Global Explorers: Our Changing World · 6th Class · People and Settlement · Summer Term

Resources and Development

Investigate the relationship between natural resources, economic development, and human well-being.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Human Environments
• NCCA: Primary - Trade and Development

About This Topic

Resources and Development examines how natural resources affect economic growth and human well-being. Students distinguish renewable resources, like solar power and fisheries, which regenerate over time, from non-renewable ones, such as oil and coal, which diminish with use. They explore how resource abundance can spur industries and jobs in places like Ireland, with its wind farms and agriculture, yet also create challenges in balancing extraction with sustainability.

This topic supports NCCA Primary Human Environments and Trade and Development standards by building skills in analyzing maps of resource distribution and evaluating development indicators like GDP and Human Development Index. Students investigate the resource curse, where countries rich in minerals or oil, such as Nigeria, face poverty and conflict due to corruption, environmental damage, and economic over-dependence, contrasting with diversified economies like Norway.

Active learning benefits this topic through collaborative mapping and role-play simulations. Students physically sort resources, debate trade-offs, and track Ireland's green transitions, turning complex global patterns into personal insights that spark discussions on fair development.

Key Questions

1. Analyze how the availability of natural resources influences a country's development.
2. Differentiate between renewable and non-renewable resources.
3. Evaluate the concept of resource curse in resource-rich developing nations.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how the distribution of specific natural resources, such as rare earth minerals or fertile land, impacts a nation's economic development strategies.
• Differentiate between renewable resources like wind and solar energy and non-renewable resources such as natural gas, explaining the implications of each for long-term sustainability.
• Evaluate the 'resource curse' phenomenon by comparing economic and social indicators in resource-rich developing nations with those in countries with diversified economies.
• Explain the relationship between natural resource availability, industrialization, and human well-being indicators like the Human Development Index (HDI).
• Compare the environmental and economic trade-offs associated with extracting and utilizing different types of natural resources.

Before You Start

Mapping Skills and Geographical Features

Why: Students need to be able to interpret maps to understand the global distribution of natural resources.

Introduction to Economics: Supply and Demand

Why: A basic understanding of how resources are valued and traded is helpful for grasping economic development concepts.

Key Vocabulary

Natural Resources	Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.
Renewable Resources	Resources that can be replenished naturally over time, such as solar energy, wind, water, and biomass.
Non-renewable Resources	Resources that exist in finite quantities and are consumed much faster than they can be regenerated, such as fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and minerals.
Economic Development	The process by which a nation improves the economic, political, and social well-being of its people, often measured by indicators like GDP and HDI.
Resource Curse	A situation where a country with an abundance of valuable natural resources experiences little or no economic development, and may suffer from corruption, conflict, and environmental degradation.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Countries with many natural resources are always wealthy and happy.

What to Teach Instead

The resource curse shows how oil or minerals can cause conflict and corruption, stalling broad development. Mapping activities and comparisons between Nigeria and Ireland help students see diversification's role, as peer discussions challenge simplistic views.

Common Misconception

All natural resources renew quickly or last forever.

What to Teach Instead

Renewable resources like timber regrow with care, but non-renewable ones like coal deplete permanently on human timescales. Hands-on sorting and depletion simulations make the difference concrete, prompting students to rethink everyday uses.

Common Misconception

Economic development only involves building more factories and roads.

What to Teach Instead

True development includes health, education, and environment alongside GDP. Role-plays of stakeholder decisions reveal trade-offs, helping students value sustainable paths through group evaluations.

Active Learning Ideas

Sorting Stations: Renewable vs Non-Renewable

Prepare cards with images and descriptions of resources like wind, oil, forests, and gold. In small groups, students sort them into renewable and non-renewable categories, then justify choices with evidence from readings. Groups share one example with the class.

30 min·Small Groups

Mapping Challenge: Resources and Wealth

Provide world maps and data sheets on resource types and HDI scores. Pairs plot major resources and color-code countries by development level, then discuss patterns like clustering of oil-rich but low-HDI nations. Present findings on posters.

45 min·Pairs

Debate Circle: Resource Curse Dilemma

Divide class into teams representing governments, companies, and communities. Pose scenarios like oil discovery in a poor country; teams debate extraction pros and cons using prepared facts. Vote and reflect on sustainable choices.

40 min·Whole Class

Jigsaw: Ireland and Nigeria

Assign expert groups one case study with resources, economy, and challenges. Experts teach their peers via jigsaw rotation, then whole class compares using a shared chart to identify resource curse signs.

35 min·Small Groups

Real-World Connections

• The development of offshore wind farms in counties like Galway, Ireland, directly links natural wind resources to job creation in engineering and maintenance, contributing to national energy targets.
• Countries like Saudi Arabia, rich in oil reserves, have used this resource to fund significant infrastructure projects and social programs, illustrating how resource wealth can drive development, though with potential over-reliance.
• The Democratic Republic of Congo's vast mineral wealth, including cobalt essential for batteries, has unfortunately been associated with the 'resource curse,' marked by conflict and challenges in equitable distribution of benefits.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Provide students with a list of resources (e.g., solar power, diamonds, timber, wind, coal). Ask them to categorize each as renewable or non-renewable and write one sentence explaining their choice for two of the items.

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'Imagine a small island nation discovers a large deposit of rare earth minerals. What are two potential positive outcomes for their development, and two potential negative outcomes related to the 'resource curse'?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to support their points with examples.

Exit Ticket

On a slip of paper, have students write the name of one country they learned about that is rich in natural resources. Then, ask them to identify one way those resources have influenced its economic development and one challenge it faces.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the resource curse and real examples?

The resource curse describes how abundant non-renewable resources hinder growth through corruption, conflict, and neglect of other sectors. Examples include Nigeria, rich in oil yet facing poverty, versus Norway, which invests oil wealth wisely in a sovereign fund. Teach with timelines and charts to show long-term effects on well-being.

How to teach renewable vs non-renewable resources in 6th class?

Use visuals and tactile sorting: classify items like sun, coal, rivers into categories with definitions. Follow with Ireland examples, such as wave energy (renewable) and peat (non-renewable). Extend to sustainability by having students propose school actions, like reducing plastic use.

What role do natural resources play in Ireland's development?

Ireland relies on renewables like wind, agriculture, and fisheries, plus past peat use. Students map these against EU data to see shifts toward green economy for jobs and exports. This builds pride in national progress while highlighting conservation needs.

How can active learning help students grasp resources and development?

Active methods like resource sorting stations, world mapping in pairs, and debate circles make abstract links between resources, economy, and well-being concrete. Students handle data, negotiate scenarios, and share insights, deepening understanding of sustainability. These approaches fit NCCA emphases on inquiry, boosting engagement and critical skills over rote learning.