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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can investigate the production of a mobile phone and describe some of the effects the manufacturing process has on people's lives.

      Key learning points

      1. Electronic devices have complex global supply chains.
      2. The availability of natural resources, workers and transportation costs influence the location of manufacturing.
      3. The way some products are manufactured can lead to poor working conditions for people in different parts of the world.

      Keywords

      • Supply chain - A supply chain is all of the stages involved in producing goods, transporting them and selling them to customers.

      • Natural resources - Natural resources are those that come from Earth without human influence and can be used for human needs.

      • Transport - Transport is a way of travelling between places and methods of transport include cars, buses, trains, bicycles.

      • Working conditions - Working conditions are the physical and mental conditions that people experience in their jobs.

      Common misconception

      All the parts of a mobile phone come from one country.

      The raw materials which go into making phones come from all around the world.

      Teacher tip

      You could do a roleplay activity where children have to interview each other on what it is like to work in a mobile phone factory.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What is a worker?

      a person that goes on holiday
      Correct answer: a person that earns money from doing a job
      a person that runs the country

      Q2.
      What is an electronic device?

      Correct answer: a device that uses electricity to power it to do a task
      a device that uses electricity to provide heat or light
      a device with many different components

      Q3.
      Which of the following is not a definition of a global supply chain?

      Correct answer: the producing, transporting and selling goods in one country
      the producing, transporting and selling goods in many countries
      Correct answer: the distance that food travels

      Q4.
      Which of the following is a commodity?

      beef
      Correct answer: coal
      a large amount of money

      Q5.
      Which of the following is not a manufactured good?

      flour
      wheat
      Correct answer: bread

      Q6.
      What is a supplier?

      Correct answer: a company, person, etc. that provides things that people want or need
      a company, person, etc. that buys things that people want or need
      a company, person, etc. that shares things that people want or need

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Electronic devices have complex __________ supply chains.

      local
      government
      Correct answer: global

      Q2.
      Which of these is not part of the supply chain?

      extraction of the natural resources
      Correct answer: recycling the product
      manufacturing of the different components
      assembly of the product

      Q3.
      What are natural resources?

      Correct answer: things found in nature which can be used by humans
      A large amount of money
      things that are made through the process of manufacturing (often in factories)

      Q4.
      What are working conditions?

      the place where people work
      Correct answer: the physical and mental conditions that people have to work in
      the journey to work
      the amount of money people get paid

      Q5.
      What are transportation costs?

      the cost of buying goods
      the cost of recycling goods
      Correct answer: the cost of moving goods

      Q6.
      Working conditions are in lots of phone factories

      very good
      good
      Correct answer: bad

      To help you plan your 6 geography lesson on: Patterns of production, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...