Natural Resources

By Moira Whitehouse PhD

Natural resources

a. are made by man in factoriesb. come from naturec. are things than man usesd. both a and be. both b and c

•Remember the web we made yesterday in which we identified the categories (groups) of natural resources used by man.

•Which categories can you remember?

•Remember one group of resources that we use for energy has three different types.

•Complete the web on the following page.

Why is air (the Earth’s atmosphere) important to us?

•Air has oxygen…and we need oxygen to survive.•Plants need carbon dioxide to make their food. The energy stored in plants is passed through the food chain to us.

What important things do we get from plants?

1. Food We eat many different kinds of plants or parts of plants.

The main ingredients in bread, cereals, pasta, cakes, cookie, etc.

wheat corn

come from plants such as wheat, corn, oats and rice.

We also eat many plant parts such as the fruits and vegetables seen in these pictures.

2. Oxygen--when plants make food they also put oxygen in the air.

3. Clothes Many of our clothes and towels and sheets are made from cotton which comes from a plant..

cotton plant(s)

Trees (plants) are cut down for lumber and paper.

4. Paper and lumber

Some tires and soles of athletic shoes are made from the sap from a rubber tree.

5. Rubber

Sap being collected from a rubber tree

What important things do we get from animals?

1. Food

2. Leather for our shoes

3. Feathers for our pillows

•And many other things.

Why is water important to us?

1. To drin k.

Up to 60 % of the human body is made up of water.

2. For cleaning our clothes, our bodies and our homes.

3. For watering our plants

•And for many other things

Why is soil important to us?

1. For growing plants

Without soil we could not grow plants.

2. For making glass…sand, a type of soil, is the main ingredient in glass.

To change sand into glass, it must be melted. Sand melts at a very high temperatures—between 2600-2900 degrees F.

3. Sand and clay, two types of soil, are also important ingredients in concrete. or cement.

Concrete is often used for making large buildings and sidewalks.

4. Clay is a type of soil used to make bricks and tiles.

Tile made from clay

What important ways do we use rocks and minerals (the substances that make up rocks)?

1. We use rocks to build houses, walls, patios, countertops and statues.

All made from rock

2. Sheet rock is made from the mineral, gypsum.

Minerals make up rocks.

3. Metals come from minerals found in rocks buried deep underground

.

Aluminum comes from the mineral, alumina, Alumina is found in the rock called bauxite.

Here are two minerals that contain copper.

Copper comes from many different minerals.

Here are some of the minerals that contain iron.

Here is one of the minerals that contain zinc.

Do you know some of the things we use metals for?

Metals are very important to man

We use metals for making many things such as:

•cars, trucks, airplanes

•wire, tools, pipes

•Frames for large buildings

•Roofs

We also use metals for:

• bridges

Fossil fuels are another important natural resource.

Can you name the three fossil fuels?

natural gascrude oil or petroleum

coal

And where are they found in nature?

Usually underground.

Oil well Natural gas well

coal mine

What do we use fossil fuels for?

1. We use fossil fuels to power our cars, trucks, buses, and tractors.

Crude oil is a mixture of several substances that we use for fuel.

Steam

Often, coal or natural gas is burned to heat water. The water changes into steam which turns a turbine which then turns a coil of wire inside a magnet generating electricity.

2. We also burn fossil fuels to generate electricity.

Large generators produce the electricity we use in our homes, schools and work places.

3. Crude oil is also used to make many things that we value.

Do you know what important material is made from crude oil or petroleum?

Yes—plastic. Think of all the things you know of that are made of plastic.

We also use crude oil to make polyester clothes including fleece.

The Sun is another valuable natural resource.

What two kinds of energy does the Sun givethe Earth?

li

h

Yes, the Sun gives us heat and light energy.

The Sun’s energy can also be changed into electrical energy using solar panels.

Wind is also an important resource for us.

Do you remember what causes the wind?

Yes wind is caused by the uneven heating of the Earth by the Sun.

Wind can also be used to generate electricity.

So let’s name the common natural resources.

• plants• animals• oxygen in air• water• soil• rocks and minerals in rocks• three fossil fuels—coal, crude oil, natural gas• sun• wind