Topic: The topic of this lesson will be renewable and non-renewable resources. We will focus on getting the students to understand what each is and what the differences are between these 2 kinds of natural resources. It will be important for the students to understand that both are natural resources, but that the difference is that one (renewable) can be replaced, while the other (non-renewable) cannot be replaced.
Rationale: This lesson is extremely important in meeting our goal of having students understand the importance of the environment. It is one thing for the students to know what natural resources are, but it is even more significant for them to realize why they are so important. By learning about renewable vs. non-renewable resources, the students will start to recognize that these resources are so important because, once we use them all up, we cannot replace them. Comprehending that there is a difference between a renewable resource and a non-renewable resource will help them to be more conscious of saving these resources and not wasting them.
Prior Knowledge: For this lesson, the students will need to have a strong grasp on what a natural resource is. If they do not understand what a natural resource is, they will most likely struggle with these subcategories of natural resources. They will also need to know what is means that a resource cannot be replaced (once we use it all up, there will be no more of it for us to use). The biggest misconception that students will most likely have coming into this lesson is the belief that all resources can always be replaced. They will most likely not be aware of the fact that the environment gives us natural resources that can be replaced but also natural resources that cannot be replaced. The students’ imaginations will be captured by the popcorn activity. We will use this activity to simulate how non-renewable resources get used up by older generations so that eventually there is none left for the younger generations. Since we cannot show this to students use real situations and natural resources, so the students will use their imaginations to connect the popcorn with non-renewable natural resources.
NJ Standards:
6.6.E.1 Describe the role of resources such as air, land, water, and plants in everyday life.
Objectives
Students will be able to name resources that are renewable and non renewable
Students will be able to distinguish between renewable and non renewable resources
Assessments
Students will form a list of examples for both renewable and non renewable resources
Students will successfully complete the sorting activity
Hook: For the hook of this lesson, we will first review what we learned in the previous lesson to make sure the students will be able to comprehend today’s lesson. We will ask the students to help us to make a list of natural resources to give us a definition of this. I will then write 2 different natural resources on the board; one will be renewable (trees) and one will be non-renewable (oil). Then I will ask the class to help me figure out what the difference between the 2 is. We will say that they are both natural resources, and some answers we may get include that they look different, they are used for different things, etc. If someone does not mention that trees can be planted again once we cut them down and oil cannot, we will tell the students this. We will say that trees can be replaced but with oil, once we use all of it up, there will not be any more left. Here we will introduce the terms renewable and non-renewable resources and tell the students that this is a part of natural resources that we will be learning about today. We will draw a map on the board to help with the visualization of this topic. The top of the map will say resources, then there will be 2 arrows coming from resources and going to natural and man-made. Then under natural there will be 2 more arrows coming from this and going to renewable and non-renewable.
Activities, Questions, Examples, and Groups: To begin the lesson, we will bring the students down to the carpet. We will call them down based on who is sitting quietly and ready. The students have assigned seats on the carpet. Once they are sitting correctly and quietly, we will do the hook of our lesson. After the hook, we will talk about some examples of both renewable and nonrenewable resources. First we will ask the students to give us some of each, then we will give the students examples and have them try to figure out if they are renewable or not. Then we will talk about how the renewable resources we listed are replaced. For example, we will talk about the water cycle, growing trees, decomposition that forms soil, etc.
Now we will move on to a demonstration of how non-renewable resources work in order to help the students really visualize the concept and understand how it works. In a hat, we will have slips of paper with the numbers 1 – 5. Each student will take a turn picking a number out of a hat. We will explain that these are the generations: students with the number 5 can be themselves; students with the number 4 are the parents of the group 5 students; students with the number 3 are the grandparents of the group 5 students; students with the number 2 are the great-grandparents of the group students; and students with the number 1 are the great-great grandparents of the group 5 students. We will then bring out a bowl of popcorn. We will explain to the students that for this activity, the popcorn is a non-renewable resource. We will tell them that since the students with number 1 are the oldest, they will get to take the popcorn first. At this point, all of the students with the number 1 will get to go to the bowl and take as much popcorn from it as they want. After the number 1s are done, all of the students in the number 2 group will get to take as much popcorn as they want. This will continue for the students with number 3 then 4 then 5. By the time we get to the students who had the number 5, there will either be no or very little popcorn left. We will then connect this to non-renewable resources and explain to the students that this is what happens when we use as much of our non-renewable resources as we want. Eventually, in the generations that follow us, we will run out of the resource and then no one will be able to use it anymore.
Closure: For the closure of this lesson, we will assess the students’ comprehension of the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources. Just like the previous day, we will make 2 columns on the board: renewable resources and non-renewable resources. We will then have the students pick names and pictures of natural resources out of a bag. Each will be attached to a magnet and the students must stick the natural resource on the border correctly under either renewable or non-renewable and explain why the column they chose is the correct column to put the resource in.
Materials: whiteboard, a hat (to pick the numbers out of), slips of paper with the numbers 1 – 5, popcorn, large bowl, pictures of both renewable and non-renewable resources
Individualization: In this lesson, the popcorn activity will provide a lot of chance for individualization. This activity will appeal to all learners. We will explain how this is related to non-renewable natural resources for those we learn from listening. It also shows them how it works with the popcorn for visual learners or hands-on learners. The bodily-kinesthetic learners will appreciate how this is an active activity. The sorting activity we use for our closing is also very hands-on and visual.
Follow-Up Activities: Future lessons after this should focus on how to conserve and preserve this natural resources. Now that the students know that some natural resources cannot be replaced, we will be more successful in getting them to understand that we cannot waste these resources and have them think of ways to save them. We could also follow up with recycling. Another thing we could do after this lesson is teach more in-depth lessons on some of these natural resources. For example we could do a lesson on trees or a lesson on water where we teach the students what uses we have for it and how we can conserve it.
Rationale: This lesson is extremely important in meeting our goal of having students understand the importance of the environment. It is one thing for the students to know what natural resources are, but it is even more significant for them to realize why they are so important. By learning about renewable vs. non-renewable resources, the students will start to recognize that these resources are so important because, once we use them all up, we cannot replace them. Comprehending that there is a difference between a renewable resource and a non-renewable resource will help them to be more conscious of saving these resources and not wasting them.
Prior Knowledge: For this lesson, the students will need to have a strong grasp on what a natural resource is. If they do not understand what a natural resource is, they will most likely struggle with these subcategories of natural resources. They will also need to know what is means that a resource cannot be replaced (once we use it all up, there will be no more of it for us to use). The biggest misconception that students will most likely have coming into this lesson is the belief that all resources can always be replaced. They will most likely not be aware of the fact that the environment gives us natural resources that can be replaced but also natural resources that cannot be replaced. The students’ imaginations will be captured by the popcorn activity. We will use this activity to simulate how non-renewable resources get used up by older generations so that eventually there is none left for the younger generations. Since we cannot show this to students use real situations and natural resources, so the students will use their imaginations to connect the popcorn with non-renewable natural resources.
NJ Standards:
6.6.E.1 Describe the role of resources such as air, land, water, and plants in everyday life.
Objectives
Students will be able to name resources that are renewable and non renewable
Students will be able to distinguish between renewable and non renewable resources
Assessments
Students will form a list of examples for both renewable and non renewable resources
Students will successfully complete the sorting activity
Hook: For the hook of this lesson, we will first review what we learned in the previous lesson to make sure the students will be able to comprehend today’s lesson. We will ask the students to help us to make a list of natural resources to give us a definition of this. I will then write 2 different natural resources on the board; one will be renewable (trees) and one will be non-renewable (oil). Then I will ask the class to help me figure out what the difference between the 2 is. We will say that they are both natural resources, and some answers we may get include that they look different, they are used for different things, etc. If someone does not mention that trees can be planted again once we cut them down and oil cannot, we will tell the students this. We will say that trees can be replaced but with oil, once we use all of it up, there will not be any more left. Here we will introduce the terms renewable and non-renewable resources and tell the students that this is a part of natural resources that we will be learning about today. We will draw a map on the board to help with the visualization of this topic. The top of the map will say resources, then there will be 2 arrows coming from resources and going to natural and man-made. Then under natural there will be 2 more arrows coming from this and going to renewable and non-renewable.
Activities, Questions, Examples, and Groups: To begin the lesson, we will bring the students down to the carpet. We will call them down based on who is sitting quietly and ready. The students have assigned seats on the carpet. Once they are sitting correctly and quietly, we will do the hook of our lesson. After the hook, we will talk about some examples of both renewable and nonrenewable resources. First we will ask the students to give us some of each, then we will give the students examples and have them try to figure out if they are renewable or not. Then we will talk about how the renewable resources we listed are replaced. For example, we will talk about the water cycle, growing trees, decomposition that forms soil, etc.
Now we will move on to a demonstration of how non-renewable resources work in order to help the students really visualize the concept and understand how it works. In a hat, we will have slips of paper with the numbers 1 – 5. Each student will take a turn picking a number out of a hat. We will explain that these are the generations: students with the number 5 can be themselves; students with the number 4 are the parents of the group 5 students; students with the number 3 are the grandparents of the group 5 students; students with the number 2 are the great-grandparents of the group students; and students with the number 1 are the great-great grandparents of the group 5 students. We will then bring out a bowl of popcorn. We will explain to the students that for this activity, the popcorn is a non-renewable resource. We will tell them that since the students with number 1 are the oldest, they will get to take the popcorn first. At this point, all of the students with the number 1 will get to go to the bowl and take as much popcorn from it as they want. After the number 1s are done, all of the students in the number 2 group will get to take as much popcorn as they want. This will continue for the students with number 3 then 4 then 5. By the time we get to the students who had the number 5, there will either be no or very little popcorn left. We will then connect this to non-renewable resources and explain to the students that this is what happens when we use as much of our non-renewable resources as we want. Eventually, in the generations that follow us, we will run out of the resource and then no one will be able to use it anymore.
Closure: For the closure of this lesson, we will assess the students’ comprehension of the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources. Just like the previous day, we will make 2 columns on the board: renewable resources and non-renewable resources. We will then have the students pick names and pictures of natural resources out of a bag. Each will be attached to a magnet and the students must stick the natural resource on the border correctly under either renewable or non-renewable and explain why the column they chose is the correct column to put the resource in.
Materials: whiteboard, a hat (to pick the numbers out of), slips of paper with the numbers 1 – 5, popcorn, large bowl, pictures of both renewable and non-renewable resources
Individualization: In this lesson, the popcorn activity will provide a lot of chance for individualization. This activity will appeal to all learners. We will explain how this is related to non-renewable natural resources for those we learn from listening. It also shows them how it works with the popcorn for visual learners or hands-on learners. The bodily-kinesthetic learners will appreciate how this is an active activity. The sorting activity we use for our closing is also very hands-on and visual.
Follow-Up Activities: Future lessons after this should focus on how to conserve and preserve this natural resources. Now that the students know that some natural resources cannot be replaced, we will be more successful in getting them to understand that we cannot waste these resources and have them think of ways to save them. We could also follow up with recycling. Another thing we could do after this lesson is teach more in-depth lessons on some of these natural resources. For example we could do a lesson on trees or a lesson on water where we teach the students what uses we have for it and how we can conserve it.
