From the Grade 5 Science IRP's:

Identify Living Resources in the Local Environment
Describe How Human's use BC's Living Resources

Objectives:

1. The student will be able to explain why freshwater fish in lakes are a living resource.
2. The student will also be able to calculate the expense of going on a fishing trip.

Materials Needed:

• Blackboard and chalk
• Student notebooks

Activity:

Brainstorm: What is a resource? What resources are there in British Columbia that are living and non living? In what ways can each of these be an economical plus for the province? How do freshwater fish contribute to the economy?

How do sporting good shops, restaurants, gas stations, RV dealers, resorts and campsites all fit into the picture. Bring up the point that British Columbia is a destination for tourists around the world who come to spend time by our waters and fish them.

Present the following situation to students: A family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) are going to drive 260 kilometres to a lake to holiday for 10 days. They plan to boat for pleasure, water ski, get pulled on a tube, fish and hike. They will eat at a restaurant on the way to the resort and on the way back. The family has a truck with a camper on the back and is pulling a boat approximately 4 to 5 metres long with a 90 horsepower motor.

Have students divide the expenses into two groups: a) the items that are purchased once and used over and over (eg: boat, camper, fishing rods, etc.) and b) the items that cost money each time the family goes to the lake (eg. gas, restaurant meals, resort expenses, etc.). In their notebooks, have the students draw a symbol for each expense item. Have them research what the cost for each item would be (eg. ask parents, friends) and present a figure for the equipment used and what the repeat expenditures are.

As a final discussion, ask the students to think what this adds to the economy, especially when the above type of scenario is multiplied by the large amount of people who do this sort of thing.