Year 6 · Autumn 1.2 · Step 2

Earth & Space

Fossil fuels and the environment

Why burning coal, oil and gas releases greenhouse gases that warm the Earth and change our climate.

Arrival Starter I do We do Independent Exit ticket

🌱 Seedling · Working towards 🌿 Sapling · Expected 🌳 Oak · Greater depth

⏱ Whole lesson ≈ 44 min · pick a tier in the bar, or leave on "All"

Arrival 4 min

Recap of last lesson: renewable vs non-renewable.

Recap: two kinds of source

🌱 Seedling

Working towards

Renewable sources do not ____.

🌿 Sapling

Expected

Name the three fossil fuels.
Give a renewable source.

🌳 Oak

Greater depth

What do you think happens to the air when we burn fossil fuels?

Bridge into todayWe mostly make electricity by burning fossil fuels. Today: what that does to our planet.

Starter 5 min

Recall Year 5: greenhouse gases, greenhouse effect, climate change.

Warming the Earth

Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases. These trap heat from the Sun, causing global warming — the gradual rise in the Earth's temperature — and climate change.

🌱 Seedling

Working towards

Greenhouse gases ____ heat (trap / release).

🌿 Sapling

Expected

How does burning fossil fuels warm the Earth?

🌳 Oak

Greater depth

Does "climate change" just mean it gets hotter everywhere? Explain.

I do · 1 6 min

Teacher models. Watch, then connect burning fuels to warming.

Greenhouse gases and warming

▶ Can't see it? Watch "Climate change for kids — the greenhouse effect" on YouTube

Swap the clip: change the ID after /embed/ (now WkvPdUtYhX8).

Say thisBurning coal, oil and gas releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. They act like a blanket, trapping the Sun's heat. Too much causes global warming and changes our climate — more floods, droughts and storms, not just heat.

🔥

Burn fuelsrelease gases

🧣

Trap heatlike a blanket

🌡️

Warmingclimate change

We do · 1 6 min

Build the cause-and-effect chain together.

Follow the chain

burn fossil fuels → release greenhouse gases → gases trap heat → Earth warms → climate changes

Say it back

Each arrow is a "so…". Burning fuels releases gases, so more heat is trapped, so the Earth warms.

Cutting the gases at the start breaks the whole chain.

I do · 2 4 min

Play the animation. Bust: the greenhouse effect is entirely bad / it's just "hotter".

Heat gets trapped

The Sun's heat comes in; extra greenhouse gases trap more of it, warming the Earth.

Model the ideaThe greenhouse effect is natural — it keeps Earth warm enough to live on. The problem is the extra gases from burning fossil fuels, which trap too much heat.

Watch for: "the greenhouse effect is always bad" and "climate change just means hotter".

We do · 2 5 min

Sort actions: do they add gases or cut them?

Add or cut?

Decide together

"Burning coal for electricity." "Putting up solar panels." "Cycling instead of driving."

Which of these add greenhouse gases, and which cut them?

Independent 10 min

On your own. Sort each one, then write at your tier.

Greenhouse gas sorter

🔺 Releases greenhouse gases

🔻 Cuts greenhouse gases

🚫 Myth to bust

Tap a card to sort it…

🌱 Seedling

Working towards

Sort the cards. Then finish: Greenhouse gases ____ heat.

🌿 Sapling

Expected

Sort them, then explain how burning fossil fuels warms the Earth.

🌳 Oak

Greater depth

Explain why the greenhouse effect is natural, but too much is a problem.

Exit ticket 4 min

Answer at your tier, then hand it in.

Show what you know

🌱 Seedling

Working towards

What do greenhouse gases do to heat?
What is global warming?

🌿 Sapling

Expected

How does burning fossil fuels cause warming?
Name one effect of climate change.

🌳 Oak

Greater depth

Explain the chain from burning fuels to climate change.