Natural Resource Lesson Plans

Students investigate natural resources and man-made items. In this earth science lesson, students classify items from trash into man-made items or natural resources. Students construct a flow chart to investigate the life cycle of a man-made object or natural resource.

First graders identify natural resources and place items into the proper category. They complete a Natural Resources Chart and draw things listed on the chart. After walking the school grounds, 1st graders write and draw about things they found and categorize the natural resource from which they was made.

Fourth graders study Ohio's natural resources and commercial manufacturing. In this commercial manufacturing lesson, 4th graders examine the natural resources of Ohio, and determine how they let the state participate in domestic and international trade. They make paper, research mass production of paper, and complete all pre and post-assessments.

Fourth graders discover natural resources on our planet by examining photographs.  In this farming and fishing lesson, 4th graders investigate the geography of New England and its history of cod fishing.  Students identify the resources in historic photographs as natural, unnatural, renewable or non-renewable.

Students investigate U.S. Geography by creating a map in class. In this natural resource activity, students create a map of the United States and research the Northeast based on their resources and recyclable materials.  Students utilize the Internet to help identify all waterways.

Students differentiate between natural resources and man-made items. In this natural resources lesson, students chart resources from seven pictures. Students explain how each natural resource is used.

Students identify which parts of the earth are solids, liquids or gases. They discover the need to conserve natural resources. They examine different products and what materials are used to make them.

Young scholars define productive, capital, human and natural resources and intermediate goods, then classify these things by how they are used in a production process. In this resources/goods lesson plan, students listen to the story The Goat in the Rug and play a match game based on this story.

Natural resources are discussed in this lesson. Learners watch a PowerPoint about this topic. Next, they rotate through centers with information about natural resources, including trees, coal, natural gas, water, oil, the sun, and water. This activity could lead to a discussion of the environment and conservation.  

Students explore various animals, habitats, objects and pictures of objects found in the environment that introduce and reinforce the concepts of natural resources and their uses. This lesson uses a variety of modalities and learning centers to support the different learning styles of students.