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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel
Foundation

Earth's resources and sustainable development

I can describe examples of how humans can ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ to support sustainable development.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel
Foundation

Earth's resources and sustainable development

I can describe examples of how humans can ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ to support sustainable development.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Humans use the Earth’s resources for most of our material needs.
  2. Some resources from the Earth are finite and will run out if we use them.
  3. Sustainable development meets our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
  4. Synthetic products are those that are manufactured from the Earth’s resources.
  5. To enable effective recycling, materials need to be sorted according to type.

Common misconception

Students believing that sustainability is someone else's responsibility.

Everyone needs to reduce, reuse and recycle to ensure sustainable development. The slide deck gives examples of products that can be recycled and the benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling.

Keywords

  • Natural resources - Natural resources are substances that come from Earth.

  • Renewable resources - A renewable resource is not used up, or it can be replaced in our lifetime.

  • Finite resources - Finite resources exist in limited quantities on Earth. Once they have been used they cannot be regenerated or replaced in our lifetime.

  • Synthetic products - Products that are manufactured from natural resources are known as synthetic products.

  • Sustainable development - Sustainable development is using resources to meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of future generations.

Get students to consider how they could be more sustainable, or changes that could be made in the learning setting to make it more sustainable.
Teacher tip

Equipment

None required.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these natural resources are fossil fuels?
Correct answer: crude oil
Correct answer: natural gas
solar
wind
Correct answer: coal
Q2.
What do humans use Earth's resources for?
Correct answer: to provide warmth
Correct answer: to build shelters
to photosynthesise
Correct answer: fuel for transport
to make natural resources from synthetic products
Q3.
Which of the following are natural resources?
Correct answer: stone
glass
plastic
Correct answer: wind
Q4.
How can we reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill?
Correct answer: reduce the number of items we purchase
increase the number of items we purchase
Correct answer: reuse items
increase the number of single-use items
Correct answer: recycle items
Q5.
Which of the following statements about finite resources are true?
they are not used up or can be replaced in our lifetime
Correct answer: they exist in limited quantities
Correct answer: metal ores are a finite resource
solar is a finite resource
Q6.
Match the definition with the correct key term.
Correct Answer:natural resources,come from Earth, the oceans and the atmosphere

come from Earth, the oceans and the atmosphere

Correct Answer:renewable resources,are not used up, and can be replaced or regenerated in our lifetime

are not used up, and can be replaced or regenerated in our lifetime

Correct Answer:finite resources,once used cannot be regenerated or replaced in our lifetime

once used cannot be regenerated or replaced in our lifetime

Correct Answer:synthetic products,are man-made from natural resources

are man-made from natural resources

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following are synthetic products?
Correct answer: glass
Correct answer: plastic
soil
water
air
Q2.
Match Earth's resource to where it is used by humans?
Correct Answer:cotton,clothing

clothing

Correct Answer:wood,shelter

shelter

Correct Answer:crude oil,transport

transport

Correct Answer:plants,food

food

Q3.
What term is used to describe resources that are not used up, or can be replaced in our lifetime?
Correct Answer: renewable, renewable resources
Q4.
What is sustainable development?
Correct answer: meeting the needs of humans now, allowing future generations to meet their needs
using products that are manufactured from natural resources
ensuring all finite resources are used up
switching from using renewable resources to using finite resources
Q5.
Which of the following are benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling products?
Correct answer: saves finite resources
recycled products need to be sorted
Correct answer: reduces energy usage
Correct answer: less waste is sent to landfill
increases the need to extract metals from metal ores
Q6.
A student normally buys a bottle of water before school each day and throws the bottle away, in the bin, at the end of the day. How could they be more sustainable?
Correct answer: purchase a drink bottle that they can reuse each day
buy all the bottles of water they need at the beginning of the week
buy a larger bottle of water each day
Correct answer: recycle the empty bottles
buy the most expensive bottle of water