Science · Grade 1

Active learning ideas

Natural Resources and Our Needs

Active learning works because first graders build understanding through touch, movement, and real objects. When students sort, role-play, and hunt, they connect abstract ideas like 'natural resource' to concrete examples they can see and feel. These hands-on experiences create lasting mental links between materials and their origins.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• K-ESS3-1

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Placemat Activity
• 30 min · Small Groups

Sorting Centre: Natural vs. Human-Made

Gather 20 everyday objects like wooden blocks, plastic toys, cotton balls, and metal spoons. Students sort them into two piles, then label with pictures of sources like trees or factories. Discuss why natural items renew slowly.

Explain where the materials for a wooden chair come from.

Facilitation Tip

During Sorting Centre, place real objects in clear bins so students can see textures and details that help them decide between natural and human-made categories.

What to look for

Provide students with pictures of common objects (e.g., wooden block, plastic toy, cotton t-shirt, glass jar). Ask them to sort the pictures into two groups: 'Made from Natural Resources' and 'Made from Human-made Materials'. Discuss their choices as a class.

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

Activity 02

• Concept Mapping
• 25 min · Pairs

Concept Mapping: From Resource to Object

Provide objects like a chair or shirt. In pairs, students draw lines from the object back to its natural resource, adding words like 'tree' or 'plant.' Share maps with the class to spot patterns.

Compare objects made from natural resources to objects made from human-made materials.

Facilitation Tip

For Concept Map, provide large paper and colored markers so small groups can draw arrows and write labels together, making connections visible.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: 'Imagine we ran out of trees. What are three things we would not be able to make or have anymore?' Record student responses on a chart, prompting them to explain their reasoning.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Placemat Activity
• 35 min · Small Groups

Prediction Role-Play: Resource Run-Out

Choose a resource like wood. Groups act out daily life, then pretend it is gone and improvise solutions. Record predictions on chart paper for whole-class vote on best ideas.

Predict what would happen if we used up all of a certain natural resource.

Facilitation Tip

In Prediction Role-Play, assign clear roles like 'tree,' 'water,' or 'factory worker' to make shortages feel real and urgent for students.

What to look for

Give each student a sticky note. Ask them to draw one object and write down the natural resource it comes from. For example, a drawing of a book with 'tree' written below it.

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

Activity 04

• Placemat Activity
• 20 min · Whole Class

Resource Hunt Walk

Take students outside or around school to find natural resources like leaves or rocks. Photograph or sketch them, then match to classroom objects back inside.

Explain where the materials for a wooden chair come from.

Facilitation Tip

On Resource Hunt Walk, give each pair a simple checklist with pictures to focus attention on specific items like leaves, rocks, or water.

What to look for

Provide students with pictures of common objects (e.g., wooden block, plastic toy, cotton t-shirt, glass jar). Ask them to sort the pictures into two groups: 'Made from Natural Resources' and 'Made from Human-made Materials'. Discuss their choices as a class.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should let students lead the sorting and discussion with open-ended questions, stepping in only to clarify or redirect gently. Avoid giving answers; instead, encourage students to explain their thinking to peers. Research shows young learners grasp conservation better when they physically act out shortages rather than just hear descriptions. Keep materials authentic—no pictures—so tactile input reinforces learning.

Successful learning shows when students can name natural resources in common objects and explain why human-made materials differ. They should trace products back to nature during discussion and compare properties with confidence. Evidence appears in their sorting accuracy, predictions, and clear explanations during activities.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting Centre, watch for students who place all objects in one category because they believe factories produce everything directly.

  Use the Sorting Centre to redirect students by asking them to look closely at textures: 'Does this feel like bark or plastic? What does that tell us about where it comes from?' Encourage peer sharing so students notice differences together.

• During Prediction Role-Play, watch for students who assume resources like trees or water will never run out because they see them every day.

  During the Role-Play, have groups act out shortages step-by-step, such as cutting down all trees in a minute. Pause to ask, 'What happens when we use too many? How do we see this in real life?'

• During Sorting Centre, watch for students who say human-made materials are always better because they last longer.

  Set up a station with a wooden spoon and a plastic spoon. Ask students to hold both and describe how each feels. Prompt, 'Which is warmer? Which would break first?' Guide them to notice that 'better' depends on what we need.

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Methods used in this brief

• Placemat Activity
• Concept Mapping