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Protecting What We Depend On

A 60-minute Grade 5 lesson on obtaining and combining information about how communities use science to protect Earth's resources.

Protecting What We Depend On is a free 60-minute Grade 5 science lesson plan for Common Core standard 5-ESS3-1 — gather information on how communities use science to protect resources. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 5
Length:
60 minutes
Standard:
5-ESS3-1

Grade 5 · Earth and Space Science

5-ESS3-1

Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

Objective

Students will be able to propose and judge a measure that protects a resource, using evidence.

Students are successful when they can

  • Names a resource and the pressure on it.
  • Proposes a measure with a stated saving.
  • Names a cost or a limit.

What you need

  • School water and energy figures, the compost record, the storm account
  • Two information sources per resource
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up

5 min
  1. Show that toilets take 48 parts in 100 of the school's water.
  2. Ask what could be done about it.

Teach — evidence, measure, cost

15 min
  1. Name the resource and the pressure: fresh water, and the school's use of it.
  2. Propose a measure and estimate its saving from the figures.
  3. Name what it costs: money, time or somebody's convenience.
  4. Do a second resource using the compost record: 40 kg down to 14 kg.
  5. Say the standard's verb: obtain AND combine. Use two sources for each.
  6. Say what makes a proposal serious: a number attached to the saving.
“How much would it actually save, and what would it cost?”

Investigate — research and propose

22 min
  1. Groups take one resource and gather from two information sources.
  2. They propose a measure and estimate its effect from the figures.
  3. They list the cost and one limit.
  4. They present the proposal and take one challenge from another group.

Independent practice

15 min
  1. Students complete the 'Protecting What We Depend On' page.
  2. Check every proposal carries a number and a cost.

Close

3 min
  1. Choose the proposal the class would put to the school.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Proposes a measure with no estimate of its effect.

Why: It sounds beneficial.

Fix: Attach a number. Otherwise it cannot be compared or judged.

Uses one source of information.

Why: It answered the question.

Fix: Obtain AND combine. Two sources catch what one misses.

Ignores who bears the cost.

Why: The benefit is shared.

Fix: Name who pays or gives something up. That is what decides whether it happens.

If they are not there yet

  • One resource with the figures supplied.
  • A proposal frame with the cost line prompted.

If they finish early

  • Compare two measures on saving per pound spent.
  • Say what evidence would show the measure had worked.
  • Find a measure that protects two resources at once.

Exit ticket

The school uses 48 parts in 100 of its water on toilets. Propose a measure, estimate the saving, and name a cost.

What to look for: A measure targeting that share, with a numerical estimate and a named cost. A proposal with no number means the evidence step is missing.

Printable practice for 5-ESS3-1

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Protecting What We Depend On

How long does the Protecting What We Depend On lesson take?

60 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 15 min, investigate 22 min, independent practice 15 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Protecting What We Depend On teach?

5-ESS3-1 — 5-ESS3-1, Earth and Space Science for Grade 5: “Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.” In plain terms, gather information on how communities use science to protect resources.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

School water and energy figures, the compost record, the storm account, two information sources per resource and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: proposes a measure with no estimate of its effect; uses one source of information and ignores who bears the cost. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “The school uses 48 parts in 100 of its water on toilets. Propose a measure, estimate the saving, and name a cost.” A measure targeting that share, with a numerical estimate and a named cost. A proposal with no number means the evidence step is missing. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Protecting What We Depend On?

Yes — 1 printable 5-ESS3-1 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Protecting What We Depend On free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 8 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-08. Aligned to 5-ESS3-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.