Grade 6 Science: Climate, Environment, and Sustainability
Free Grade 6 Science unit on Climate, Environment, and Sustainability: 10 lessons in order. Includes practice questions and answer keys.
10 lessons in this unit
Weather and climate
Distinguish weather (short-term, local conditions) from climate (long-term average pattern), measure weather variables, read a climate graph and explain how latitude, altitude and nearness to the sea affect climate.
Lesson 2Climate patterns
Describe the main climate zones (tropical, dry, temperate, continental, polar), the role of ocean currents and winds, patterns such as monsoons, El Niño and La Niña, and match climate to vegetation and human life.
Lesson 3Greenhouse effect introduction
Explain the natural greenhouse effect: how greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour trap some of Earth’s heat, why it keeps Earth about 33°C warmer, and how this differs from a glass greenhouse. Use a safe model.
Lesson 4Climate change
Explain climate change as a long-term shift driven mainly by human greenhouse gas emissions since industrialisation, interpret evidence such as rising temperatures, melting ice and sea level, describe impacts, and compare actions for mitigation and adaptation.
Lesson 5Natural resources
Classify natural resources (water, air, soil, minerals, forests, fossil fuels, sunlight, wind), explain how people use and depend on them, how they are distributed unevenly, and how resource use affects people and environments.
Lesson 6Renewable resources
Identify renewable resources (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, sustainably managed forests and fisheries), explain how each is replenished, compare advantages and limits, and design a simple model.
Lesson 7Non-renewable resources
Explain how fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and minerals take millions of years to form, why they are finite, how they are extracted and used, their environmental costs, and how reuse and recycling help conserve them.
Lesson 8Pollution
Identify types of pollution (air, water, soil, noise, light, plastic), their sources and effects on people and ecosystems, how to measure pollution simply, and actions that reduce it.
Lesson 9Conservation
Explain conservation as protecting and managing natural resources, habitats and species; describe protected areas, reforestation, wildlife corridors, sustainable farming and fishing, community involvement and the role of laws and indigenous knowledge.
Lesson 10Sustainable development
Explain sustainable development as meeting present needs without harming future generations, link economy, society and environment, introduce the UN Sustainable Development Goals, evaluate a local issue and propose an action plan.