Have students define what “natural resources” are. Make a list of significant natural resources that have historically been found in North Dakota. How have those resources influenced how and where people live on the land? What is gained and what is lost as native prairies are developed into farms, towns, and cities? Start with what students already know. What plants and animals live in their region? How is that similar or different to the other geographic regions of North Dakota and the northern Great Plains? Are all the same plants and animals found everywhere in the state? Why or why not? What kind of historic or current threats to those resources are students familiar with? What, if any, efforts have been made to try to protect those resources? How do these natural resources relate to the other major industries in North Dakota (agriculture, energy, and tourism)? How do students know what they already know? Talk about what their knowledge is based on. Do they spend time in natural areas in the state? Do they go hiking, boating, hunting, or fishing? Have they read about it before, or saw it in a movie or television show?