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Economis Mini-Lesson: Human & Capital Resources (Grades 1-4)
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Adapted from the lesson, Beatrice’s Goat, by Beth Vander Kolk © Powell Center for Economic Literacy
Suggested Target Age: Grades 1-4
Topics Covered: human resources, natural resources, philanthropy
Time required: approximately 20 minutes
What Will the Students Learn?
That quantity and quality of resources impact living standards
The definition of human resources: the health, education, experience, training, skills and values of people
The definition of natural resources: the gifts of nature that can be used to produce goods and services
The definition of income: payments earned by households for selling their productive resources. It may include salaries, wages, interest, and dividends
How giving resources can help others improve their standard of living
State Content Standards Key
California: History/Social Science 2.4. (subpoint 3)
Florida: SS.D.1.1 (subpoints 1 and 2), SS.D.1.2 (subpoints 1 and 2)
Indiana: Social Studies (Economics) 1.4.1, 1.4.2, 2.4.1
Virginia: Economics: 1.7, 2.7, 3.7; CE.3, CE.9, CE.10, CE.11, CE.12
Materials Required:
NOTE: This lesson can be done without computers/Internet access, or with the optional ending activity that requires a computer, Internet access, and an LCD projector.
Lesson Overview:
Beatrice’s Goat is the true story of a young Ugandan girl and her family whose lives are impacted by the gift of a female goat from Heifer International. When Beatrice’s mother entrusts the goat’s care to her, she learns it can provide milk for both the family’s own consumption and for sale to the community. The value of the gift is multiplied as the goat bears two offspring. Beatrice carefully saves the money she earns from selling the goat’s milk until it is enough to realize her long-held dream of attending school. According to the book’s Afterword by Hillary Clinton, “It is a heartwarming reminder that families, wherever they live, can change their lives for the better. To do it, they need three things: resources, training, and community support.” The book illustrates how the gift of just one additional resource is multiplied by a family’s hard work, and provides much-needed nutrition and a new source of income.
Lesson Plan:
Introductory Activity: Ask the children what words come to their minds when they think of the continent of Africa. (You may want to have a globe or a world map on hand to point out to the children where Uganda is.) The students’ answers will vary [some may mention the desert or the jungle, safaris, large animals like giraffes and elephants, poverty, a faraway place, a place where missionaries are] Tell them that today you are going to read them a story about a girl from Uganda, which is a country in Africa. Then ask them what some of their favorite Christmas presents have been. When a few students have described their favorite gifts, ask them how they would like to get a goat for Christmas. Hopefully this will make them laugh, as they probably have little use for a goat. Tell them in the story the Ugandan girl gets a gift of a goat and she and her family are very, very happy about that.
1. Tell them that before you read aloud the story, you want to talk to them about some new words you have for them to learn. Write up on the board the following terms: human resources, capital resources.
2. Define each term for the children (see above for correct definitions – note that capital resources and natural resources are interchangeable terms in this lesson).
3. Read the book, Beatrice’s Goat, aloud to the students.
4. Using the first handout, have the students identify the natural resources in the story and then the human resources in the story.
5. Then, having the students use the second handout, discuss with them what benefits the goat brought to the family in the story and how the goat impacted the family.
OPTIONAL CLOSING ACTIVITY
If you have a live Internet connection and an LCD projector, you could show the children a short video from Heifer Project International. This ministry provides livestock to poor families to help them start small businesses, such as selling the milk from a cow. The video can help the story from Beatrice’s Goat to “come alive” for the students, as they see the principles in action today in Eastern Uganda. Several short videos are available for free here:
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.476481/#Africa We recommend “Joseph’s Boys.”
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