Year 11 - Science
Earth's resources and sustainable development
Using Earth's resources
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit covers crude oil, its role as a hydrocarbon source, and separation by fractional distillation. It explores cracking, metal reactivity, and extraction methods, including biological alternatives. Emphasis is on recycling, life-cycle assessments, and evaluating decisions.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe examples of how humans can 'reduce, reuse and recycle' to support sustainable development.
Key Notes
- Humans use Earth's natural resources for most of our material needs.
- Finite resources exist in limited quantities and will run out because we use them quicker than they can be regenerated.
- Synthetic products such as plastic and glass are made by humans using natural resources.
- Sustainable development meets our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- Use of renewable resources, and the reuse and recycling of products, are sustainable development strategies.
Vocabulary To Learn
- natural resources: Substance that can be found within the environment.
- renewable resources: Renewable resources will not run out because they are regenerated or replaced within our lifetime.
- finite resources: Finite resources exist in limited quantities on Earth and will run out if we keep using them because they cannot be regenerated or replaced within our lifetime.
- synthetic products: Synthetic products such as plastic and glass are made by humans using natural resources.
- sustainable development: Sustainable development helps us to meet the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students believing that sustainability is someone else's responsibility.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Humans use Earth's natural resources for most of our material needs. Finite resources exist in limited quantities and will run out because we use them quicker than they can be regenerated.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'natural resources'
Substance that can be found within the environment. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students believing that sustainability is someone else's responsibility. Correction: Everyone needs to reduce, reuse and recycle to ensure sustainable development. The slide deck gives examples of products that can be recycled and the benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Alternative methods of extracting metals: phytoextraction and bioleaching Study Guide
- Alternative methods of extracting metals: phytomining and bioleaching Study Guide
- Cracking fractions of crude oil Study Guide
- Developing a reactivity series for metals Study Guide
- Extraction of metals by reduction Study Guide
- Fractional distillation of crude oil Study Guide
- Life cycle assessments (LCAs) Study Guide
- Polymer structures Study Guide
- Redox reactions Study Guide
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