LESSON 6: Mystery Workers
An update and extension of Lesson 6, "Mystery Workers" from Master Curriculum Guide in Economics--Teaching Strategies K-2.
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Grades 2-3

Introduction

This lesson is designed to review the concepts of goods, services, and producers that were introduced in the lesson, Mystery Workers. It then extends the lesson by teaching students about the productive resources producers use to produce goods and provide services.

Productive resources are divided into three categories: natural, human, and capital. Natural resources, also collectively called "land," are "gifts from nature" that have not been altered by human hands. Human resources, also called labor, represent the quantity and quality of human effort directed toward production. Capital resources are goods made by people and used to produce other goods and services.

Content Standards: 1

Concepts:

• Good
• Service
• Producer
• Natural Resources
• Human Resources
• Capital Resources

Objectives:

• Identify producers as workers who produce goods and provide services for consumers.
• Identify the productive resources producers use.
• Define the three kinds of productive resources as natural resources, human resources, and capital resources.
• Provide examples of each type of productive resource.

Lesson Description:

In this lesson students review the concepts of goods, services, and producers using the internet to locate examples of each in a teacher's classroom. They learn about the three kinds of resources necessary to produce goods and provide services locating examples from a picture tour of the Crayola Factory. Through interviews they learn about the work of the people in their families and draw conclusions from their findings. Finally, they examine a picture of a farmer working in a field to identify examples of natural, human, and capital resources.

Part 1

Review with students the definition of goods. Tell them that a good is an object that can satisfy people's wants. Ask students for examples of goods that might be used in a classroom. (book, chalk, eraser, pencil, paper, desk, chair)

Direct students to www.mrsperkins.com.

Instruct students to look at the pictures of Mrs. Perkins classroom and students. Ask them to look for examples of goods. (This site changes from time to time so examples will vary.) In this activity, tell students to match each good that they might find in a classroom with its description. Instruct students to drag each good to the correct description.

Review the answers with the students. [soccer ball, t-shirt, book, chair.]

Direct students to look at the pictures of goods displayed on the screen in the following activity. Instruct students to drag the good to the correct riddle.

Review student answers. [scissors, hose, crayons, hose, book, apples]

Part 2

Review services. Tell students that a service is an activity or action that satisfies people's wants. Ask students what service each of the following workers provide:

• School bus driver [transportation]
• School cafeteria workers [preparation of lunch]
• Teacher [education]
• School nurse [medical help]
• School custodian [cleans the school]

Direct students to http://teacher.scholastic.com/commclub/

Divide students into groups and assign each group one of the following workers:

• mayor,
• librarian,
• firefighter,
• pediatrician,
• police officer,
• pizza maker,
• veterinarian.

Instruct students to print a copy of Activity 1. Ask each group to find out what service their worker provides and record the information on Activity 1.

Have groups share their findings.

Part 3

Tell students that workers who provide goods and services are called producers. Instruct them to match each of the producers with the good or service they provide by dragging the picture of the good or service next to the name of the producer in the activity.

Instruct students to print a copy of Activity 2. Ask students to interview one adult using the questions on Activity 2. Have students record the answers on the activity sheet Have students share their interviews.

Make a chart similar to the one below. Ask students for examples of workers who produce goods and those who provide services. Record answers in the chart.

Help students draw some conclusions from the interviews. One conclusion might be that most of the workers in our community provide a service.

Part 4

Tell students that producers use resources to make goods or provide services. There are three types of resources. These are natural, human, and capital.

Explain that natural resources are gifts of nature that are untouched by human hands and that can be used to produce goods we want. Ask students for examples of natural resources. (sunlight, tree, land, coal, oil, water)

Explain that human resources, also called labor, are the people who do the work. Ask students to identify some human resources in the school. (teacher, librarian, principal, secretary, custodian, cafeteria worker)

Define capital resources as goods made by man and used to make other goods or to provide services. Tell students that a hammer is a capital resource. Ask students for examples of capital resources they use in the classroom each day. (pencils, scissors, table, chair)

Tell students to look at the picture of the construction site. Ask them to click on a natural resource in the picture. Then, they should click on a capital resource. Latell them to click on a human resource.

Direct students to http://www.crayola.com/factory/preview/factory_floor/crayon_mfg.htm.

Working in pairs, have students locate examples of natural, human, and capital resources. Remind students that natural resources are "gifts of nature" that have not been changed by people. Point out to students that it is very hard to find examples of natural resources and you could only find one. Instruct students to print a copy of Activity 3. Have students record their answers on Activity 3.

Review student answers.

• Natural - water used as coolant
• Human - workers who run the machines
• Capital - any of the machines used such as labeling, molding, and mixing machines

Closure

Use the following discussion questions to review the key points of the lesson:

1. What is a good?
   [An object that satisfies a person's want] Give an example.
2. What is a service?
   [An activity or action that satisfies a person's wants] Give an example.
3. What is a producer?
   [Someone who makes a good or provides a service to satisfy wants]
4. What do producers use to make their goods or to provide services?
   [resources]
5. What is a natural resource?
   [gifts of nature]
   What is an example of a natural resource?
   [water, land, tree]
6. What is a human resource?
   [people who do the physical and mental work.]
   What is an example of a human resource?
   [teacher, truck driver, gardener, pilot]
7. What is a capital resource?
   [man-made goods used to produce a good or provide a service]
8. What is an example of a capital resource?
   [tools, factories, machines]

Assessment

Direct students to look at the picture below. Instruct students to print a copy of Activity 4. Tell them to study the picture to find information to complete Activity 4.

[Answers for Activity 4: natural: farm land, human: farm worker, capital: tractor]

Extensions

Read the story Roxaboxen by Barbara Cooney. Ask students to create their own name for a community and have each one think of a good or a service they could provide to community members.

View the video program "Production," from Econ & Me and use the discussion questions in the Teacher's Guide.