One of twelve instructional units in the Native American Career Education (NACE) program, this unit is intended to help Indian junior high school students understand the steps involved in making a product. Focus is on the subject areas of economics, lumber and furniture industries, and woodworking. The first two activities concern the nature of symbol systems, and how to read and construct a chart which breaks a task into steps and shows the relationship between steps. The third activity features a story about the construction of a cradleboard by a Navajo man as the basis for identifying steps in production by a single person. In the fourth and fifth activities, the production of an item in a technological setting is followed and the steps of production and occupations involved are analyzed. Each activity includes objectives, student materials, and suggestions to the teacher on how to use them. The activities include several exercises which consist of readings, questions to answer, games, simulations, project instructions, and other learning activities. Each activity is followed by suggestions for ways of extending learning and, where appropriate, additional resources are described. Student materials may be used as master co*ies for reproduction or as models for material development. A test designed to measure student mastery of the main objectives is included with each unit, along with an answer key. (A guide for the whole twelve-unit program is also available--CE 014 035.) (TA)