Resources and Choices
Standards
SS2E1-The student will explain that
because of scarcity, people must make
choices and incur opportunity costs
SS2E2-The student will identify ways in
which goods and services are allocated
(by price; majority rule; contests; force;
sharing lottery; command; first-come,
first-served; personal characteristics; and
others).
A resource is anything that people
can use.
Forests
Trees for growing
fruit
Water
 There
are many types of resources. It is
important for people and communities to
use resources wisely, so that they will be
there for us to use in the future.
 Many
people help their community by
volunteering to do things like working at
food banks or keeping their neighborhoods
clean.
 Money
is a capital resource. People use
money to buy things they need and want.
They can also save money for the future
or donate money to people in need.
 When
we use capital resources, we have to
make choices. Most people don’t have
enough money to buy everything they want.
They have to choose the things that are most
important to them.
Make a list of wants and needs
Wants
Needs
 Imagine
you had $5.00 to spend. Would
you spend it all? Would you save it to buy
something more expensive? What are
some other ways you could use you
money?
 We
also make choices when we use
natural resources. Cutting down to many
trees could destroy some animals’ homes.
But people need wood to build homes,
furniture, and other things. We have to
work together to make the best choices.
The choices people make have costs
and benefits.
 The
costs can be money, time, or loss of
natural resources. The benefits are the
good things that happen, like when
families have everything they need and
some things they want.
 If
your family decides to eat at a restaurant, it
might cost more money than you would
spend on a meal at home. But you would
probably have fun, and the people who work
at the restaurant would do all the cooking
and cleaning up.
 Some
choices have costs but no benefits. If you
let the water run while you brush your teeth,
you are wasting one of our most important
natural resources – water. It also costs your
parents money when they pay the water bill.
 Can
people replace natural resources? We can
replace some of them, but it may take a very
long time. It takes 20 years or more for many
trees to grow, but new fruits and vegetables can
be grown year after year. Things that become
extinct can never be replaced.
Credits
 Second
Grade Studies Weekly
 Google.com/images