Social Studies · Grade 3

Active learning ideas

Ontario's Natural Resources

Students learn best about natural resources when they can see, touch, and experience the concepts firsthand. Ontario’s resources are part of daily life, but their origins and limits are often invisible. Active learning helps students connect classroom content to real-world systems and see how resources shape communities and economies in the province.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: People and Environments: Living and Working in Ontario - Grade 3

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 40 min · Individual

Simulation Game: The Mining Challenge

Students use 'cookie mining' (using a toothpick to remove chocolate chips) to simulate the difficulty of extracting minerals while trying to keep the 'land' (the cookie) intact. They discuss the costs and the environmental impact.

Differentiate between the natural resources found in Northern versus Southern Ontario.

Facilitation Tip

During The Mining Challenge, circulate with a small bag of 'ore' samples (e.g., gravel with hidden 'gold' pieces) to keep students engaged while modeling safe mining techniques.

What to look for

Provide students with a map of Ontario. Ask them to label three different natural resources and indicate whether they are more commonly found in the North or South of the province. For example, 'Nickel - North'.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Whole Class

Gallery Walk: Where Does it Come From?

Display everyday items (a pencil, a nickel, a glass of water, a cereal box). Students move around to guess which Ontario natural resource was used to make each item and where in the province it might have come from.

Explain the process of transforming raw materials into finished products.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, assign each student or pair a resource type so they can focus on researching and presenting one specific area of expertise.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine the province ran out of all its timber. What are two jobs that would be difficult to do, and why?' Encourage students to think about the products made from wood.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Renewable vs. Non-Renewable

Students are given cards with different resources. They must decide with a partner if the resource can 'grow back' or if it is 'gone once it's used,' then sort them on a class board.

Predict the economic and environmental consequences if a major natural resource becomes depleted.

Facilitation Tip

In Renewable vs. Non-Renewable, provide examples tied to Ontario (e.g., hydroelectric dams for renewable, nickel mines for non-renewable) to ground the discussion in local context.

What to look for

On a small piece of paper, have students draw one raw natural resource and one finished product made from it. Below their drawing, they should write one sentence explaining how the resource was transformed.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should emphasize the geographic distribution of resources to avoid the misconception that resources are only found in remote areas. Using local examples helps students see connections to their own lives. Avoid presenting resources as static; instead, highlight how extraction and use impact ecosystems and communities. Research shows that hands-on simulations and mapping activities increase retention of geographic and economic concepts related to natural resources.

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying Ontario’s three major natural resources, explaining their locations, and discussing their uses and limits. Students should also recognize the importance of sustainable management and how resources support jobs and industries across the province.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During The Mining Challenge, watch for students assuming the pile of 'ore' will never run out.

  After the simulation, have students calculate the percentage of remaining resources on their 'mining claim' and discuss how real-world mining operations use similar estimates to plan for future extraction.

• During the Gallery Walk, watch for students assuming all resources are only found in Northern Ontario.

  Ask students to add sticky notes to the map showing examples of Southern Ontario resources like fertile soil for farming or water for hydroelectric power, emphasizing the province’s diversity.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share