Students will begin this lesson by accessing their prior knowledge on Earth's natural resources through a brainstorming activity. The teacher will introduce the topic of fossil fuels, which are non-renewable resources such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The teacher will lead students in utilizing the jigsaw literacy strategy, in which students will become members of a home group and an expert group as they research and discuss their assigned topic. This lesson will culminate with students creating a presentation in the form of a research paper, poster, or slideshow to demonstrate their knowledge of the distribution and creation of fossil fuels.
This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.
This strategy guide will provide teachers with the background knowledge needed to implement the Jigsaw Cooperative Learning Technique in their classrooms. The digital tool explains the research basis of this technique, provides tips for integrating this strategy in the classroom, and offers links to related resources.
Millions of years of heat and pressure turned the fossils of dead plants and animals into deposits of fuel, such as oil, natural gas, and coal. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource, and they create pollution, so it is important to conserve them.
The classroom resource provides a slide show that will describe fossil fuels and explain how they are formed. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.
Minerals are either elements or compounds with a crystalline structure that makeup rocks or are dissolved in water. They have many properties, including streak, color, luster, hardness, and structure.
The classroom resource provides a slide show that will describe minerals and their properties. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding. This resource can be used to provide background information before students perform their own observations and investigations.
Resources are vital to the existence of people. This resource familiarizes students with the concept of resource distribution and encourages them to think about how people interact with limited resources.