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
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Earth Day Word Search - Printable
Identify environmental terms with this Earth Day word search.
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Why Plant a Tree? Infographic Analysis Activity & Posters
Teach about Arbor Day or Earth Day with an infographic poster and a cloze note-taking worksheet about the importance of trees in our environment.
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Comprehension Worksheets - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Read and learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with a reading comprehension passage and worksheet pack.
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Recycling I Spy and Sort Worksheet
Sort different pieces of trash into their appropriate bins with this I Spy worksheet.
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Environmental Awareness Flip Book - Earth Day Activity
Use this flip book to build awareness of actions that are good and bad for the environment.
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My Ecological Footprint - Reference Sheet
Teach your students about the things we do that affect the Earth with an ecological footprint reference sheet.
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Where Do Natural Resources Come From? Differentiated Worksheet
Explore where natural resources are found with a pair of differentiated natural resource worksheets.
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Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint - Poster
Display this poster when learning about sustainability.
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Recycling Word Search
Build your students’ vocabulary around the topic of recycling with this recycling-themed word search.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Environmental Word Wall
Help your young students learn about recycling and conservation with an illustrated word wall.
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Ocean Pollution Art Activity
Inspire discussions about ocean pollution and environmental impact with an Earth Day art project.
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Water Conservation Foldable
Display different ways to save water with this water conservation foldable.
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Reduce Reuse Recycle! - Printable Earth Day Read-Alouds
Teach your students to reduce, reuse, and recycle with a printable 3 Rs Mini-Book.
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What are Natural Resources - Instructional Slide Deck
Explore natural resources, where they come from, and how we use them with an instructional slide deck.
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The Recycling Process Poster
Show your students the process materials go through when they are recycled with printable recycling posters.
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Helping the Earth Flipbook - Primary
Use this printable recycling flipbook with your students to teach them about ways to help Earth.
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Earth Watch: Drowning in Plastic - Comprehension Worksheet
Practice reading comprehension skills and learn about microplastic pollution in our oceans with a reading comprehension activity.
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How Can We Help Our Planet Mini Book
Make an Earth Day mini book that your students can complete to explain how they can help the planet.
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Recycling Craftivity - We Recycle Because...
Write about why we recycle and create this recycling craft to display in the classroom.
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My Promise to the Earth - Flipbook Template
Make a promise to protect the planet with a printable Earth Day flip book.
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How is Plastic Recycled? – Recycling Worksheets
Explore the process of recycling plastic with a printable recycling worksheet.
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Earth Day Quotes – Environmental Quote Poster Pack
Inspire sustainable practices in the classroom with a pack of printable Earth Day Quotes.
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Trash, Recycle, and Compost Posters
Remind your students where to put their waste with these trash, recycling, and compost posters.
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Recycling Writing Prompts - Earth Day Worksheets
Differentiate writing instruction in primary grades with informational writing prompts about recycling and conservation.
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What Can Be Recycled? Poster
A poster showing the products that can be recycled.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Earth Day Foldables
Display different ways to conserve resources with a set of fun recycling–based foldable interactive notebook templates.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Energy Worksheet
Discover the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy sources with a cut-and-paste sorting worksheet.
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Trash, Recycle, or Compost Sorting Activity
Learn about recycling, composting, and sustainable practices for waste management with a fun sorting activity.
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Oil Spill Science Experiment
Investigate water pollution and discover the effects of oil spills on wildlife with a hands-on science lab!
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Deforestation-Infographic Analysis Activity
Read and understand an infographic about Deforestation with a thought-provoking poster and comprehension questions.
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What is Pollution? Guided Note-Taking Worksheets
Provide your learners with an organized note-taking method with a pack of Pollution note-taking templates.
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What Can We Recycle? Cut and Paste Worksheet
Remember what to recycle with a cut-and-paste worksheet.
- 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