What do you use to make what you need? Resources! Students will explore the three kinds of resources producers use to create the products the use and sell.
Students will be able to define and compare natural, capital, and human resources and identify those used by the Ox-Cart Man to produce his goods.
Introduction
(10 minutes)
Begin the lesson by asking the students if they know what a resource is. Call on a few students who want to make educated guesses.
After some discussion, define resource as a thing we use to get or make what we need.
Explain that there are different kinds of resources that help our community flourish: natural resources, capital resources, and human resources.
Ask your class if anyone can guess what a natural resource is. After a few answers, explain that a natural resource is a material or substance that comes from nature, and is used to produce a good or product. Give your class some examples of natural resources. For example: trees, water, land, rocks, etc.
Challenge your students to define a capital resource. After some guessing, define a capital resource as a thing that's made and used to produce other goods and services. Give your class some examples of capital resources. For example: tools, buildings, machines, equipment, etc.
Finally, ask your class what a human resource is. Define human resource as the people and effort used to produce goods and services. Give your class some examples of human resources. For example: doctors, cashiers, farmers, factory workers, etc.
Explain that today, the class will be listening to a story about a man whose family uses all three kinds of resources to create many products.