Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 25/02/2026
Subject: Economics
Lesson Topic: The basis for specialisation by country in terms of the best resource allocation and/or low-cost production
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe how resource scarcity, opportunity cost and comparative advantage drive country specialisation.
  • Calculate opportunity costs and identify comparative advantage using given production data.
  • Explain how specialisation and trade increase total output and lower consumer prices.
  • Analyse the role of resource endowments, technology, scale economies, policy and infrastructure in shaping comparative advantage.
  • Evaluate the main economic arguments for free trade versus protectionism.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Printed worksheets with the wheat‑cloth table and PPF diagram template
  • Calculators
  • Handout summarising formulas for opportunity cost and comparative advantage
  • Sticky notes for exit tickets
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick poll: “Which products does our country produce most efficiently?” Review prior learning on scarcity and opportunity cost. Today you will determine how these concepts lead to specialisation and trade, and you will be able to calculate comparative advantage and explain the resulting gains.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5'): Students list three goods their country exports and share briefly (hook).
  2. Mini‑lecture (10'): Review scarcity, opportunity cost and introduce comparative advantage with the formula.
  3. Guided calculation (15'): In pairs, students compute opportunity costs from the wheat‑cloth table and identify each country’s comparative advantage; teacher circulates for checks.
  4. PPF diagram activity (10'): Students draw PPFs for the two countries, mark specialisation points and the trade line, then discuss the gains from trade.
  5. Factors discussion (10'): Small groups examine resource endowments, technology, scale economies, policy and infrastructure; each group presents one factor.
  6. Debate (10'): Class splits to argue free trade versus protectionism; teacher synthesises key points.
  7. Exit ticket (5'): Write one sentence explaining why specialisation leads to lower‑cost production.
Conclusion:
Summarise that specialisation based on comparative advantage expands total output and lowers prices, and that trade enables both nations to consume beyond their PPFs. Collect the exit tickets and remind students to complete the worksheet on calculating opportunity costs for a new country pair for homework.