Lesson Plan: The Microchip Industry

Interest in Topic

Tufts University professor Chris Miller discussed his interest in the history of microchip technology & how it has become the most critically-needed technology globally. He was interviewed by Democratic Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT).

Description

This lesson focuses on the modern microchip industry and its impact on international economics and foreign relations. The lesson, which features Tufts University professor Chris Miller and Representative Jim Himes (D-CT), opens with reflective questions that ask students to consider the roles and prevalence of electronic devices in today's world. Students then access a Google Doc vocabulary chart to review and define key terms in preparation for learning about the microchip industry. From there, students access a Google Slides document that contains 11 video clips & one writing prompt and is divided into five sections. The video clips touch upon topics such as the strategic vulnerabilities of microchips, forms of technological innovation, potential conflict in Asia and the impact on the microchip supply chain, the impact of the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, and the future of the industry. After sharing their findings and new learning with their peers, the lesson concludes with students responding to a summative writing prompt that asks them to consider the present and potential future impact of the microchip industry on their lives.

Procedures

  • SET UP

    This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

    You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handouts and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

    You can also save and share the following Google resources for students to use with this lesson.

    Handout: Vocabulary Chart (Google Doc).

    Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Slides).

    In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

  • WARM UP

    Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students, directing them to record their responses in their notebooks or on a piece of paper, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

    • What electronic devices do you use each day?
    • How would your life be affected if those devices no longer existed?
  • VOCABULARY

    Provide your students access to the Vocabulary Chart (Google Doc). Direct your students to view and define the vocabulary terms listed on the chart, and which are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.

    Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson. Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

  • VIDEO CLIPS AND QUESTIONS

    Next, provide your students access to the Graphic Organizer (Google Slides). This portion of the lesson contains 11 video clips & one writing prompt and is divided into the following five sections: 1.) Introduction, 2.) Vulnerabilities, 3.) Innovation, 4.) Conflict, and 5.) Conclusion.

    Have your students progress through the slides, clicking on each link to view each video clip. As the clip plays, your students should take notes and record their responses to each question listed on each slide.

  • Clip #1: Interest in Microchips (1:52).

    • What “prompted” Chris Miller’s research into microchips?
    • What did Miller “come to realize?”
    • What two pieces of information did Miller “put together” in his research?
    • What is at the “core” of globalization?
  • Clip #2: Chips as Oil (2:58).

    • What “analogy” does Chris Miller draw?
    • What does the “typical person” not realize?
    • How are microchips as “ubiquitous” as oil?
    • Based on the clip, what is the difference between microchips and oil?
  • Clip #3: Strategic Vulnerabilities (4:53).

    • What “perfect precision” occurred in 1991 and how did other countries react?
    • What percentage of microchips are currently produced for “defense?”
    • What are militaries increasingly “reliant” upon?
    • According to Chris Miller and Rep. Jim Himes, what has occurred during the Russo-Ukrainian War?
  • Clip #4: The Internet of Things (2:00).

    • What is the “Internet of Things?”
    • According to Rep. Jim Himes, what can happen to microchips?
    • Summarize Chris Miller’s comparison between hardware and software.
    • What does Miller “worry a lot more about?” Why?
  • Clip #5: Competing Innovation (4:02).

    • Compare each “model” of innovation.
    • What is the U.S. trying to “accomplish,” and how does this compare to other countries?
    • Which “method” is more effective? Why?
    • What “challenge” does the U.S. face?
  • Clip #6: Forms of Innovation (8:09).

    • What is the “reality” of the origins of the U.S. microchip industry?
    • Summarize the “balance” of the development of the U.S. microchip market.
    • What “benefits” come from governmental research?
    • According to Chris Miller, what is Moore’s Law and how may it impact the future?
  • Clip #7: Conflict in Asia (10:03).

    • Summarize the “dire scenario” that Rep. Jim Himes describes.
    • Describe the “importance” of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TMSC) and the nation as a whole.
    • Why can’t issues be “easily remedied,” and how can isolation pose problems?
    • What is “mutually assured destruction,” and how does “integration” impact the microchip issue?
  • Clip #8: Push Back (5:40).

    • On what does Rep. Jim Himes “push back?”
    • What does Himes mean when he says that “chips are fundamentally different than oil?”
    • Summarize what Chris Miller says about Himes’ three “profound strategic differences.”
    • What do policymakers need to “understand?”
  • Clip #9: CHIPS and Science Act (6:24).

    • What impact will the CHIPS Act (2022) have on supply chains, according to Chris Miller?
    • Describe the two “risks” that still exist.
    • What “important steps” does the CHIPS Act make, and what is “key” to understanding the Act?
    • Describe the current and future “impact” of the CHIPS Act.
  • Clip #10: What Else Should We Be Doing? (2:41).

    • According to Chris Miller, what should be mapped out? Why?
    • Based on the clip, how many different steps does it take to make a microchip?
    • Summarize the second suggestion that Miller offers.
    • What “positive sign” has occurred in recent years?
  • Clip #11: Future of the Industry (1:54).

    • Why will the industry need to turn to “alternative paradigms of computing?”
    • Based on the clip, what potential alternatives already exist?
    • According to Chris Miller, what is important for the U.S. as a country to think about?
  • CLOSURE

    After watching all 11 clips and recording their responses to each question, have your students prepare to share their findings with their classmates.

    Then, have your students complete the following writing prompt on the final slide, using evidence from the lesson in their responses: Having now learned about the past and present microchip industry, describe its present and potential future impact on your life. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.

Additional Resources

Vocabulary

  • Capitalist
  • Chips And Science Act (2022)
  • Data
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diversification
  • Geopolitical
  • Globalization
  • Gross Domestic Product
  • Hack
  • Hardware
  • Internet Of Things
  • Labor
  • Microchip
  • Moore’s Law
  • Mutually Assured Destruction
  • Nationalization
  • Russo Ukrainian War (2014-present)
  • Semiconductor
  • Software
  • Supply Chain
  • Taiwan Strait
  • Transistor

Topics

Economics & Financial LiteracyForeign PolicyScience & Technology

Grades

Middle SchoolHigh SchoolUniversity