Year 6 - Science
Fossil fuels (non-statutory)
Climate change and sustainability (non-statutory)
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit examines our climate and the factors affecting it. Emphasis is on using data, taking precise measurements, recording data, and presenting findings.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to recognise that the remains of living things became fuels over millions of years, and that fossil fuels are non-renewable.
Key Notes
- A fossil fuel is a natural fuel formed from the remains of living things over millions of years.
- The type of fossil depends on the original living thing and the amounts of heat and pressure.
- Fossil fuels have been used increasingly since the 1800s for heating, transport and generating electricity.
- Fossil fuels are non-renewable, as they cannot be replaced once they have been used up.
- Burning fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide and tiny pieces of solid matter, such as soot.
Vocabulary To Learn
- fossil fuel: A fossil fuel is a natural fuel formed from the remains of living things over millions of years, such as coal, crude oil or natural gas.
- burn: When something burns, it is on fire.
- non-renewable: A non-renewable resource or material is one that cannot be replaced once it has been used up.
- soot: Soot is a very fine powdery substance created when fossil fuels are burned.
- carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is a type of gas in the air.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may think that fossil fuels have been made from fossils, such as the ones they may see in the classroom or museums.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
A fossil fuel is a natural fuel formed from the remains of living things over millions of years. The type of fossil depends on the original living thing and the amounts of heat and pressure.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'fossil fuel'
A fossil fuel is a natural fuel formed from the remains of living things over millions of years, such as coal, crude oil or natural gas. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may think that fossil fuels have been made from fossils, such as the ones they may see in the classroom or museums. Correction: Explain that fossil fuels are the remains of living things that have been changed over millions of years by heat and pressure.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Carbon capture (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Reducing air pollution (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Reducing our carbon footprint (non-statutory) Study Guide
- The Sun as an energy source (non-statutory) Study Guide
- The wind as an energy source (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Water as an energy source (non-statutory) Study Guide
- What carbon is (non-statutory) Study Guide
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