Week 1

STRAND : ENERGY AND CHANGE

TOPIC : SOURCES OF ENERGY
DURATION : 1 WEEK
CONTENT AND CONCEPTS: Renewable and non-renewable sources of energy
• Energy is needed to make everything work, move or live
• A source of energy has energy stored waiting to be used
• Non-renewable sources of energy cannot be replenished
• Renewable sources of energy are continually replenished,

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE : • Grade 4: Energy and Energy Transfer

• Grade 4: Energy around us
• Grade 5: Stored energy in fuels
• Grade 6: Renewable versus non-renewable energy sources.

LESSON 1
LESSON TITLE :
DATE: 22/07/2025
DURATION : 1 HOUR
KEY CONCEPTS : - Energy is needed to make everything work, move or live
- A source of energy has energy stored waiting to be used,

SOURCES OF ENERGY
• All living things need energy.
• The Sun is the main source of energy for all living things.
• The energy from the Sun allows plants to grow and produce food.
• Living things need the energy stored in food to breathe and carry out daily activities.
• People also use machines that need energy in order to work.
• Energy can be stored in substances and organisms called energy sources.
• Examples of substances that store energy are: oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear fuels,
• wind, water (hydropower), sunlight, biofuel (wood).
• The energy from energy sources can be used to make something happen.
• For example, natural gas is used for cooking and for lighting.

Classwork Memo
1.
Renewable energy sources Non-renewable energy sources

Biofuel, wood, wind, hydropower Coal, uranium

1. Renewable energy sources can be used again or recycled or replaced. There is an unlimited
supply of the energy source.
Non-renewable energy sources cannot be used again or recycled. There is a limited supply of
the energy sources
CLASSWORK

2. Study the following images which show different sources of energy and use them to answer the
questions that follow.

2.1. Classify the energy sources in the images as either renewable or non-renewable. (2)

Renewable energy sources Non-renewable energy sources

2.2. What do we mean when we say that something is renewable or non-renewable? Explain this in
your own words. (2)
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LESSON 2
LESSON TITLE : NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
DATE: 23/07/2025
DURATION : 1 HOUR
KEY CONCEPTS : • Non-renewable sources of energy cannot be replenished

NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

• A non-renewable source is a natural resource that cannot be readily replaced after it is used.
• There are four major types of non-renewable resources: oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy.
• Oil, natural gas, and coal are collectively called fossil fuels.
• Fossil fuels were formed within the Earth from dead plants and animals over millions of years—hence
the name “fossil” fuels.

•
• They are found in underground layers of rock and sediment.
• Pressure and heat worked together to transform the plant and animal remains into crude oil (also
known as petroleum), coal, and natural gas.
• The plants and animals that became fossil fuels lived in a time called Carboniferous Period, around
300 to 360 million years ago.
• The energy in the plant and animal remains originally came from the sun; through the process of
photosynthesis, solar energy is stored in plant tissues, which animals then consume, adding the
energy to their own bodies.
• When fossil fuels are burned, this trapped energy is released.

• Crude oil is a liquid fuel fossil fuel that is used mostly to produce gasoline and diesel fuel for vehicles,
and for the manufacturing of plastics.
• It is found in rocks below Earth’s surface and is pumped out through wells.

• Natural gas is widely used for cooking and for heating homes.
• It consists mostly of methane and is found near oil deposits below Earth’s surface.
• Natural gas can be pumped out through the same wells used for extracting crude oil.

• Coal is a solid fossil fuel that is used for heating homes and generating power plants.
• It is found in fossilized swamps that have been buried beneath layers of sediment.
• Since coal is solid, it cannot be extracted in the same manner as crude oil or natural gas; it must be
dug up from the ground.

• Nuclear energy comes from radioactive elements, mainly uranium, which is extracted from mined
ore and then refined into fuel.

• Approximately 80 percent of the total amount of energy used globally each year comes from fossil
fuels. We depend on fossil fuels because they are energy-rich and relatively cheap to process.
• A major problem with fossil fuels, is that burning them releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• Rising levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the main cause of global warming.

Classwork Memo
1. Non-renewable energy sources cannot be reused or replenished. There is a limited supply
2. Coal, oil, natural gas, Nuclear power (ANY 3)
3. Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing an excess in the atmosphere.
These gases then trap more of the Sun’s energy causing the Earth to warm up even more, and results in
global warming
4.1. petrol
4.2. hydrogen
4.3. • burning hydrogen does not produce carbon monoxide
• burning hydrogen does not produce Sulfur dioxide
• burning hydrogen only produces water
• burning petrol causes acid rain ANY ONE
CLASSWORK
1. What does it mean if something is a non-renewable source of energy? [1]
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2. Name three non-renewable energy sources. (3)
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3. How does the burning of fossil fuels contribute to global warming? [2]
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4. Study the table below and answer the questions that follow.

4.1. Which fuel, in the table, releases the lowest amount of energy per kilo gram? (1)
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4.2. Which fuel, in the table, releases the highest amount of energy per kilo gram? (1)
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4.3. Give one reason why there will be less pollution when hydrogen is burned as a fuel. (2)
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LESSON 3
LESSON TITLE : RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
DATE: 24/07/2025
DURATION : 1 HOUR
KEY CONCEPTS : renewable sources of energy are continually replenished, such as hydro power, wind,
sunlight, biofuel (wood)

RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

Renewable energy sources are natural resources that can be replenished.
Hydropower:
• Hydropower is generated by falling water.
• South Africa does not have many large and strong rivers. Hydropower is generated at some of
South Africa’s largest dams. There are hydropower stations at Gariep Dam, Vanderkloof and the
Thukela-Vaal Scheme.
• We also import hydropower from the Cahora- Bassa Dam on the Zambezi River in Mozambique.
• Waves and tides are used in some parts of the world to generate electricity. In South Africa the
waves
• and tides are not suitable for this kind of power.

Wind Power:
• In some countries there are huge windfarms with hundreds of wind turbines that look like giant
propellers.
• South Africa’s climate is suitable for this, and wind power is beginning to be used more and more
to generate electricity.
Solar Power:
• The sun is our most important source of energy, and in South Africa many houses have solar water
• heaters to produce hot water from the sun’s energy.
• This energy is cheap, clean, and reduces the demand for coal-generated power.
• In some types of solar power plants, thousands of mirrors focus the sun’s energy onto a power
tower in the centre.
• Here the sun’s rays heat a type of salt to 565°C, causing the salt to melt and heat up water
• to create enough steam to generate electricity.
• Some of the hot molten salt is stored in a tank underground so that it can be used at night and in
overcast weather.
Biofuels:
• Biofuels come from the sun’s energy that is stored in plant matter, mostly wood. Animal dung that
is burned to create heat is also a biofuel.
CLASSWORK: CASE STUDY ON BIOFUELS

Dairy finds a way to let cows power trucks

27 March 2013

A large dairy farm, Fair Oaks Farms, in the United States of America has found a way to use the endless supply of
manure from the cows to generate electricity. This electricity is in turn used to run the equipment
that milks about 30 000 cows, three times a day.

For several years, the farm had been using the waste from the cows to create natural gas. The cow manure is swept
up from the barn floors each day. The manure is then allowed to decompose in a digester and
as it does so, it releases methane gas.

The gas is collected and stored and used to power their buildings and barns. This gas is enough to
power 10 barns, a cheese factory, a small restaurant, a gift shop and even a 4D movie theatre in the kids
entertainment area.
Fair Oaks Farms was doing all of this, but only using about half of the manure they swept up from the cows each day.
But, they have now become even more energy efficient. Fair Oaks Farms is now using the rest of the manure and
turning it into fuel to power its delivery trucks and tractors.

This is the largest group of vehicles on the roads in the US using livestock waste to power them.
This is a huge saving in the amount of diesel which would otherwise be used. Gary Corbett at Fair Oaks said "We are
taking about half a million litres of diesel off the roads each year." Another advantage is that
natural gas is about half the price of diesel fuel for the same amount of power.

Mike McCloskey, a co-owner of Fair Oaks, said he first started looking into renewable energy options for the farm
more than a decade ago. This was a way to become more energy efficient, save money and he
also said the smell of the manure, used as fertilizer on the fields, started to make some neighbours complain!

The leftover by-products from producing the natural gas is still spread over the fields as fertilizer, but it
has much less of a smell. This shows that nothing goes to waste. Other farmers, landfill management companies
and other large industries that produce large amounts of methane-rich material are now
also starting to take interest.

If used, this could provide an endless supply of 'biogas', a cleaner, safer, sustainable alternative which also
reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

A digester used can be a part of the solution. to decompose manure to produce methane gas.
This has been adapted from an article which appeared in the New York Times on 27 March 2013.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the name of the farm in the article and in which country is it based? (2)
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2. What made the owners of Fair Oaks Farm decide to use manure as a form of energy? (3)
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3. In the article, the renewable energy source referred to is an example of a biofuel. What is this
renewable energy source and why can we call it a biofuel? (2)
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4. How does the farm harvest methane from manure? (3)
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5. Why is it a good thing that the farm is taking "about half a million litres of diesel off the roads each
year"? (2)
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6. What is another advantage of using the biogas to power the delivery trucks and tractors? (1)
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Memo.
1. Fair Oaks Farms in the United States of America.
2. to be more energy efficient
save money
neighbours were complaining about the smell of the tons of manure on the farm.
3. The renewable energy source is methane gas. It is a biofuel as it is obtained from animal waste.
4. The farm sweeps up the manure from the barn floors.
As the manure decomposes, it releases methane gas.
The methane gas can be collected and stored.
5. Diesel is a fossil fuel which is a non-renewable energy source. Using less diesel means that the
supply will last longer. The biofuel is renewable and So it is a more sustainable source.
6. The biogas/natural gas is about half the price of diesel, so it is much cheaper.