Year 6 · Autumn 1.2 · Step 6

Earth & Space

Renewable energy in our community

How real towns, homes and schools use renewable energy to cut their greenhouse gases.

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: weighing renewable vs non-renewable.

Recap: the honest picture

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

Give one strength of renewables.

🌿 Sapling
Expected
  1. One strength and one limit of renewables?
  2. Why is the world switching?
🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Where near us could renewable energy be used to cut warming?

Bridge into todayToday we bring it home — how renewable energy is used in real communities to limit global warming.
Starter 5 min

Where have pupils spotted renewables locally? Roofs, fields, hills.

Renewables near us

Communities cut their greenhouse gases by using solar panels, wind turbines and greener choices. Every home, school and street can help.

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

Name one renewable thing you've seen near home.

🌿 Sapling
Expected

How could our community use more renewable energy?

🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Why does it matter that lots of people make small changes?

I do · 1 6 min

Teacher models. Watch, then link local choices to less warming.

Renewables in real life

▶ Can't see it? Watch "Cutting our carbon — why communities switch" on YouTube

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

Say thisWhen homes, schools and towns choose renewable energy and greener travel, they release fewer greenhouse gases. Small changes across a whole community add up to a big difference for the climate.
🏠
Solar roofshomes & schools
🌀
Community turbineslocal power
🚲
Greener travelless driving
We do · 1 6 min

Spot the greener choices in a pretend town.

Greener or not?

solar on the school roof · a coal power station · walking buses · lights left on all day · a community wind turbine

Sort them
Which choices cut our greenhouse gases, and which add to warming?
A greener community makes lots of these small choices.
I do · 2 4 min

Play the animation. Bust: one school/person can't make a difference.

A greener community

solar roofs + a community turbine → clean power for homes

Solar roofs and a community turbine power the homes with clean electricity.

Model the ideaNo single change fixes everything — but together, thousands of homes, schools and towns switching to renewables makes a huge difference. Renewables aren't only for big cities.

Watch for: "one school can't make a difference" and "renewables are only for big cities".

We do · 2 5 min

Research talk: where could our area add renewables?

Where could we add it?

Discuss together
school roof? · sports hall? · car-park shelters? · a nearby windy hill?
Pick one place and say why it would work.
Independent 10 min

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

Greener community sorter

🌿 Cuts our carbon

🏭 Adds to warming

🚫 Myth to bust

Tap a card to sort it…

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

Sort the cards. Then name one renewable choice for our school.

🌿 Sapling
Expected

Sort them, then write two ways our community could use renewable energy.

🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Explain why many small local changes add up to a big difference for the climate.

Exit ticket 4 min

Answer at your tier, then hand it in.

Show what you know

🌱 Seedling
Working towards
  • Name a renewable choice for a community.
  • Does it cut or add greenhouse gases?
🌿 Sapling
Expected
  • Give two ways a town could use renewable energy.
  • Why do lots of small changes matter?
🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Can one school really make a difference? Explain your answer.

TA Focus · Renewables locally
Make it real and local — connect to solar/turbines pupils have seen near home. For the sorter, ask 'does this cut our carbon or add to warming?' Two myths: 'one school can't make a difference' and 'renewables are only for big cities'.
Cold Call · Question bank
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