Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources

Active learning works for this topic because students need to physically interact with concepts to grasp the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources. Moving between stations, handling real or simulated materials, and collaborating on tasks makes abstract ideas concrete and memorable.

• Grade 4
• Social Studies
• 4 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Classify Canadian natural resources as either renewable or non-renewable, providing at least two examples for each category.
2. Analyze the economic contribution of specific natural resources (e.g., oil, timber, minerals) to at least two different Canadian regions.
3. Explain the concept of resource depletion and predict one potential long-term consequence for a Canadian region heavily reliant on a non-renewable resource.
4. Compare the sustainability of using renewable versus non-renewable resources for energy production in Canada.

Four Corners

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Sorting Stations: Resource Classification

Prepare stations with image cards of Canadian resources like trees, oil rigs, wind turbines, and coal mines. Small groups sort cards into renewable or non-renewable bins, justify choices with evidence from labels, then share one example per category with the class.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between renewable and non-renewable natural resources.

Facilitation Tip: In Sorting Stations, place a mix of renewable and non-renewable examples in each bin so students must justify their choices before placing them on the chart.

Setup: Four corners of room clearly labeled, space to move

Materials: Corner labels (printed/projected), Discussion prompts

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Four Corners

⏱ 45 min·Pairs

Map It Out: Regional Resources

Provide blank Canada maps and resource lists tied to provinces. Pairs research and label two renewables and two non-renewables per region, add economic notes like 'oil exports jobs,' then gallery walk to compare maps.

Prepare & details

Analyze how specific natural resources contribute to regional economies.

Facilitation Tip: For Map It Out, provide labeled resource cards and blank maps so students physically place where each resource comes from in Canada.

Setup: Four corners of room clearly labeled, space to move

Materials: Corner labels (printed/projected), Discussion prompts

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Four Corners

⏱ 25 min·Whole Class

Depletion Demo: Finite Supplies

Use candies or beans as non-renewable resources and seeds as renewables. Whole class extracts 'resources' from bowls over rounds, tracking depletion on charts, then discusses economic slowdowns as supplies dwindle.

Prepare & details

Predict the long-term consequences of relying heavily on non-renewable resources.

Facilitation Tip: During Depletion Demo, use counters to represent extraction rates so students can see finite supplies dwindle visibly.

Setup: Four corners of room clearly labeled, space to move

Materials: Corner labels (printed/projected), Discussion prompts

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Four Corners

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Economy Role-Play: Resource Reliance

Assign provinces to small groups with resource profiles. Groups present economic strengths and predict issues from non-renewable overuse, using props like toy factories, then vote on class sustainability pledges.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between renewable and non-renewable natural resources.

Facilitation Tip: In Economy Role-Play, assign roles clearly and give each group a scenario card to ensure discussions stay focused on resource dependence.

Setup: Four corners of room clearly labeled, space to move

Materials: Corner labels (printed/projected), Discussion prompts

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers approach this topic by starting with familiar examples before introducing less obvious cases like potash or nickel. Avoid overwhelming students with too many resources at once; instead, build understanding gradually. Research shows students grasp sustainability best when they see cause-and-effect relationships, so simulations and role-plays work better than lectures.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students accurately classifying resources by renewability, explaining regional dependencies, and demonstrating how resource scarcity affects communities. They should articulate why sustainable practices matter and connect resources to jobs and daily life in Canada.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Sorting Stations, watch for students who assume all biological resources are renewable without considering overharvesting rates.

What to Teach Instead

Use the sorting activity to pause and ask groups to explain why fish might not be renewable if caught too quickly, then adjust their labels accordingly.

Common Misconception

During Sorting Stations, watch for students who label only fossil fuels as non-renewable.

What to Teach Instead

Include metallic minerals in the station and ask students to argue why a mineral like nickel fits the definition, then have peers add examples to the 'N' column.

Common Misconception

During Map It Out, watch for students who place resources evenly across Canada without considering local industries.

What to Teach Instead

Have students compare their maps in small groups and ask each member to explain why one region relies more on a specific resource, then revise their maps based on peer feedback.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Sorting Stations, provide students with a list of 10 natural resources found in Canada. Ask them to write 'R' next to renewable resources and 'N' next to non-renewable resources. Then, ask them to choose one 'N' resource and explain why it is non-renewable in one sentence.

Discussion Prompt

After Economy Role-Play, pose the question: 'Imagine a town in Saskatchewan relies almost entirely on potash mining (a non-renewable resource). What are two things that might happen to that town in 50 years if the potash runs out?' Encourage students to share their predictions and justify their reasoning during the debrief.

Exit Ticket

During Sorting Stations, have students take one side of a card, draw a symbol representing a renewable resource, and label it. On the other side, they draw a symbol for a non-renewable resource and label it. They must also write one sentence explaining how one of these resources is important to a specific Canadian region before leaving the room.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to research a renewable energy technology not yet common in Canada and present a one-minute pitch on why it should be adopted here.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the Depletion Demo, such as 'If we take ____ out faster than it grows, then...' to support struggling students.
• Deeper exploration: Have students calculate how long a non-renewable resource would last at current extraction rates using data from Statistics Canada or Natural Resources Canada databases.

Key Vocabulary

Renewable Resource	A natural resource that can be replenished naturally over a short period, such as solar energy, wind, water, forests, and fish.
Non-Renewable Resource	A natural resource that exists in limited quantities and is consumed much faster than it can be formed, such as fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) and minerals.
Resource Depletion	The exhaustion of a resource, especially one that is non-renewable, faster than it can be naturally regenerated.
Economic Importance	The value or significance of a resource to a region's economy, often measured by jobs created, revenue generated, or industries supported.