Ontario's Natural ResourcesActivities & Teaching Strategies
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.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify the primary natural resources found in Ontario, including minerals, timber, and water.
- 2Compare the distribution of key natural resources in Northern Ontario versus Southern Ontario.
- 3Explain the basic steps involved in transforming raw natural resources into finished products.
- 4Predict potential economic and environmental consequences of natural resource depletion.
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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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Flexible space for group stations
Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker
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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Teaching This Topic
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.
What to Expect
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.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring The Mining Challenge, watch for students assuming the pile of 'ore' will never run out.
What to Teach Instead
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.
Common MisconceptionDuring the Gallery Walk, watch for students assuming all resources are only found in Northern Ontario.
What to Teach Instead
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.
Assessment Ideas
After The Mining Challenge, provide students with a blank map of Ontario and ask them to label three resources and mark whether they are primarily found in the North or South.
During Renewable vs. Non-Renewable, listen for students to connect specific examples (e.g., hydroelectric power as renewable, nickel as non-renewable) to products they use daily, such as kitchen appliances or electronics.
After the Gallery Walk, collect students’ maps and have them complete a short reflection: 'Choose one resource shown today. Write one sentence about why it is important to Ontario’s economy and one sentence about how we can protect it.'
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask students to research a specific mineral mined in Ontario and create a one-page fact sheet including its uses, environmental impacts, and current mining locations in the province.
- Scaffolding: Provide a partially completed map of Ontario with labels for major cities and physical features to help students focus on resource locations rather than map drawing.
- Deeper exploration: Invite a guest speaker from a local conservation authority or mining company to discuss sustainable practices and career opportunities in resource management.
Key Vocabulary
| Natural Resource | Materials found in nature that people can use, such as minerals, trees, and water. |
| Mineral | A solid substance found in the earth's crust that is not a plant or animal, like gold, nickel, or salt. |
| Timber | Wood from trees that is used for building and making things. |
| Hydroelectric Power | Electricity generated from the energy of moving water, often using dams. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for Social Studies
5E Model
The 5E Model structures lessons through five phases (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate), guiding students from curiosity to deep understanding through inquiry-based learning.
Unit PlannerThematic Unit
Organize a multi-week unit around a central theme or essential question that cuts across topics, texts, and disciplines, helping students see connections and build deeper understanding.
RubricSingle-Point Rubric
Build a single-point rubric that defines only the "meets standard" level, leaving space for teachers to document what exceeded and what fell short. Simple to create, easy for students to understand.
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