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6th grade · Science · Unit 6 of 10

Managing Resources

Why managing air, water, soil and energy matters, and how conservation, efficiency and technology help.

What your child practices

Practices why resource management matters for reducing energy poverty, malnutrition, and air and water pollution around the world, and how conservation, efficiency and technology help manage air, water, soil and energy resources.

Alabama Course of Study content standard: 6.11 · how people use and manage Earth's resources

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Conservation means using less, like fixing leaky pipes.
  2. Efficiency means getting the same result with less energy, like an LED bulb.
  3. Burning fossil fuels releases pollutants, so using less improves air quality.
  4. Poor soil or scarce water can make crops fail and cause malnutrition.

Example: An LED bulb gives the same light as an old bulb using less energy. Conservation or efficiency? You get the same result. It just uses less energy to do it. Answer: efficiency

Managing Resources in Alabama

In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 6 of 10 in 6th grade Science, after The Rock Cycle and before Weather Systems.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Drip irrigation helps farmers by…

    • flooding fields
    • delivering water straight to roots and wasting less
    • salting the soil
    • using more water

  2. Question 2

    Energy poverty means people…

    • lack reliable, affordable electricity or clean cooking fuel
    • live near power plants
    • use too much energy
    • own solar panels

  3. Question 3

    Better insulation in homes is an example of…

    • soil erosion
    • wasting energy
    • water pollution
    • efficiency that saves energy

  4. Question 4

    Why is managing water resources important?

    • Clean water is limited and needed for drinking, farming and industry
    • Dirty water is safe
    • Water never runs out
    • Only fish need water

  5. Question 5

    No-till farming and cover crops help manage…

    • electric grids
    • air travel
    • ocean tides
    • soil resources

  6. Question 6

    Smart thermostats manage energy by…

    • turning off insulation
    • running all day
    • heating and cooling only when needed
    • using more gas

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