Natural resources and sustainability: focus on Africa
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can list some of Africa’s natural resources and describe some of the consequences of mining cobalt.
Key learning points
- There are a range of landscapes, climates and biomes in Africa.
- Africa has a range of natural resources that are exported around the world.
- The mining and collection of Africa's natural resources is not always sustainable and ethical.
Keywords
Natural resources - Natural resources are those that come from Earth without human influence and can be used for human needs.
Minerals - Minerals are chemical substances that are formed naturally and are found in the ground or in rocks.
Non-renewable - Non-renewable means something that cannot be replaced and will eventually run out.
Renewable - Renewable means that something can be re-used and will not be used up or run out.
Economy - The economy is the way money in a particular area is made and spent.
Common misconception
Pupils may not fully appreciate the wide range of landscapes, physical features and biomes in Africa.
Spend some time exploring different countries and regions, including major cities and different types of biome.
Teacher tip
Discuss what other action learners could take on the issue of sustainability. For example, they could give an assembly to raise awareness or talk to the headteacher about using recycled or refurbished electronic devices.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which key lines of latitude run through Africa?
Q2.An example of a natural resource is ...
Q3.Which of these are countries in Africa?
Q4.Renewable means...
Q5.Coal, oil and gas are examples of...
Q6.The way money is made and spent in a country is known as its...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The largest hot desert on the planet is...
Q2.Put these letters in order to spell the name of Africa's longest river.
Q3.Doing things that will cause as little harm as possible to the environment and all living things is living...
Q4.Which African country is the source of more than 70% of the world’s cobalt?
Q5.Which industries are important in countries in Africa?
Q6.Match two positive and two negative effects of mining cobalt in the DRC
To help you plan your 6 geography lesson on: Natural resources and sustainability: focus on Africa, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 geography lesson on: Natural resources and sustainability: focus on Africa, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 geography lessons from the Around the world in 80 days: what have we learnt about our world? unit, dive into the full primary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.