Trade Fair

Trade Fair or Fair Trade??

Excitedly waiting for the results, we sat, watching as Mrs. Lucchese rolled the giant bulletin board into the room. We caught our breath, saw what was written, and cheered: "TRADE FAIR!!!" 

At Eastwood Elementary, the 6th grade trade fair was a right of passage. All year long, the students wait until the infamous giant green bulletin board is rolled into the classroom and Mrs. Lucchese, one of the Social Studies teachers, announces that they will be putting on a trade fair for the school. When I was at Eastwood, my group spent three weeks creating a booth, making various arts and crafts, and anticipating the day we could bust out our newly learned bartering skills. 

The whole point of this activity was to make us students aware of the concepts of fair trade. Fair trade is  an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to exporters as well as higher social and environmental standards. Mrs. Lucchese decided that the students should know the importance of trade, not just in a traditional sense like we practiced earlier this year in E325, but that we knew the significance trade has in modern society.

However, thinking back on E325 this semester and my 6th grade experience, I now know how to involve my students in an activity that is both fun and educational.


Here are some links to great fair trade organizations: