US in anthropological jargon by Jared Miner:// [|//http://www.ohio.edu/people/thompsoc/body.html//] //. Ask students to reflect on the difficulty of describing a place – be it through anthropology or international relations.//