HASS · Year 4

Active learning ideas

Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources

Active learning works here because Year 4 students need to move from abstract ideas to tangible examples to grasp resource limits. Handling real objects, mapping locations, and debating trade-offs make renewable and non-renewable resources feel immediate rather than distant.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS4K03
• AC9HASS4K04

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 35 min · Small Groups

Sorting Stations: Resource Hunt

Provide stations with cards or objects representing resources like solar panels, coal lumps, wind turbines, and oil barrels. Students in small groups sort them into renewable and non-renewable categories, justify choices with evidence, then share with the class. Extend by labeling sustainability levels.

Differentiate between renewable and non-renewable resources with examples.

Facilitation Tip

Run Debate Circles with clear roles like ‘Energy User’ or ‘Environmental Scientist’ so students must prepare arguments using evidence from prior activities.

What to look for

Provide students with a list of 10 resources (e.g., coal, sunlight, trees, oil, wind, water, uranium, natural gas, soil, geothermal heat). Ask them to sort these into two columns: 'Renewable' and 'Non-Renewable' and write one sentence explaining their choice for two items in each column.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Jigsaw
• 30 min · Pairs

Game Simulation: Resource Depletion

Divide a pile of tokens into renewable (unlimited refills) and non-renewable (fixed pile) stations. Pairs take turns 'using' resources for tasks like building or powering, tracking when non-renewables run out. Discuss strategies for conservation afterward.

Analyze the long-term implications of relying heavily on non-renewable resources.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine our town only had access to non-renewable resources. What problems might we face in 50 years?' Guide students to discuss potential issues like resource scarcity, increased costs, and pollution, linking these to the long-term implications of resource use.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Jigsaw
• 45 min · Individual

Mapping Activity: Australian Resources

Students work individually on maps to mark renewable sites (wind farms, hydro dams) and non-renewable (mines, gas fields). In whole class share, they explain implications for nearby communities and suggest sustainable alternatives.

Explain the importance of developing and using renewable energy sources.

What to look for

Ask students to write down one Australian example of a renewable resource and one of a non-renewable resource. Then, have them explain in one sentence why using renewable resources is important for the future.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Jigsaw
• 40 min · Small Groups

Debate Circles: Energy Choices

Form small groups to prepare arguments for or against expanding coal mining versus building more solar farms. Rotate speakers in a circle to present and respond, then vote on class policy with reasons.

Differentiate between renewable and non-renewable resources with examples.

What to look for

Provide students with a list of 10 resources (e.g., coal, sunlight, trees, oil, wind, water, uranium, natural gas, soil, geothermal heat). Ask them to sort these into two columns: 'Renewable' and 'Non-Renewable' and write one sentence explaining their choice for two items in each column.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract ideas in concrete experiences—students touch timber, observe solar panels, and handle coal samples so concepts stick. Avoid long lectures; instead, let students discover limits through play and discussion. Research shows that embodied experiences and social negotiation of ideas deepen understanding of sustainability in upper primary years.

Students will confidently classify resources, explain their choices, and link examples to sustainability by the end. They will also recognize trade-offs in resource use and discuss how choices today affect tomorrow.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting Stations, watch for students placing all resources in the renewable column because they think nature always replenishes itself.

  Use real samples or images with time labels (e.g., ‘Takes 5 minutes to regrow’ vs. ‘Takes 5 million years to form’) and have students justify placements in pairs before revealing the correct sorting key.

• During Game Simulation: Resource Depletion, watch for students treating non-renewable resources as if they can be reused indefinitely.

  Limit each resource to a fixed number of counters and enforce a ‘no replacement’ rule, then pause after each round to discuss how quickly stocks disappear and why.

• During Debate Circles: Energy Choices, watch for students claiming renewable resources have no downsides.

  Provide a fact sheet with trade-offs (e.g., wind turbines use land, solar panels need space) and require students to include one challenge in their argument before rebutting.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw