The Industrial Revolution and globalization have been a triumph in the developed nations, but served to widen and accelerate the wealth gap between the richest and poorest countries in the world. Explore the differences between the wealthiest countries in the world and those with the fewest resources, and the factors that exacerbate those increasing inequalities.

Concepts

income, wealth, the industrial revolution, income tax

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• For a flipped classroom activity, have learners watch the video at home and come to class with a set of questions and observations about their viewing
• Encourage groups to conduct their own research about modern wealth inequalities
• Connect the lesson with a math class to discuss the numbers and trends of wealth inequality

Classroom Considerations

• The 17th part of a 35-video series on economics
• Pause the video around 6:00 to further explain the math involved in the graph
• Comment section is available to the public and features varying opinions on the concept of wealth inequality

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Provides a clear explanation of wealth distribution in an animation that features ten people receiving part of $100 according to their position in wealth distribution
• Hearing about the increased number of high school graduates who are living in poverty may resonate with class members

Cons

• When discussing the problems found in countries with more inequality, the video features an image of a person injecting drugs into their arm; the image may provoke a different discussion than you intended with the video

Common Core

RH.9-10.2 RH.9-10.4 RH.11-12.2 RH.11-12.4