Year 6 - Science
Reducing air pollution (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 describe how some harmful gases and small particles get in the air and harm our environment and how this can be reduced.
Key Notes
- Burning fossil fuels at home, in our cars, and in industry all cause air pollution.
- Whenever we burn fossil fuels, harmful gases and small solid particles are produced.
- Some substances produced when we burn fossil fuels can harm living things or add to greenhouse gases.
- Scientists and engineers are always investigating ways to use renewable fuel resources and reduce air pollution.
- Air pollution can be reduced by our actions, such as walking or cycling more and using less electricity.
Vocabulary To Learn
- air pollution: Air pollution is when harmful substances are put into the air.
- burn: When something burns, it is on fire.
- fossil fuels: 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.
- particles: Particles are very tiny pieces of matter.
- greenhouse gas: A greenhouse gas is a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may think that air pollution can be seen, and that there are no pollutants in the air if it looks 'clean'.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Burning fossil fuels at home, in our cars, and in industry all cause air pollution. Whenever we burn fossil fuels, harmful gases and small solid particles are produced.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'air pollution'
Air pollution is when harmful substances are put into the air. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may think that air pollution can be seen, and that there are no pollutants in the air if it looks 'clean'. Correction: Explain that many things that can pollute the air cannot be seen by the naked eye and air pollution can exist even when we can't see it around us.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Carbon capture (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Fossil fuels (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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