Virginia SOL 5.9.b

Science5th GradeEarth Resources

The Standard

individuals and communities have means of conserving both energy and matter

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify actions that reduce the use of energy and materials. They explain how choices by one person or a whole community can limit waste and conserve resources.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can match a conservation action to the resource it saves. They can explain why reusing an item, recycling materials, or reducing electricity use helps.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think recycling is the only form of conservation or that used matter disappears. They may also confuse saving energy with creating new energy.
How to Assess It: Give students this prompt: Name one action a person can take and one action a community can take to conserve resources. Explain what each action saves.

Lesson moves

Sort one day of clean classroom waste into reuse, recycle, compost, and landfill groups, then choose one way to reduce the largest group.
Write a response to this prompt: Should our school limit paper use, electricity use, or food waste first, and why?
Play a conservation match game by pairing action cards, such as carpooling, with resource cards, such as fuel.
Examine your community recycling guide, then create a correct disposal chart for five common household items.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 5.9.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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