Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources Teaching Resources
Teach your students all about renewable and nonrenewable resources this school year with printable worksheets, activities, vocabulary guides and more created by teachers for your elementary science lessons.
Aligned to the NGSS, this collection of teaching resources has been created with differentiated options and editable versions to make your lesson plans easier to create and save you time! Each resource in this collection has been thoroughly reviewed by a member of the Teach Starter teacher team to ensure it's ready for your lesson planning and your students.
New to teaching this section of the elementary science curriculum or looking for fresh ideas to explain the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources and why these are so important? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Are Natural Resources? A Kid-Friendly Definition
In order to explain renewable and nonrenewable and the differences between them, students first need to understand what it means to have a natural resource. Here's a natural resources definition to share with your students:
Natural resources are materials or substances that are naturally occurring in the environment and are valuable to humans for their economic, environmental, or cultural benefits. These resources are generally classified into two categories — renewable and nonrenewable resources.
What Is a Renewable Resource?
Need a kid-friendly way to explain this concept? Try this one: A renewable resource is a natural resource that we can use over and over again without running out. It's sort of like having a cookie jar that never runs out of cookies. Only in this case, the "cookies" provide the energy we need for things like heating our homes and running the electrical items in our schools.
Sometimes renewable resources will be regenerated naturally, while others require human intervention (for example, tree planting replenishes the supply of wood but requires people to do some work!).
What Are Some Examples of Renewable Resources?
Some examples of renewable resources include:
- Sun — The sun is one of the most abundant renewable resources in the US, and it is used to create energy with the help of solar panels.
- Wind — Wind turbines harness this renewable resource, generating electricity as gusts of wind move through them.
- Water — Hydroelectric dams are often used to create energy with this renewable resource.
What Is a Non-Renewable Resource? A Kid-Friendly Definition
As the prefix "non" would indicate, nonrenewable resources are essentially the opposite of the renewable type. These natural resources used to create energy cannot be easily replenished or replaced.
Some may be used up entirely over time, and once they're gone, they will be gone for good. Others may come back, but the time it takes to come back is so long that it won't happen for thousands or even millions of years, which means we will run out too quickly.
Many nonrenewable resources create other issues, such as the harm that burning fossil fuels represents to the environment. Nonrenewable resources are often considered unsustainable, and their use is a major contributor to environmental degradation, climate change, and other global issues.
What Are Some Examples of Nonrenewable Resources?
Some examples of nonrenewable resources that you can share with your students include:
- Fossil fuels — Nonrenewable fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas are used for electricity and heat but would take millions of years to regenerate.
- Minerals — Gold, silver and copper are all minerals that are mined for use in electronics, jewelry and more, but they won't just replenish naturally.
Renewable Energy vs. Non-Renewable Energy — What's the Difference?
Many of the resources we have are tied to the energy we use to power our houses, our cars and more. We classify these energy types as either renewable energy or non-renewable energy.
So what's the difference? Let's look at a breakdown you can share with students.
Renewable Energy
The energy that comes from natural resources that can be replenished over a relatively short period of time is called renewable energy.
Types of renewable energy include:
- Solar
- Wind
- Geothermal
- Biomass
Non-Renewable Energy
Non-renewable energy is energy that is produced with finite resources that cannot be easily replenished.
Sources of non-renewable energy include:
- Coal
- Oil
- Natural gas
- Plus Plan
Trash, Recycle, or Compost Sorting Activity
Learn about recycling, composting, and sustainable practices for waste management with a fun sorting activity.
- Plus Plan
Our Built and Natural Environments - Poster Pack
Showcase the features of natural and man-made environments with printable anchor charts.
- Free Plan
Classroom Practices to Promote a Green Future - A Teacher's Guide
Create a more sustainably-friendly classroom with this 18-page teacher's guide.
- Plus Plan
Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Sources - Anchor Charts
Examine renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, including wind energy, hydro energy, solar energy, natural gas, oil, and coal with a pair of printable posters.
- Plus Plan
Oil Spill Science Experiment
Investigate water pollution and discover the effects of oil spills on wildlife with a hands-on science lab!
- Plus Plan
Water is Life - Instructional Slide Deck
Learn about the importance of water to life on Earth, along with where our water comes from, with an instructional slide deck.
- Plus Plan
Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources – Board Game
Answer questions related to renewable and nonrenewable resources with this printable board game.
- Plus Plan
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Brainstorming Sheets
Brainstorm All the Ways to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle with a pack of printable brainstorming worksheets.
- Free Plan
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Environmental Word Wall
Help your young students learn about recycling and conservation with an illustrated word wall.
- Plus Plan
Why Should We Compost? Poster
Use this poster set to explain why it is important to compost food scraps.
- Plus Plan
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rethink Posters
Teach the concepts behind reducing, reusing, recycling, and rethinking waste with this set of 4 posters.
- Plus Plan
Earth Day Quotes – Environmental Quote Poster Pack
Inspire sustainable practices in the classroom with a pack of printable Earth Day Quotes.
- Plus Plan
Recycling Labels - Printable Bin Tags
Teach your students how to recycle in the classroom with labeled recycling bins!
- Plus Plan
Save the Planet - Earth Words Vocabulary Display
Print and display Earth Day-related terms in your classroom to improve vocabulary and discussion about Earth Day.
- Plus Plan
Natural Resources – Journal Task Cards
Integrate science and writing while responding to specific scenarios regarding natural resources with this set of 24 journal task cards.
- Plus Plan
Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources Flipbook
Use this printable science flipbook with your students to research and write about a chosen natural resource.
- Plus Plan
How We Use Natural Resources Mini-Book
Read and learn about how we use natural resources with this 12-page mini-book.
- Plus Plan
Natural Resources Vocabulary Worksheets
Practice and review vocabulary terms associated with natural resources with this worksheet pack.
- Plus Plan
Wildlife Conservation Vocabulary Words
Help your students build academic vocabulary skills surrounding animal and wildlife conservation with a printable word wall.
- Free Plan
The Recycling Process Poster
Show your students the process materials go through when they are recycled with printable recycling posters.
- Plus Plan
My Ecological Footprint - Worksheet
A worksheet for students to evaluate their family's ecological footprint and compare it with the class.
- Plus Plan
Occupations and Sustainability in Technologies Assessment
An assessment task in which students will demonstrate an understanding of occupations and sustainability in technologies.
- Plus Plan
Sustainability in Occupations
A 60 minute lesson in which students will investiagate why occupations within the community need to be sustainable.
- Plus Plan
Sustainability in the Community
A 60 minute lesson in which students will develop an understanding of key vocabulary commonly used in relation to sustainability.
-
16 Environmental Activities for Students to Encourage Sustainability in Your Classroom
These sustainability activities for the classroom can be incorporated right into your environmental education activities to help students grow!
-
12 Teacher-Approved Earth Day Activities for Kids to Green Your Classroom (Plus Teacher Freebies)
Make Earth Day count with these fun Earth Day activities for kids in the classroom that incorporate math, science, and more, plus access free seeds, resources, and more for teachers!
-
The Best and Worst Plants for the Classroom (And How to Care for Them)
Do you want to know the best plants to keep in the classroom (and those to avoid)? Check out this list of allergy-free, easy-care indoor plants for teachers!
-
10 Creative Ways to Get Kids to Recycle in Your Classroom + Free Recycling Options for Teachers
How to encourage kids to recycle in your classroom + free recycling programs that earn teachers cash and school supplies!
-
How to Make Composting in the Classroom Fun (And Educational) for Kids
Want to start a compost bin in the classroom and wondering how to make composting for kids fun? We walk you through the process step by step.
-
10 Earth Hour 2023 Ideas for Teachers to Bring Sustainability Into the Classroom
How do you celebrate Earth Hour in the classroom? Explore ideas for teachers plus free downloads to help make your classroom more sustainable and green.
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources Worksheets
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources Posters
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources Templates
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources for Kindergarten
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources for 1st Grade
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources for 2nd Grade
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources for 3rd Grade
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources for 4th Grade
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources for 5th Grade
- Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources for 6th Grade