Lesson 1 Fruit Loops Overview: This lesson was adapted ... - Boces

Unit 6: Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave: 

Interdependence in the Western Hemisphere 

Lesson 1 


Fruit Loops 

Overview: 

This lesson was adapted from an Internet lesson “Where Did You Come From” by Mickey Ebert, 

http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.cfm?lesson=EM448&page=teacher 

After discovering that Florida specializes in growing certain fruits and vegetables, students 

differentiate between imports and exports when comparing fruits and vegetables produced in the 

U.S. and Chilean markets, and understand that specialization makes countries more 

interdependent. 

Notes to the teachers: 

If you cannot access the Internet via laptops, whole class projection, or use of the school lab, this 

lesson needs minor modifications with the use of more teacher questioning. 

United States farmers produce many fruits and vegetables. Production of fruits and vegetables in 

other countries also takes place. In this lesson, the students will learn why there is international 

trade of fruits and vegetables. Because students might think that trading is something one does 

without using money (barter), it is important for them to know that trade between countries 

always involves money. 

Standards: 

Suggested time allowance: 1 class period 

SS 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1 

ELA 1.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1 

Essential Unit Question: 

• How do the nations the nations of the Western Hemisphere rely on each 

other? 

Resources/Materials for this lesson: 

• Dole 5 A Day. Dole Food Company, Inc. 7 August 2005. 

http://www.dole5aday.com/Kids/K_Index.jsp 

This website has numerous tools such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, games, etc. In the 

activities and procedures, go to the specific link indicated in the lesson. 

• Fruits and Vegetables Worksheet #1 (included) 

• Directions for student for web assignment (included) 

• Exit ticket (included) 

Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES: 

Grade 5 Integrated Social Studies/English Language Arts Curriculum 

The Western Hemisphere 

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• Paper and pencil 




Activities/Procedures: 

1. Without any introduction, instruct the students to complete the worksheet “Fruit and 

Vegetable #1.” (included) After completion discuss answers with the class. 

2. Explain that the fifty states of the United States all have different weather. Some places 

are warm all the time, some places have rain almost every day, some places hardly ever 

have rain, and some places have snow all the time! Could apples grow in all those 

different places? Probably not - at least not unless the farmers there went to a great deal 

of trouble and expense. Apples must have rain and warm temperatures while the fruit is 

on the tree. It would be very difficult and costly to try to grow apples in the desert or on 

top of high mountains. 

3. This lesson is best completed with Internet access, however, if none is available, the 

teacher could access the websites and print out and duplicate the materials for the 

students. For ease of students typing the URL addresses, create a common folder for 

them to open the Directions for the Student document enabling them to just click the 

hyper link (this sheet is included). Instruct students to go to that folder and go to step 1. 

Fruits and vegetables need special weather to grow just right. Click on 

http://www.dole5aday.com/ReferenceCenter/R_Home.jsp and click on the Fruits and 

Vegetables Encyclopedia. Then in the box marked, 'Select Here.....,' click on 

'Blueberries.' Now click on 'Where Grown'. Read about places where blueberries are 

grown. 

4. Instruct students to go to step 2. Bananas are grown mainly outside of the United States. 

To get a hint at where bananas are grown, click on 

http://www.dole5aday.com/MusicAndPlay/Videos/V_Banana.jsp. If it does not connect 

the first time just click refresh. It will give you the information. Where are bananas 

grown? To double check your answer click on 

http://www.dole5aday.com/ReferenceCenter/Encyclopedia/Bananas/index.jsp See where 

bananas are grown. 

5. Instruct students to go to step 3. Lots of fruits and vegetables are grown in Florida, 

including oranges, lemons and limes. Have the students go to 

http://www.dole5aday.com/ReferenceCenter/R_Home.jsp They should click on 'Fruit and 

Vegetable Encyclopedia' and guess five other fruits and vegetables that are grown in 

Florida. Have the students make a list. The students may need help finding the Reference 

Section; show them that it is on a tab at the top of their screen. Check the student lists to 

see if Florida is a place where your listed fruits or vegetables are grown. Tell students to 

keep looking up the fruits and vegetables until they have five. [Tangerines, strawberries, 

papaya, mangoes, lettuce, grapefruits, celery, broccoli, bell peppers, and asparagus.] 

6. Ask, “Did you know that there are 13 total (including oranges, lemons, and limes) fruits 

and vegetables grown in Florida on the list?” Ask the students why Florida is such a good 

place to grow all these fruits and vegetables. If they say that Florida has a good climate to 

grow fruits and vegetables, they are right! 

7. Ask your students why bananas were not on the list. Discuss with class information from 

teachers notes below. 




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Teachers Notes: 

The reason that Florida does not grow a lot of bananas is that Florida SPECIALIZES in 

growing other fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits. In other words, oranges, 

lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, papayas, and mangoes grow so easily in Florida 

that it would not make sense to try to grow bananas, since they grow easily in Latin 

America. The climate that citrus fruits need is not exactly the climate that bananas need 

in order to grow. Although bananas can be grown in Florida, they grow much better in 

Latin America. So people in the United States IMPORT bananas. 

IMPORTS are goods or services bought from sellers in another country. We import 

bananas because Latin America has the right resources to grow bananas easily. We 

EXPORT citrus fruits and other fruits and vegetables. EXPORTS of fruits and vegetables 

mean that they are grown in the United States but sold to buyers in other countries. We 

export oranges because Florida and California have the right resources to grow oranges 

easily. 

Producers in Florida SPECIALIZE when they decide to grow citrus fruits instead of 

bananas. When countries SPECIALIZE they put their resources to work to produce a few 

things instead of using their resources to produce a lot of things. Specialization leads to 

INTERDEPENDENCE. Interdependence means being dependent on other countries to 

produce what you don't. The more countries specialize and trade, the more interdependent 

they become. Latin America SPECIALIZES in growing bananas. 

8. Ask, can you think of a country that SPECIALIZES in growing coffee? You may have 

seen an advertisement that says coffee is grown in Colombia by Juan Valdez. Juan 

Valdez is just a character used in an advertisement to sell coffee. Colombia has the right 

resources for growing coffee easily. Those resources include the right weather, the right 

soil, and just the right temperature of mountain water in which to wash the beans. Do you 

think Colombia imports or exports coffee? [Exports] 

HINT: Here is one way to help students remember the distinction between imports and 

exports. When a country brings something IN, it is IMporting. IN and IM have similar 

sounds. When a country EXports, it makes the product EXit from that country. 

9. Ask the student to complete the Exit Ticket as a fruit and vegetable assessment (included) 




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Evaluation/Assessment: 




• Exit ticket 

Extension Activity: 

• Have the students write an explanation about why Chile exports fruits and vegetables to 

the United States. They should include these words: specialize, exports, imports, and 

interdependent. Students should explain the fruits and vegetables that are exported to the 

United States from Chile, discuss how the fruits and vegetables get to the United States, 

why the Geography and climate of Chile make it a perfect place to grow those vegetables, 

the impact of the reversal of seasons, and why the United States likes to import fruits and 

vegetables from Chile. 

Vocabulary: (See Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave Glossary for definitions) 

• export 

• import 

• interdependence 

• specialization 




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Name__________________ 

Date______________ 

Fruits and Vegetables #1 

1. Do you like fruits? __________________ 

2. Do you like vegetables? ______________ 

3. Where do you get your fruits and vegetables? 

__________________________________________________ 

4. Have you ever wondered where those fruits and vegetables 

come from? ____________________________________ 

5. Have you ever wondered how they get to your store? 

__________________________________________________ 

6. Tomatoes grow in the summer, but we can still get them in the 

winter. Why? 

________________________________________________ 




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For The Student 

Directions: Follow your teacher’s directions and click on the links below 

only when you are told to do so. 

Step 1: Click on 

http://www.dole5aday.com/ReferenceCenter/R_Home.jsp and click 

on the Fruits and Vegetables Encyclopedia. Then in the box marked, 

'Select Here.....,' click on 'Blueberries.' Now click on 'Where Grown'. 

Read about places where blueberries are grown. 


http://www.dole5aday.com/MusicAndPlay/Videos/V_Banana.jsp. If 

it does not go through the first time just click refresh. The information 

will come up. Where are bananas grown? To double check your 

answer click on 

http://www.dole5aday.com/ReferenceCenter/Encyclopedia/Bananas/i 

ndex.jsp 


http://www.dole5aday.com/ReferenceCenter/R_Home.jsp Then click 

on 'Fruit and Vegetable Encyclopedia' and guess five other fruits and 

vegetables that are grown in Florida. Make a list of these fruits and 

vegetables on a sheet of loose leaf. Ask for help if you cannot find the 

reference section. 




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Name_______________ 

Date_______________ 

Fruits and Vegetable 

Exit Ticket 

1. In which season are Americans likely to import fruits from Chile? 

_______________________________________________________ 

2. Name a product that is exported from Ecuador? 

_______________________________________________________ 

3. Tell how the United States is interdependent with Colombia. What 

would happen if Colombia stopped exporting its goods to the 

United States? 

______________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________ 




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Lesson 1 Fruit Loops Overview: This lesson was adapted ... - Boces

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