SOL Study Guide
Fourth Grade
Resources
Table of Contents
Page 1: Virginia Resources
Page 2: Water Resources
Page 3: Plant and Animal Resources
Page 4: Mineral Resources
Page 5: Soil and Land Use
Page 6: Practice Questions
Virginia Resources
Virginia is rich in a wide variety of natural resources,
including forests, arable (farmable) land, coal, sand and
aggregates (rocks), wildlife and aquatic organisms,
clean water and air, and beautiful scenery.
Natural resources: Materials supplied by nature that are
useful or necessary for life.
Examples: minerals, timber, land, water, soil
Man-made resources: Materials made by people using
natural resources that are useful or necessary for life.
Examples: cars, homes, clothes
Page 1
Water Resources
A watershed is an area over which surface water (and
the materials it carries) flows to a single collection
place. The Chesapeake Bay watershed covers
approximately half of Virginia’s land area. The other
two major watershed systems are the Gulf of Mexico
and the North Carolina Sounds.
Virginia’s water resources include groundwater, lakes,
reservoirs, rivers, bays, and the Atlantic Ocean
Rivers: A large natural stream of water that flows
into a lake, an ocean, or another. Examples in Virginia
include Potomac, Rappohannock, James, York.
Lakes: A body of water entirely or nearly surrounded
by land usually made of fresh water. The two natural
lakes in Virginia are Lake Drummond and Mountain
Lake.
Bays: A part of an ocean extending into the land. The
Cheapeake Bay is located in Virginia.
Page 2
Plant and Animal Resources
Forests cover more than 60 percent of Virginia. Common
trees include ashes, beeches, birches, black tupelos,
hemlocks, hickories, locusts, maples, red cedars, sweet
gums, and tulip trees. Red spruces can be found on the
highest peaks. Flowering dogwood, the state flower,
blooms in early spring. Wild azaleas, mountain laurels,
redbuds, rhododendrons, and other flowering plants grow
in mountain areas. Wildflowers include bloodroots,
mayapples, violets, and Virginia bluebells.
Deer roam the wooded areas. Black bears and wildcats
live in the mountains and in the Great Dismal Swamp.
Small animals include foxes, muskrats, opossums, rabbits,
and raccoons. Ducks, geese, quails, ruffed grouse, and
turkeys live in the state. Freshwater fishes include
alewife, bass, carp, perch, pickerel, pike, and trout. Drum,
flounder, mackerel, menhaden, and shad swim in the
Atlantic Ocean, in Chesapeake Bay, and in Virginia’s
many inlets. Clams, crabs, oysters, and scallops live in
Chesapeake Bay and in shallow coastal waters.
Page 3
MINERAL RESOURCES
Students will be able to recognize the importance of
Virginia’s mineral resources, including coal, limestone,
granite, and sand and gravel.
Coal is Virginia’s most important mined resource. Our
state also has different types of sand, salt, clay, and
gypsum.
Coal is a black rocky type of mineral that we burn. It is
mined more than any other minerals in Virginia. It is
mined in the Allegheny Plateau region.
The limestone soils in the Shenandoah Valley Region
helped Augusta and Rockingham counties become
dominant agricultural producers.
We use Virginia crushed stone and sand to make roads
and buildings.
We use granite, sandstone, slate, and limestone to build
buildings.
Page 4
Soil and Land Uses
Virginia’s soil and land support a great variety of life,
provide space for many economic activities, and offer a
variety of recreational opportunities.
Soil is a renewable resource. It comes from weathered
rock and plant and animal material. Virginia’s rich soil
has helped people thrive here for thousands of years.
Farming is still an important business in Virginia. Our
leading crops include tobacco and peanuts. Soil can
produce crops year after year if we care for it.
Virginia farmers also grow soybeans, cotton, corn,
wheat, and apples.
Virginia farmers raise poultry, cattle, hogs, sheep, and
horses.
Page 5
Practice Questions
Which of the following is a common
plant that grows wild in Virginia?
A Orange tree
B Cactus tree
C Lemon tree
D Dogwood tree
A Virginia natural resource
important to the state’s economy, as
well as a primary source of energy, is
A oil
B steel
C coal _
D limestone
Which of these natural resources is a
source of lumber for home building?
F Ores
G Coal
H Trees _
J Grasses
_
Page 6