Importance of Conservation
Supporting
TEKS Objective
The student is expected to identify and classify Earth's renewable resources, including air, plants, water, and animals; and nonrenewable resources, including coal, oil, and natural gas; and the importance of conservation.
Essential Understanding
The students know that Earth consists of useful resources and its surface is constantly changing.
Science Background
Atlas of Population and Environment: American Association for the Advancement of Science (website) – Explore the connections between human consumption and conservation of resources such as freshwater, forest products and energy.
Natural Resources: South Carolina DHEC (PDF) – Download this overview of renewable and nonrenewable resources.
Natural Resources
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, www.scdhec.gov
Energy Sources: Energy Kids (website) – Learn about nonrenewable and renewable energy sources, and how to save energy, on this well-designed site.
Energy Sources
Energy Kids, US Energy Information Agency, www.eia.gov
Signature Lesson
Source Reduction Roundup: US Environmental Protection Agency (PDF) - See pages 87-89 of this teacher’s guide for an activity in which students identify and classify natural resources and learn ways to reduce waste.
Source Reduction Roundup
US Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov
- Supporting Lessons
- Extensions
- Assessment Ideas
- Literature Connections
- Related
TEKS - Additional Resources
Supporting Lessons
Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources Lesson Plan: Penn State University (PDF) - Students describe a natural resource and identify renewable and nonrenewable resources in a given environment.
Reuse, Not Just for the Birds: US Environmental Protection Agency (PDF) - To help students ways in which we can make useful things from items we might ordinarily discard in the trash or recycling bin (pp. 85-86).
Reuse, Not Just for the Birds
US Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov
Natural Resources, Renewable vs. Nonrenewable: LessonPlansPage.com (website) - Explains the importance of natural resources and the characteristics of renewable and non-renewable resources.
Natural Resources, Renewable vs. Nonrenewable
by Cynthia Gaucin, LessonPlansPage.com
How Many Years to Disappear? NEED (PDF) - In this introduction to a unit on recycling/solid waste disposal, students learn how long it takes for most buried trash to disappear.
Elaboration Lessons and Extensions
The Quest for Less: US Environmental Protection Agency (PDF) - Interdisciplinary teacher’s guide with activities that inform students how and why to reuse, reduce usage of, and recycle natural resources.
The Quest for Less
US Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov
Earth Day Lesson Plan: Suite (website) - Earth Day lesson plans help teach children about taking care of our planet and the importance of conservation.
Earth Day Lesson Plan
by Debbie DeSpirt, Suite, www.suite.io
Assessment Ideas
Have each students write a short essay on the importance of resource conservation, including the following points.
- Types of activities involved in conservation of natural resources.
- Things each of us can do to create less waste and reuse more.
- An explanation of why conservation is important.
Literature Connections
Conservation. Petersen, Christine (ISBN-10: 0516219391)
Our Earth: Helping Out. Hock, Peggy (ISBN-10: 0531204316)
Making Good Choices about Renewable Resources. Nagle, Jeanne (ISBN-10: 1435856023)
A Refreshing Look at Renewable Energy with Max Axiom, Super Scientist. Krohn, Katherine E. (ISBN-10: 1429639024)
Sustaining Our Natural Resources. Green, Jen (ISBN-10: 1410943283)
The Earth's Resources: Renewable and Non-Renewable. Harman, Rebecca (ISBN-10: 1403470618)
Additional Resources
Ways to Teach Elementary Students to Conserve Energy: eHow.com (website) - Introduce students to the concept of energy use and the importance of conservation with fun, interactive activities.
Ways to Teach Elementary Students to Conserve Energy
by Robin Reichert, eHow.com
Students for the Environment: US Environmental Protection Agency (website) - Numerous web-based activities, news stories and resources that engage and educate students about recycling, climate and the environment.
Students for the Environment
US Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov
Energy Kids: US Energy Information Administration (website) - Resources and activities on all aspects of energy.
Energy Kids
US Energy Information Administration, www.eia.gov/kids
TEKS Navigation
Grade 4
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