LESSON 6: Mystery Workers
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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.

Part 1

A good is an object that can satisfy people's wants. Can you think of some examples of goods that are used in the classroom?

Visit www.mrsperkins.com.

Look at the pictures of Mrs. Perkins classroom and students. Look for examples of goods in the classroom. Complete the sentences in the activity with examples of goods that you might find in a classroom.

Look at the pictures of goods displayed on the screen in the following activity. Read each riddle and drag each picture that answers the riddle.

Part 2

A service is an activity or action that satisfies people's wants. Visit http://teacher.scholastic.com/commclub. All these people provide a service.

Your teacher will put you in a group and assign a worker to your group. Print a copy of Activity 1. Work with your group to find out what service your worker provides and answer the questions in Activity 1.

Part 3

Workers who provide goods and services are called producers. 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.

Print a copy of Activity 2. Interview one adult using the questions on Activity 2. Record the answers on the activity sheet.

Share your interview with your class.

Part 4

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

Natural resources are gifts of nature that are untouched by human hands and that can be used to produce goods we want. What are some examples of natural resources?

Human resources, also called labor, are the people who do the work. Identify some human resources in your school.

Capital resources are goods made by man and used to make other goods or to provide services. A hammer is a capital resource. What are some examples of capital resources that you use in the classroom each day?

Look at the picture of the construction site. Click on a picture of a natural resource, capital resource and then a human resource.

Visit http://www.crayola.com/factory/preview/factory_floor/crayon_mfg.htm.

Working with a partner, locate examples of natural, human, and capital resources.Print a copy of Activity 3. Record your answers on Activity 3.

Closure

Think about the answer to each of the following questions:

1. What is a good?
2. What is a service?
3. What is a producer?
4. What do producers use to make their goods or to provide services?
5. What is a natural resource?
   What is an example of a natural resource?
6. What is a human resource?
   What is an example of a human resource?
   
7. What is a capital resource?
8. What is an example of a capital resource?

Assessment

Look at the picture below. Print a copy of Activity 4Study the picture to find information to complete Activity 4.