Groups Use Tools to Get Food
This Grade 3 history skill from California myWorld Interactive explains how California Indians built fish weirs and early settlers used metal plows as capital resources—human-made tools that help produce goods—covered in Chapter 6: Economics. Students learn how tools improve food production.
Key Concepts
People create special tools to help them get what they need from nature. These human made items are called capital resources. They are tools or equipment that help people produce other goods.
California Indians built fish weirs in rivers. These were like fences made of wood that helped them catch many fish for their community.
Common Questions
What tools did people use to get food in early California?
California Indians built fish weirs—fence-like structures in rivers—to catch many fish for their communities. Early settlers brought metal plows to turn over soil for farming. Both weirs and plows are capital resources—tools that help produce other goods.
What are capital resources in economics?
Capital resources are human-made items like tools and equipment that help people produce other goods. Fish weirs built by California Indians and plows brought by settlers are both examples of capital resources used to get food.
What is a fish weir and how did California Indians use it?
A fish weir was a fence-like structure built in rivers from wood that helped California Indians catch many fish at once. It was a capital resource that made fishing more productive for their communities.
What chapter covers tools for getting food in California myWorld Interactive Grade 3?
Groups using tools to get food is covered in Chapter 6: Economics in California myWorld Interactive, Grade 3.
How are fish weirs and plows similar as economic tools?
Fish weirs and plows are both capital resources—human-made tools that help people produce food. California Indians used fish weirs to catch fish more efficiently, while settlers used plows to farm land more effectively, both increasing food production.