Caring for Earth’s Resources

Overview

This is lesson 3 of 10 in Earth: Our Home and Future. Students build on prior learning about Earth’s natural resources by identifying pollution and practising simple ways to protect water, materials and living things. Through visual teaching, song, a mini recycling audit and a water-saving demonstration, students communicate observations and choose one conservation action.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify Earth’s precious resources and explain why they need care.
• WALT recognise how pollution can harm places, plants, animals and people.
• WALT describe three ways to keep Earth clean and healthy.
• WALT make and record observations during conservation activities.
• WALT safely demonstrate one action that reduces waste or saves water.

Success criteria

• I can name at least three ways to care for Earth.
• I can sort or identify actions that help or harm the environment.
• I can demonstrate one conservation action, such as turning off a tap or sorting recycling.
• I can share an observation using everyday and scientific words such as resource, pollution, reuse, recycle and conserve.

Curriculum links

• Science inquiry: make and record observations, including informal measurements, using digital tools where appropriate.
• Science inquiry: suggest and follow safe procedures to investigate questions and test predictions.
• Science inquiry: compare observations with predictions and others’ observations and identify further questions with guidance.
• Science understanding and human endeavour: describe how people use science in daily life, including patterns that support scientific predictions and responsible choices.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Engage with a visual hook. Open with the polluted and cared-for Earth comparison and ask, “Which Earth would you choose to live on? What clues can you see?” Students use speech, pointing, signs or AAC to identify one difference.

2. 5–12 min · Explicit teaching and video. Use the resource and pollution teaching slides to define resource as something people, plants and animals need, and pollution as harmful rubbish or substances in the environment; show two brief, age-appropriate video clips about caring for Earth and pollution effects. Pause after each clip for “What happened?”, “Who or what was affected?” and “What could help?” Students respond verbally, by selecting picture symbols or by acting out an idea.

3. 12–17 min · Interactive conservation song. Play the reduce, reuse and recycle song slides and lead actions for “reduce”, “reuse” and “recycle”. Students join the song with movement, instruments, picture cards or AAC. Rehearse three practical actions: use less, use something again and place materials in the correct recycling bin.

4. 17–29 min · Mini recycling audit. Explain and model the safe procedure using the recycling audit instruction slide. In five pairs, students inspect a prepared sample of clean classroom items rather than handling unknown waste. They sort items into reuse, recycle, rubbish and “check with an adult”, then record or draw the number in the conservation observation sheet. Ask, “Was our test fair? Did every pair sort the same item in the same way?” Students compare results and explain one decision. Adults supervise all materials; no glass, food scraps or sharp objects are included.

5. 29–37 min · Water-saving demonstration. Show the water-saving demonstration slide. At a sink or using two identical containers, demonstrate a tap running continuously compared with turning it off while soaping hands. Students predict which uses less water, observe the two amounts using cups or marked containers, and record “more”, “less” or “about the same” on the worksheet. Each student practises the action by turning a tap off gently or demonstrating it with a prop. Do not waste water; reuse collected water on a garden or for cleaning.

6. 37–42 min · Share and consolidate. Return to the three ways to care for Earth summary slide. Students each share, point to or select one action they can take at school or home. As a class, create a spoken, signed or AAC-supported sentence: “We can care for Earth by ___ because ___.” Students add their action to a class display or teacher-recorded list.

7. 42–45 min · Exit check. Display the exit question slide: “Name or show three ways to help Earth and demonstrate one.” Students complete the final boxes on the conservation observation sheet, draw an action or communicate it to the teacher. Collect worksheets for assessment.

Resources

• the Caring for Earth teaching deck
• the conservation observation sheet
• Two brief, downloaded environmental-care video clips
• Interactive reduce, reuse and recycle song
• Clean classroom item samples for sorting
• Clearly labelled reuse, recycle, rubbish and check-with-an-adult containers
• Two identical containers, cups, water and a tap or water prop
• AAC devices, communication boards and visual action symbols
• Class display paper and markers

Assessment

• Observe whether students identify resources, pollution and helpful actions during questioning, video pauses and song participation.
• Check the audit and water demonstration records for observations, informal comparisons and safe participation.
• Use the exit check to record whether each student can identify three conservation actions and demonstrate one; accept speech, drawing, gesture, signing, pointing or AAC.

Differentiation

• Provide real objects, photographs, symbol-supported choices and repeated modelling. Use sentence starters: “I can ___”, “This is pollution because ___” and “We save water by ___”.
• Offer dyslexia-friendly worksheets with a clear sans-serif font, large print, high contrast, minimal text, picture choices and an adult or audio read-aloud. Do not require copying; students may circle, draw, match or dictate.
• For students with communication, sensory or motor needs, provide AAC, wait time, a quiet observation role, adapted containers and a partner or adult model. Preview the video and allow headphones or an alternative visual sequence.
• Advanced learners can explain why an action helps, compare the fairness of the two water tests, or design a simple class conservation rule and justify it using evidence from the audit.

Extension

• Create a class “Earth Care Team” routine: check that lights and taps are off, materials are sorted and reusable items are stored.
• Students photograph or draw one conservation action completed during the week and narrate what they observed using scientific vocabulary.