Unit Plan 32 (Grade 5 Science): Human Use of Earth’s Resources
Students obtain and combine information from multiple sources to show how communities use science ideas to protect air, water, and land—then plan real actions.
Focus: Obtain and combine information about how individuals and communities use science ideas to protect air, water, and land.
Grade Level: 5
Subject Area: Science (Earth & Human Activity)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students act as “community resource reporters” who investigate how people use science ideas to protect Earth’s resources. They explore local and global examples of actions that help keep air cleaner, water safer, and land healthier (e.g., recycling, stormwater systems, tree planting, energy choices). Students obtain and combine information from texts, videos, and interviews, and then organize their findings into simple reports, posters, or infographics that explain how communities protect resources and why it matters.
Essential Questions
- How do people and communities use science ideas to protect air, water, and land?
- What are some examples of how local communities try to protect Earth’s resources?
- How can information from different sources (texts, videos, visits, interviews) be combined to understand an environmental problem and its solutions?
- What can we do at school or at home to help protect Earth’s resources and environment?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Obtain information from at least two sources (text, video, website, interview, or graphic) about how communities protect air, water, or land.
- Identify and categorize examples of resource protection (e.g., recycling, water treatment, air quality rules, habitat restoration).
- Combine information from multiple sources to explain how and why a specific community action helps protect Earth’s resources.
- Create a visual product (poster, one-pager, infographic, slide) that clearly communicates how a community uses science ideas to protect air, water, or land.
- Explain at least one action they could take personally or as a class to help protect Earth’s resources and environment.
Standards Alignment — 5th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)
- 5-ESS3-1 — Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can find information from different sources about how communities protect air, water, and land.
- I can group examples into categories (air, water, land) and explain what problem they are trying to solve.
- I can combine information from more than one source to explain how a community action works and why it helps.
- I can make a clear poster or report that someone else can understand about protecting resources.
- I can name at least one action I could take at school or home to help protect Earth’s resources.