Science Lesson Plan

Topic: Conservation of Energy and Resources
Strand: Grade 5 – Understanding Earth and Space Systems
Time: 50 minutes

Expectations
Overall Expectations:
• Analyse the immediate and long-term effects of energy and resource use on society and the environment, and evaluate options for conserving energy and resources.

Specific Expectations
Relating Science and Technology to Society and the Environment:
• Analyse the long-term impacts on society and the environment of human uses of energy and natural resources, and suggest ways to reduce these impacts.
Developing Investigation and Communication Skills:
• Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary;
• Use a variety of forms to communicate with different audiences and for a variety of purposes.

Resources: 2L of water, clear bowl or container, teaspoon, glass, eyedropper, poster paper, art supplies.

Introductory Activity(15 minutes):
Object Lesson - The teacher will place 2L of water into a clear bowl or container. This water represents all of the world’s water. The teacher will then place 1 teaspoon of water from the original 2L into a separate glass. This represents the 3% of drinkable water in the world. Next, take an eyedropper and remove one small drop of water. This water represents the true amount of water available for drinking since much 99.4% of the fresh water is in polar ice caps and other places unattainable to us. The class will then have a short discussion about the object lesson for the remainder of the 15 minutes. Ex. What does this visual representation mean to you?

Developmental Strategies(20 minutes):
Having gained an insight on the amount of fresh water available to humans and plants students will be told that, “A human only needs 2.4 litres of water per day to survive, but in Canada we use approximately 343 litres per person per day.” On the board, the teacher will create a T chart with the headings: need/human right & commodity (definitions should be provided depending). As a class students will brainstorm about the uses of water in Canada. This chart should give the students a relatable and visual idea of how water is being used everyday when it could be conserved. Next, students will brainstorm in small groups about how we could conserve water in our daily lives. Each group will be expected to produce at least one idea. Finally, students will choose one of the conservation ideas which applies to their school (i.e. stop buying water bottles). The teacher will then explain that students are expected to work together in their groups to create a poster for the cause.

Concluding Activity (15 minutes): The teacher will provide the materials needed and students will be given the remainder of the class to work on their posters.

Methods of Evaluation: Students will be evaluated for their participation during the class discussion and for the finished product of their poster.

Follow-Up Ideas: As a follow-up to this lesson the teacher could get permission from principal to put posters up in appropriate places in the school.