Escaping Into the Works of Adam Smith
Adam Smith. Not only is he commonly regarded as the first modern economist, he was also a philosopher, a historian, and a professor of logic and rhetoric. Using this series of activities, social studies teachers can guide their students through key ideas presented in Smith’s Wealth of Nations. Students learn about the division of labor and specialization by making pins out of pipe-cleaners and touring a virtual pin factory. They research technology and how new ideas and inventions impact the lives of individuals, families, & communities. Analyzing world, continent, and country maps, students consider how natural resources and natural geography influence economies.
This curriculum was developed for Adam Smith Works, a site dedicated to exploring Adam Smith's life and works. Educators can use ASW educational materials to learn about and teach concepts central to Smith.
Activities:
The activity is modeled on the “Escape Rooms” games where players are put into a specific setting and must find clues and solve puzzles in order to “escape” and win the game. Students are introduced to Adam Smith and his works and learn what inspires economists to study the world around them.
K-12 educators can request activity kits that include everything needed to play through the Adam Smith Escape Room with your students. The image above shows materials for the Division of Labor Pipe Cleaner activity.
Adam Smith’s Pin Factory & Division of Labor Pipe Cleaner Activity
Adam Smith’s Pin Factory is one of the most famous examples in the history of economics. This activity puts students to work in their own factory then shows them an interactive virtual tour of Smith’s factory. By the end of the activity, students will have participated in and be able to describe the benefits of the division of labor to increasing productivity.
Adam Smith Timeline Game: Scientific Innovations & Historic Moments
Adam Smith saw, described, and benefited from a variety of technological changes in his lifetime. What motivates the development of these new inventions? Are there relationships between the new technologies being developed? Using this activity, inspired by the card game of the same name, students create timelines to order inventions and think about the costs and benefits of new technologies and innovations.
In Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, his third chapter explains that in order to specialize in a trade, an individual must be confident that they have access to a market of others, those who can meet that individual’s needs while they focus on a specific labor, and who they in turn can supply with their surplus production. To support his claims he provides examples of markets around the world.
In the lesson, the instructor will read passages from Smith and display corresponding maps that highlight the examples Smith presents. Students will investigate each map and discuss how the maps & passages relate to concepts like specialization, scarcity, interdependence, and trade.
Connections to Arkansas Learning Standards:
Economics:
EDM.1.E.1 Evaluate the roles of scarcity, incentives, trade-offs, and opportunity cost in decision making
GE.7.E.1 Analyze the role of comparative advantage in trade and global markets using available data and a variety of sources
NE.5.E.2 Evaluate the impact of advancements in technology, investments in capital goods, and investments in human capital on economic growth and standards of living
Civics:
PD.4.C.1 Analyze historical documents and events that set the ideological foundations for the U.S. Constitution
PD.4.C.2 Evaluate ideological influences Enlightenment Thinkers had on the framers of the U.S. Constitution
Geography:
WSP.2.G.2 Research the impact of interdependence and accessibility among people, places, and environments
HS.6.G.2 Evaluate the benefits of various locations in terms of natural, human, and capital resources
HS.6.G.3 Evaluate how economic globalization and the expanding use of scarce resources contribute to conflict and cooperation within and among countries
Request Curriculum & Activity Materials:
Read More Smith!
So many of the basic economic concepts students learn in their K-12 educations are articulated by Smith in the early chapters of his work. Incorporating primary texts and passages from Smith & his contemporaries not only incorporates additional literacy opportunities but also creates content area connections between economics, history, geography, philosophy and more. These resources are designed to make it easy and fun to learn about the life and work of Adam Smith.
