What Is a Resource?
This term describes anything found in nature that people value like air, water, soil, and forests.
What is a natural resource?
Can be replaced naturally in a short time (sunlight, wind)
What is a renewable resource?
Natural resource that gives us oxygen.
What is air?
Turning off lights saves this type of resource.
What is “energy/electricity”?
These three examples (water, air, and soil) are all considered natural resources because of this shared feature.
What is “they come directly from nature and are essential for life”?
This natural resource covers most of Earth and is used for drinking, farming, and cleaning.
What is water?
Takes millions of years to form and can run out (coal, oil)
What are nonrenewable resources?
Fossil fuels store energy from ancient plants. Explain how that energy got into the plants in the first place
What is “plants got their energy from sunlight during photosynthesis”?
Explain why recycling reduces the need for new natural resources.
What is “recycling reuses materials instead of taking new ones from nature”?
Wood, cotton, and food all come from plants. Explain why plants themselves are considered resources.
What is “because we use them for materials, energy, and food”?
Wood, cotton, and food come from these natural resources that grow.
What are plants?
Sunlight and wind are renewable because of this key characteristic.
What is “they naturally replenish faster than we use them”?
Energy source formed from ancient plants and animals.
What are fossil fuels?
People plant trees to replace forests. Explain why this is not an immediate solution.
What is “new trees take years to grow and don’t replace lost habitats right away”?
Minerals are used in electronics, buildings, and tools. Explain why minerals are limited even though Earth is huge.
What is “they exist only in certain locations and take a long time to form”?
We get metals and gems by digging these from the Earth.
What are minerals? / What are ores?
Burning these fuels creates energy but also pollution.
What are fossil fuels?
Wind is considered a form of solar energy. Explain why.
What is “sunlight heats Earth unevenly, which creates wind”?
This term means protecting natural resources so we don’t use them up.
What is conservation?
Fish are a natural resource. What is one reason we can run low on fish even though they keep reproducing?
What is “overfishing can remove them faster than they can replace themselves”?
What are any combination of these: fish, oil, coal, wood, air, water, soil, bricks, the sun, wind, phosphate, limestone, sand, animals, rocks, ore, fossil fuels.
What is five examples of natural resources?
This type of natural resource is commonly used for energy.
What is fossil fuel?
Hydropower comes from moving water. Explain how the Sun is responsible for this movement.
What is “the Sun drives the water cycle, which moves water into rivers”?
This is the biggest reason people need to conserve natural resources.
What is “resources are limited and we need them for the future”?
Trees provide lumber, oxygen, animal habitats, and clean air. Explain why cutting down one forest can affect places far away.
What is “forests influence climate, air quality, water cycles, and habitats beyond their local area”?