New
New
Introducing natural resources
I can name some natural resources and describe how they can be used.
Lesson 1 of 6
New
New
- Year 5
Introducing natural resources
I can name some natural resources and describe how they can be used.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Natural resources are materials produced by the environment that humans can make use of.
- All of these natural resources are important to us and our daily lives, some are renewable and some are not.
- Natural resources are unequally distributed globally and people have unequal access to them, which can cause conflict.
- Some resources, like food and water, are essential to life; others, like precious gem stones, are not.
Keywords
Resource distribution - Resource distribution means how resources are spread out across a geographic area.
Energy - Energy is the power used to make things work, for example to provide heat or light or to operate machinery.
Minerals - Minerals are chemical substances that are formed naturally and are found in the ground or in rocks.
Renewable - Renewable means that something can be re-used and will not be used up or run out.
Common misconception
Coal, gas and oil are the only natural resources.
There are many other natural resources, including water, food and precious stones.
You could have some real life examples of resources for children to handle and explore in this lesson.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following items are found naturally?
Which of the following items are found naturally?
t-shirt
laptop
Q2.What does 'natural environment' mean?
What does 'natural environment' mean?
Places that are all around us and have been built by humans.
Places that have animals living in them.
Q3.People need access to __________ and __________ to live.
People need access to __________ and __________ to live.
coal and gas
trees and lakes
houses and cars
Q4.Which of the items below require energy to work?
Which of the items below require energy to work?
a table
Q5.Which continent is missing from this list?
Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America.
Which continent is missing from this list?
Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America.
Q6.Which continent in the world has the biggest land size?
Which continent in the world has the biggest land size?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each keyword to its correct definition.
Match each keyword to its correct definition.
Q2.Which of these are natural resources?
Which of these are natural resources?
computers
Q3.Which of these sources of energy are renewable?
Which of these sources of energy are renewable?
coal
oil
Q4.Natural resources are distributed around the world.
Natural resources are distributed around the world.
Q5.Which of these natural resources are essential for life?
Which of these natural resources are essential for life?
gold
diamonds
Q6.In what ways can oil be useful to our lives?
In what ways can oil be useful to our lives?
building material
