Year 5 - Geography
Economic minerals and their uses
Natural resources: what are they, where are they found, why are they important?
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit introduces natural resources, including food, water, minerals and energy. Pupils explore where different resources are found, how they are used, and the effects of this use on people and the environment.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe what economic minerals are and explain where they can be found and how we use them.
Key Notes
- Economic minerals are useful or valuable solid substances that are found in the Earth's crust.
- Iron has been an important metal since ancient times; it is used for steel production but is now in short supply.
- Non-metallic resources include feldspar and quartz, used for electronics, and sand which is used in construction.
- Extraction of these resources can pollute the ground and water supplies locally and damage landscapes.
Vocabulary To Learn
- extraction: Extraction is the process of removing something (like minerals), especially by force.
- mining: Mining is the process of digging under the ground to remove natural resources.
- quarrying: Quarrying is digging into the surface of the ground to remove things like rock or sand for use.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Economic minerals are not important to everyday life.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
Economic minerals are useful or valuable solid substances that are found in the Earth's crust. Iron has been an important metal since ancient times; it is used for steel production but is now in short supply.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'extraction'
Extraction is the process of removing something (like minerals), especially by force.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: Economic minerals are not important to everyday life. Correction: Nearly every product we use in day-to-day life contains economic minerals that have to be mined or quarried.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 5 Geography guide library.