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4th grade · Science · Unit 10 of 11

Energy Resources

Where our energy and fuels come from.

What your child practices

Practices how energy and fuels come from natural resources like moving water, wind, sunlight, oil and gas, and how using them affects the environment, with examples from New York's hydropower at Niagara Falls and wind farms off Long Island.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 4-ESS3-1 · energy and fuels come from natural resources, and their use affects the environment

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Renewable resources, like falling water, wind and sunlight, won't run out.
  2. Power plants at Niagara Falls make electricity from falling water.
  3. Strong, steady ocean winds make good places for wind turbines.
  4. Electric cars help air quality most when their electricity is renewable.

Example: Which makes an electric car cleaner: electricity from coal or from wind? Burning coal puts pollution into the air. Wind turbines make electricity without burning anything. Answer: from wind

Energy Resources in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 10 of 11 in 4th grade Science, after Maps & Natural Hazards and before Engineering Design.

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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    Which is a renewable resource used in New York?

    • Oil
    • Moving water at dams
    • Natural gas
    • Coal

  2. Question 2

    Which uses sunlight to make electricity?

    • Solar panel
    • Wind turbine
    • Gas stove
    • Dam

  3. Question 3

    A downside of wind turbines can be…

    • they burn coal
    • they make smoke
    • they use gasoline
    • they only work when it's windy

  4. Question 4

    Burning fossil fuels puts into the air…

    • pollution and carbon dioxide
    • rainbows
    • fresh oxygen only
    • nothing

  5. Question 5

    Gasoline for cars is made from…

    • wind
    • sunlight
    • oil
    • water

  6. Question 6

    Wood burned in a fireplace is a…

    • fuel
    • mineral
    • magnet
    • fossil

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