Background
SC Science Standards
Correlations
GRADE ONE EARTH
SCIENCE: EARTH’S
NATURAL
RESOURCES
Standard 1.E.4
Conceptual
Understanding
1.E.4B
Performance
Indicators: 1.E.4B.1, 1.E.4B.2
GRADE THREE EARTH SCIENCE: EARTH’S
MATERIALS AND PROCESSES
Standard 3.E.4
Conceptual Understanding 3.E.4A
Performance Indicator: 3.E.4A.3
GRADE EIGHT EARTH SCIENCE: EARTH
SYSTEMS AND RESOURCES
Standard 8.E.5
Conceptual Understanding 8.E.5C
Performance Indicator: 8.E.5C.1
by Chanda L. Cooper December, 2018
Natural resources—things we
use that come from nature such
as plants, animals, and
minerals—are all around us. We
use these resources to meet our
basic needs for water, food,
shelter, and air as well as to
create the products that make
our lives more convenient,
healthy, and productive.
Natural resources are typically
organized in two categories:
renewable and non-renewable.
Renewable resources are those
that never run out or can be
replenished quickly—usually
within a human lifetime. Non-
renewable resources are those
that are in limited supply and
cannot be regenerated within a
human lifetime.
Examples of renewable
resources include trees, which
can be harvested for paper pulp
within 20 years of planting in
SC’s climate; and water, which
never “runs out” because the
water cycle continuously makes
water available for re-use.
Examples of non-renewable
resources include minerals such
as rocks, metals, gems, and
sand. Fossil fuels (oil, coal, and
natural gas) are also non-
renewable. While these
materials are generated by
natural processes and can
therefore eventually be
“regenerated,” these processes
take thousands or millions of
years.
Assignment
Take a walk around your school
or through your neighborhood.
How many natural resources
can you find? Use a camera to
document five examples of
natural resources and five ways
those resources are being used.
Caption each photo with details
about the resource. (You may
do this in a document,
slideshow, or spreadsheet or
you may upload the photos and
captions to a social media site.)
Make sure you answer these
questions in your captions:
What resource is depicted?
How do humans use this
resource?
Is this resource
renewable or non-
renewable? Why?
Richland Soil and Water Conservation District
Summary:
Students go on a “natural resource ramble” to
identify and document the renewable and non-
renewable natural resources they encounter.
A Natural Resource Ramble
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of
renewable and non-renewable natural resources.
Students will use technology and language arts
skills to create and present a record of their ramble.
Extensions
Document five ways you see humans conserving
(protecting, saving, or using wisely) natural
resources. Caption these photos with an
explanation of the conservation practice and
how it helps preserve or protect the resource.
Write a creative account of your Natural
Resource Ramble. This could be in the form of a
short story, poem, song, or performance art. Be
sure to include information about how resources
are used and whether they are renewable or non
-renewable in your final product.
Example
Visit us online at
rcgov.us/rswcd!
A Natural Resource Ramble
Killian Crossing
December 4, 2018
The average person uses 80-100
gallons of water a day to flush the
toilet, take a shower or bath, wash
clothes and dishes, and more.
Water is a renewable resource
because used water can be made
available for re-use through water
treatment and/or the water cycle.
Granite is an igneous rock
comprised of the minerals
feldspar, quartz, and mica. It is
one of the most common rock
types on Earth and has a variety of
commercial uses, from rip-rap for
drainage and slope protection to
building stone. Granite is also
used for ornamental statues and
monuments. Granite is mined
throughout SC, and SC’s state
stone is Winnsboro blue granite.
Because granite takes millions of
years to form, it is considered a
non-renewable natural resource.
Trees such as these longleaf pines
are used to produced utility poles,
sawtimber, and high-quality pine
straw for landscaping. They also
provide important wildlife habitat
for a number of species. Because
straw can be produced in 8 years
and utility poles and sawtimber
can be produced in 40-60 years
(within a human lifetime), longleaf
pine trees are a renewable natural
resource.
Example
Visit us online at
rcgov.us/rswcd!
A Natural Resource Ramble
Killian Crossing
December 4, 2018
This camphorweed provides
important habitat—including
forage, nectar, and pollen—for a
variety of insects. These insects,
in turn, provide important services
for humans including crop
pollination and pest control.
Because this plant can grow and
reproduce each year, it is
considered a renewable natural
resource.
Background: a pile of bark mulch
(made from trees, which are a
renewable resource) will be used
to enhance the landscaping and
feed the soil around this
development.
Foreground: a pile of sand has
been depleted as the sand is used
for various construction and
landscaping projects. Because it
takes thousands to millions of
years for sand to form via the rock
cycle and weathering, sand is a
non-renewable natural resource.
This manhole cover provides a
conservation message—“Dump no
waste; drains to waterways”—
designed to educate passers-by
and protect water quality in our
local ecosystems. Education and
public awareness campaigns are
an important conservation tool!
