New
New
Year 4

Changing environments: waste creation and pollution

I can describe some negative effects of waste creation and pollution and suggest some ways to reduce it.

New
New
Year 4

Changing environments: waste creation and pollution

I can describe some negative effects of waste creation and pollution and suggest some ways to reduce it.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Environments can change in a negative way as a result of the actions of humans.
  2. Larger populations can create greater amounts of waste and pollution.
  3. The cars we drive, the products we use and the crops we eat can all contribute to pollution in the environment.
  4. Individuals can change the way they live to reduce the impact of waste creation and pollution on the environment.
  5. Industries can change the way they work to help create less waste and pollution.

Keywords

  • Environment - An environment is the surroundings of a living thing, including other plants and animals and the conditions they live in.

  • Impact - The impact of something is the effect it has.

  • Waste - Waste is any material or substance that is no longer needed or usable which is generated as a result of human activities.

  • Pollution - Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment.

  • Industry - Industry is the companies and activities involved in the process of producing goods for sale, especially in a factory.

Common misconception

Some pupils may not understand the impact of an increased human population on plants and animals.

Discuss, using examples on the slide deck, all the repercussions of increased population. If possible, include an example relevant to their location to help them see it first hand.

Look at your school location; what examples are there of either pollution or waste management that will help bring this topic alive for your pupils (e.g. landfill site close by, polluted river etc.)?
Teacher tip

Equipment

None required.

Content guidance

  • Exploration of objects

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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).

Lesson video

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
The is the surroundings of a living thing, including other plants or animals and the conditions they live in.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: environment
Q2.
Match the living thing to the environment you may find it in .
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:tadpole,pond

pond

Correct Answer:rabbit,field

field

Correct Answer:seaweed,sea

sea

Correct Answer:worm,soil

soil

Q3.
Which of these are requirements that all living things need to survive?
An image in a quiz
house
Correct answer: air
shoes
Correct answer: water
Correct answer: nutrients
Q4.
Match the negative impact to its description.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:Deforestation occurs when ,humans clear land of trees and use it for another purpose.

humans clear land of trees and use it for another purpose.

Correct Answer:Urbanisation occurs when ,humans build more cities to live in.

humans build more cities to live in.

Correct Answer:Natural disasters occur ,when extreme events like flooding and earthquakes cause damage.

when extreme events like flooding and earthquakes cause damage.

Q5.
Put these different populations in order from largest to smallest.
An image in a quiz
1 - 1 million people
2 - 500 000 thousand ants
3 - 20 000 oak trees
4 - 1 000 children
5 - 350 rabbits
6 - 30 dolphins
Q6.
True or false? Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment.
Correct answer: true
false

6 Questions

Q1.
The of something is the effect it has.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: impact
Q2.
Which of these human actions can have a negative impact on an environment?
An image in a quiz
picking up litter in the playground
Correct answer: throwing away objects after they have been used once
Correct answer: releasing harmful gases into the air
putting up bird boxes in the garden
Correct answer: using single-use plastic to create a shopping bag
Q3.
populations create greater amounts of waste and pollution.
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: Larger
Smaller
Louder
Q4.
Which of these can contribute to pollution in the environment?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: The cars we drive
Correct answer: The products we use.
The amount we sleep.
Q5.
Which of these changes could humans carry out to help to reduce waste and pollution?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: compost leftover food
Correct answer: use recyclable plastics
leave the tap running when cleaning teeth
always travel by car
Q6.
Which of these changes could people working in industry carry out to help reduce waste and pollution?
An image in a quiz
build more factories
use more gas and coal to fuel their factories
Correct answer: use alternative fuels to gas and coal, like solar and wind power
Correct answer: use recyclable materials in their products and packaging
Q4 nEwyyy/Shutterstock.com