1. natural resources renewable/non-renewable
Lesson 12: Observing Natural Resources
Challenge:
What do natural resources look like?
What are some natural resources you use every day?
Introduction:
Word Sort
Vocabulary:
natural resources renewable/non-renewable
Materials: √
Procedure: √
Data:
Ranking Natural Resource Samples Data Table
Analysis:
AQ 1, AQ2, AQ 3, AQ 4

2. How can we divide this list into two categories?
Homework Desks Bed Phone Teacher kitchen

3. School
Home
Teacher
Bed
Homework
Kitchen
Desks
Phone

4. How can we divide this list into two categories?
rocks
trees
plastic
cars
air
water
soil
trees
airplanes

5. Natural Resources
Some of the words that you categorized, such as trees and water, are natural resources.
Can you name some natural resources that you use every day.
wood
metals
water
air
gasoline (produced from crude oil),

6. Lab Activity
Pairs of students can work together to examine a sample by sharing a magnifying lens and discussing their observations. Students should record their observations in their science notebook in your data table .

7. Analysis Question 1 SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
a. What was the most valuable natural resource, according to the
class?
b. What was the least valuable natural resource, according to the
c. What reasons did other students have for identifying a natural
resource as more or less valuable?

8. Question 2
What else would you like to know about these natural resources to help determine their value?

9. Question 3 Copy the list of words shown below.
coal
natural resource
salt
garnet
plastic
a. Look for a relationship among the words. Cross out the word or
phrase that does not belong.
b. Circle the word or phrase that includes the other words.
c. Explain how the word or phrase you circled is related to
the other words in the list.

10. Question 4
Reflection: What do you think makes a natural resource valuable?