You will learn
- Define natural resource, renewable, non-renewable, ecosystem services.
- Classify resources.
- Give Sierra Leone examples.
- Explain why careful use matters.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- People depend on natural resources.
- Renewable resources can be replaced; non-renewable cannot.
- Nature also provides services.
- Careful use protects the future.
Words to know
something from nature that people use, such as water, soil or minerals
a resource that can be replaced naturally within a human lifetime if used carefully
a resource that cannot be replaced in a human lifetime once used up
benefits that people get from nature, such as clean water and pollination
1. Discover: Sort the basket
Mr Cole puts a basket of cards on the table: fish, soil, iron ore, sunlight, coal, water, trees, wind, diamonds. “Sort them into renewable and non-renewable,” he says. “Fish and trees can be replaced if we do not take too many. Sunlight and wind are renewable energy. Iron ore, diamonds and coal took millions of years to form, so once used they are gone for human purposes.” He adds that nature gives services too: forests clean air and water, bees pollinate crops and mangroves protect coasts.
Think: Which resource in your community would be hardest to replace?
2. Understand: Natural resources
Idea 1: Kinds of resources
A natural resource is something from nature that people use. Renewable resources, such as water, soil, forests, fish, sunlight and wind, can be replaced naturally if used carefully. Non-renewable resources, such as coal, oil, iron ore and diamonds, cannot be replaced in a human lifetime. Coal, oil and gas are fossil fuels.
Idea 2: Dependence and services
People use natural resources for food, shelter, energy, tools and income. Nature also gives ecosystem services: forests help clean air and water, mangroves protect coasts, bees pollinate crops, and healthy soil grows food. Plants and animals together make up the variety of life, called biodiversity.
Idea 3: Sierra Leone examples
Sierra Leone has minerals such as iron ore, bauxite, rutile and diamonds, fertile land, fish, forests, rivers and plenty of sunshine. Protecting rivers, forests and soil helps farmers, fishers and communities, and careful mining planning and rules help limit harm.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Define
Renewable resource.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: Can be replaced naturally.
Example 2 (We do it together): Define
Non-renewable resource.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: Cannot be replaced in a lifetime.
Example 3 (You try): Name
A fossil fuel.
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: Coal.
Did you know?
Sunlight reaching the Earth in one hour carries more energy than humanity uses in a year.
Why this matters
Knowing about resources helps us use them wisely.
4. Explore: Resource sort and map
Sort resource cards into renewable and non-renewable. On a map of Sierra Leone mark where three resources are found (using the teacher’s approved map). Write two sentences on how to use one resource carefully.
- Sort.
- Map.
- Write.
- Share.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Some resources need careful limits.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- A natural resource is ___.
- A renewable resource is ___.
- A non-renewable resource is ___.
- Ecosystem services are ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is a natural resource?
From nature.
Question 2. What is renewable?
Can be replaced.
Question 3. What is non-renewable?
Cannot be replaced.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is a natural resource?
- What is renewable?
- What is non-renewable?
- What are ecosystem services?
- Name a renewable resource.
Level 2: Grow
- Why careful use?
- Why services?
- Why limits?
Level 3: Stretch
- Sort cards.
- Mark the map.
- Write sentences.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources with an example of each.
Show a sample answer
Fish can be replaced; iron ore cannot.
Another one. Ask an adult how your community uses water or soil carefully.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: They can if overused.
Fix: They are useful but limited.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can define natural resource, renewable, non-renewable, ecosystem services.
- I can classify resources.
- I can give Sierra Leone examples.
- I can explain why careful use matters.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- People depend on natural resources.
- Renewable resources can be replaced; non-renewable cannot.
- Nature also provides services.
- Careful use protects the future.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Resource distribution. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Define renewable and non-renewable resources. [2 marks]
- Name three Sierra Leone resources. [3 marks]
- Explain two ecosystem services. [3 marks]
- Explain why careful use matters. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Renewable [1]; non-renewable [1]
- Three [3]
- Service 1 [1]; service 2 [1]; link [1]
- Reason [1]; example [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- What is a natural resource?
- What is renewable?
- What is non-renewable?
- What are ecosystem services?
- Name a renewable resource.
- Why careful use?
- Why services?
- Why limits?
- Sort cards.
- Mark the map.
Homework
Draw a resource web.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is a natural resource? | From nature. | 1 |
| 2. What is renewable? | Can be replaced. | 1 |
| 3. What is non-renewable? | Cannot be replaced. | 1 |
| 4. What are ecosystem services? | Benefits from nature. | 1 |
| 5. Name a renewable resource. | Sunlight. | 1 |
| 6. Why careful use? | Protect future. | 1 |
| 7. Why services? | Support life. | 1 |
| 8. Why limits? | Avoid running out. | 1 |
| 9. Sort cards. | Sort. | 1 |
| 10. Mark the map. | Mark. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 From nature.; 2 Can be replaced.; 3 Cannot be replaced.; 4 Benefits from nature.; 5 Sunlight.. Level 2: 1 Protect future.; 2 Support life.; 3 Avoid running out.. Level 3: 1 Sort.; 2 Mark.; 3 Write..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Define natural resource, renewable, non-renewable, ecosystem services | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Classify resources | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Give Sierra Leone examples | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Explain why careful use matters | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “Renewable resources can never run out.” They can if overused.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Make a resource chart.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child sorts natural resources into renewable and non-renewable. Please talk about saving water and energy. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Save water.
- Reuse items.
- Talk about nature.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: define natural resource, renewable, non-renewable, ecosystem services; classify resources; give Sierra Leone examples; explain why careful use matters.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 6 ideas: scarcity, production and consumption, population and urbanisation, and Grade 5 ideas about sustainable development.
Materials. Resource cards, map. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Prepare cards and maps.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Tell the sort the basket story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach natural resources.
Guided activity (10 min). Resource sort and map.
Independent activity (10 min). Discuss.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What natural resources do we depend on?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Renewable resources can never run out.” They can if overused.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Make a resource chart. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Social Studies curriculum, Grade 6 Unit 9, topic 1; NCSS C3 Framework, environment and society, human-environment interaction; Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities, environmental issues and sustainability; IB Primary Years Programme, sharing the planet. These sources informed the lesson.