NY Social Studies 3.9a

Social Studies3rd GradeKey Idea 3.9

The Standard

World communities use human and natural resources in different ways.

New York State K–12 Social Studies Framework

Communities meet their needs and wants in a variety of ways, forming the basis for their economy.

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify natural resources, such as water or forests, and human resources, such as farmers or builders, in selected communities. They explain how resource supply affects how people meet needs and wants, including scarcity and surplus.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given maps, photos, or short texts, students name available resources and connect each one to a use. They compare communities and explain why one may have too much or too little of a resource.
Common Misconceptions: Students may label finished products, such as bread, as natural resources. They may think human resources means population rather than workers and skills. They may think scarcity means none exists or surplus means the supply is unlimited.
How to Assess It: A town catches more fish than it needs but cannot grow enough vegetables on its small farms. Ask students to identify the surplus and scarcity and suggest a trade.

Lesson moves

Give groups resource, worker, need, and want cards to sort, match, and connect for two world communities.
Ask students to write: “How would life change if your community had very little clean water?”
Play a trading game where groups exchange resource cards to meet assigned community needs before time runs out.
Examine food packages and trace one ingredient to its natural source, workers, and community of origin.

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