Natural resources and economy in the Middle East
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how natural resources affect economies in the Middle East.
Key learning points
- Oil and gas drive many economies in the Middle East region.
- Some countries are diversifying beyond oil.
- Natural resources shape trade and wealth.
- Unequal resource distribution causes tensions.
Keywords
Imports - goods or services that a country buys from other countries
Exports - goods or services that a country sells to other countries
Distribution - how something is spread out across a geographic area
Economy - the way a country produces, uses and manages money, jobs, goods and services
Diversify - to add variety or do something differently
Common misconception
All Middle Eastern countries are rich because they have oil.
While oil is a major resource, not every country has it. Countries like Yemen and Jordan have little or no oil, which affects their economies differently.
Teacher tip
Use current news stories and events — e.g. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan — to bring diversification to life. It helps students understand that these are real, unfolding challenges.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a natural resource?
Q2.Which natural resource has helped change the Middle East’s economy?
Q3.How has oil affected the Middle East?
Q4.What is desalination?
Q5.What is a dam used for?
Q6.Is the Middle East only made up of desert with no rivers or fertile land?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to the meanings:
Goods bought from other countries
Goods sold to other countries
How something is spread across an area
How a country manages money and goods
To add variety or change how things are done
Q2.Which Middle Eastern countries are less wealthy because they have little or no oil?
Q3.Which factor most affects a country’s wealth in the Middle East?
Q4.How does natural resource wealth affect the economy?
To help you plan your 9 geography lesson on: Natural resources and economy in the Middle East, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 geography lesson on: Natural resources and economy in the Middle East, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 geography lessons from the The Middle East: How have natural resources shaped the Middle East? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.