Asia Education Foundation

Learning about markets in Asia

Learning areas

SOSE, Economics: Years 5 and 6

Description

Learn more about the importance and types of shopping markets in Asia. Students describe markets they have been to and discuss bargaining. They make comparisons with the ways that people shop locally.

Materials required

A class set of Handout 1 and Handout 2

Activities

  1. Introduction

    Explain that the class is going read about markets in Asian countries and compare them with local Australian markets. Make a class display of scenes from markets. Ask students to describe markets they have been to or know about.

  2. Markets in Asia

    Have students look at images of Asian markets from the internet and discuss their impressions. Read Handout 1 to students or have a student read it aloud. Ask students on what occasions they can bargain in Australia. Make the point that in many Asian countries bargaining is more common than it is in Australia.

  3. Types of markets in Asia

    Read Handout 2 to students or have a student read it aloud. Write the headings 'Village markets', 'City markets', 'Street markets' and 'Supermarkets' on the board and ask students to name local examples of each. Discuss which types of markets are most common and possible reasons for this.

  4. Expert groups

    Organise students into small expert groups of about three to consider a market in their community. An excursion to a local market may be organised. Each group investigates one of the following questions:

    • What types of things can you buy at the market?
    • How do people and goods get to the market?
    • What kinds of rules are needed to run a market?
    • What signs do you find around a market?
    • What types of work do people at markets do?
    • How much bargaining is possible at the market?
    • Where do the things that are for sale come from?

Extension activity

1. What's Asia Got To Do with Me?

Use Getting Connected: What's Asia Got to Do with Me? to explore the connections – economically and socially – between Australia and the countries of Asia. Students will research production processes and discuss simple economic terminology, in the context of trade between Australia and Asia.

2. A Global market

Have students explore the Tsukiji, the Tokyo fish market, as an example of biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. Fish from many parts of the world is marketed here, including fish from Australia.

There are many internet resources about this market including:

Related resources