Lesson Ideas

Inquiry Tasks

• Review student prior understandings of natural resources using the presentation, What are Natural Resources, reinforcing the differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources. Assist students to apply their knowledge by using the lesson How to Read a Resource Map, developed by National Geographic. Ask students to identify major resources, how they are used in everyday consumer items, and the location of significant supplies of each resource within the United States. What spatial patterns do students notice regarding the location of resources to major cities and transportation routes? 

• Engage students in examining how natural resources are modified to make consumer goods, using the lesson, Where Did That Pencil Come From, developed by the Economics Education Council. Ask students why certain resources are considered scarce and why scarcity influences decisions about using certain natural resources. Ask students to note important characteristics of scarce resources, using Scarcity, a 3-minute videoclip from the Economic Education Council. Brainstorm a class list of scarce resources of the Northeast.  

• Ask students to consider the influence of climate of the Northeast and the availability of resources for earlier settler's needs, using the narrative, Climate and Resources. Invite student partners to view one of the states "Fifty Birds, Fifty States" videoclips (below) and share the featured natural resources from their state. Provide time for partners extend their understanding of the resources of the Northeast, using the Facts of the States, student-friendly online exhibits by National Geographic (below). Encourage students to create a comic strip (print or digital using apps such as Comic Creator by Read, Write, Think to accompany National Geographic's video series. Comics can be narrated by the state bird who describes in more depth the resources of the Northeast.  

Primary and Secondary Sources

• Fifty Birds, Fifty States, (Maine example) 4-minute videoclips, by National Geographic for Kids; provides overview and photographs of physical features and natural resources of each state.
• Facts of the States (Maine example), provided by National Geographic for Kids. 
• U.S. Resource Map, for student reference. 

Lesson Ideas

Inquiry Tasks

• Ask students to examine how physical features and climate of the Southeast provided opportunities to develop the region's natural resources, using the narratives, Geography of the Southeast and Climate and Resources, provided by O.C.S.S.  Ask students to compare close-up views of the region, using the Physical Map of the U.S. and the U.S. Resource Map, in order to make predictions of the uses and types of consumer products each resource could make. Provide time for student partners to identify specific natural resources in each of the region's states, using student-friendly resources, such as National Geographic for Kids US States or Kiddle (Alabama example).

• Ask students to examine the importance of coal, a natural resource from the Southeast region, as an energy source. Gather data from diagrams and maps to determine other uses of coal and to identify the top producing coal states. Using the narrative, Coal Mining in the Southeast, ask students to dig deeper into the extensive coal resources of the Southeast. Encourage students to explore what opportunities existed for settlers and immigrants to the Southeast, using the presentation, Working in the Coal Mines of Appalachia , provided by O.C.S.S. 

• Ask students to weigh the benefits of seashores and describe why ecosystems of such regions should be protected, using the presentation, Barrier Islands-More Than Just Beaches, provided by O.C.S.S.  Ask students to create a T-chart, noting the value of natural resources that depend on the barrier islands and the current risks of these environments. What can ordinary families do to become better stewards of our national seashores?  

• Using the lesson, Get the Dirt on Dirt, ask students to consider how soil is a major natural resources for many regions of the United States, including the Southeast. Ask students to collaboratively investigate four major soil regions of the Southeast, how they were formed, and how they are productive today for agricultural purposes. Using resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ask students why some natural resources, such as air, water, and soil are often taken for granted by Americans? 

Primary and Secondary Sources 

•  Coal Mining Data, from S & P Global; for teacher reference. 

• Coal Mining Facts for Kids, Kiddle; for student research.

• Coal Resource, Geographic Encyclopedia, National Geographic; for student reference.

• Freshwater Habitats, online exhibit by National Geographic; for student reference. 

• Soil Health, U.S.D.A, for teacher reference. 

Lesson Ideas

Inquiry Tasks

• Ask students to make connections between a region's physical features and climate to the natural resources of the Midwest, using the narratives, Geography of the Midwest and Resources of the Midwest, Encourage students to compare thematic maps, including the Physical Map of the U.S. and the U.S. Resource Map, in order to make predictions of the types of consumer products each resource of the Midwest could provide directly for students or their families.  Provide time for student partners to identify specific natural resources in each of the region's states, using student-friendly resources, such as National Geographic for Kids US States or Kiddle.

• Engage students in evaluating whether the Great Lakes is an appropriate name for the five largest inland bodies of fresh water in the Midwest. Beyond the characteristic of size, how would these lakes be considered "great"? Ask students to consider information provided in the article, Greatest Lakes of All, from Geography in the News. Based on their understandings of the possibilities associated with the Great Lakes, ask students to create a comic-book hero representing the potential of the Great Lakes or a tall tale about the Great Lakes. 

• Encourage students to examine the importance of water as a natural resource of the Midwest. Is it sometimes a scarce resource, considering only surface water and rainfall presentation, or is it a surplus resource, considering underground sources? Ask students to develop a graphic organizer of important information from the presentation, Water on the Plains, provided by OKAGE. How have student opinions about the value of water changed? Engage students in comparing the Ogallala Aquifer of the Midwest to other underground sources of water around the world.

• Ask students to consider why steel is sometimes a symbol of American industry. Brainstorm a class list of manufactured products made from steel. What natural resources are used in the steel-making process and how do humans modify these natural resources to create steel? Invite students to view the process, using Steel From Start to Finish, a 6-minute documentary by U.S. Steel, and the steel-making chart for reference. Identify on a map where iron ore- a major natural resource needed for steel- is located in the Midwest. Ask students to explain how geography of a natural resource determines locations for industrial processing plants or factories, referencing the Iron, Coal, and Cars maps.

Primary and Secondary Sources 

• Aquifers Explained, National Geographic; for student and teacher reference. 

• Soil Facts for Kids, Kiddle.

• Fresh Water Facts for Kids, Kiddle. 

• Mining on the Iron Range, Minnesota Libraries Association; for teacher reference.  

Lesson Ideas

Inquiry Tasks

• Engage students in brainstorming prior knowledge about Oklahoma's natural resources, predicting what natural resources might also be found in neighboring states of the Southwest. Measure student predictions against the information provided in the narrative, Natural Resources of the Southwest. Ask students to explain how physical features and climate of the Southwest impact the natural resources available, using the Physical Map of the U.S. and the U.S. Resource Map. Provide time for student partners to identify specific natural resources in each of the region's states, using student-friendly resources, such as National Geographic for Kids US States or Kiddle.  

• Ask students to examine the types of natural resources used to provide energy for homes, school, businesses, and factories, using the presentation, Natural Resources and Energy, provided by O.C.S.S. How significant are the energy resources of the Southwest region to our nation's future? Ask student groups to conduct investigations, gathering current news items, production maps for crude oil and natural gas, as well as reserve estimate charts or graphs, in order to respond to the question.

Primary and Secondary Sources 

• U.S. Energy Information Agency, data and charts for student research and teacher reference.

• Natural Gas and Oil Reserves, data from the US Energy Information Agency. 

• Shale Gas Facts for Kids, Kiddle; information, graphs, and charts for student research. 

• Grazing in the Arid Southwest, Grand Canyon Trust; for student research. 

Lesson Ideas

Inquiry Tasks

• Ask students to summarize the variety of opportunities for citizens of the West, in direct relationship to the natural resources of this vast region, beginning with information provided by the narrative, Natural Resources of the West. What conflicts might arise over modification of the environment in order to access and use its natural resources? Ask students to consider a case study of a community concerned over further development of its natural resources- the Wintu tribe of California. Ask students to review the importance of sovereignty of tribal governments, asking students to participate in the First Nations reader's theater. In what ways are the Wintu exercising their sovereign rights? Compare the Wintu case to the potential use of ANWR's oil in Alaska. Ask students to assume the role of governors of either state and compose a re-election campaign speech in support or opposition of further development of natural resources on tribal lands.

• Reinforce student understandings of the three types of productive resources- human, natural, and capital, using the lesson, Those Golden Jeans, from EconEd, featuring the story of Levi Strauss. Invite students to participate in the lesson's Resource Race to test their understandings. When using human labor and capital to modify resources for consumers, who should make such decisions in a democratic society? 

• Invite student groups to engage in the brief online adventures (below) of national parks of the Western region. What resources are protected in these national parks and how is their use or modification limited? Plan a visit to one of the parks and create a postcard to a friend or family member, describing the natural resources and how they are being managed by the U.S. government. 

• Encourage students to examine the importance of water to the Western states. Ask students to identify where this natural resources is abundant versus scarce, using a precipitation map. Ask students to engage in a case study of water usages for agricultural efforts, using the presentation, Water Makes a Difference: Imperial Valley, provided by O.C.S.S.  How have people of the West adapted to the climate by wisely modifying their use of limited water resources? What threatens future access to water resources? Ask students to extend their learning by analyzing the impact of population growth and transformation of rural lands to urban areas, using the presentation, Urban Sprawl from Space. Encourage students to create a class T-chart, identifying the beneficial versus wasteful uses of water resources.  

• Ask students to identify current opportunities and limitations of extracting coal resources of the West, using the presentation, Challenges in Coal Mining, provided by O.C.S.S. Ask students to create an illustrated T-chart, noting both benefits and risks of coal mining to individuals, communities, and the environment. Encourage students to investigate how coal is formed, the types of coal, and its uses. Is coal a scarce or abundant resources? Ask students to examine estimates of our nation's coal reserves and information from the U.S. Geological Survey to answer this question. Encourage student partners to develop a brochure from a major western coal mining company, recruiting investors to buy stock in coal mining operations. For brochure ideas, invite students to review how the largest company, Peabody, promotes its coal operations in the West.

Primary and Secondary Sources 

• Yellowstone Adventure, online exhibit by National Geographic for Kids 

• Yosemite Adventure, online exhibit by National Geographic for Kids 

• Denali Adventure, online exhibit by National Geographic for Kids

• Volcanoes Park, online exhibit by National Geographic for Kids

• Grand Canyon Adventure, online exhibit by National Geographic for Kids