Hands-on Science Textbook Primary 4 (Chapter 05)

Chapter

5

Environment and
Natural Resources

Living things need water, air and food to stay alive.
They can get these from our Earth which has plenty
of natural resources. What are the natural resources
found in our planet?

What do I know about the environment and natural resources?
1.
2.

What do I want to know about the environment and natural resources?
1. Identify the natural resources from the environment.
2. Explain the relationship between natural resources and the environment.
3. Explain the relationship between natural resources and the technology

used.
4. Describe how human activities affect the environment.
5. Describe ways to conserve the environment.

5.1 Resources from the Environment

The surroundings we live in is called the environment. The environment consists
of both living things and non-living things. All living things depend on the
environment to survive.

Humans, animals and plants are living things. Cows eat grass for food.
Humans depend on animals and plants for
food. Animals also depend on plants or other
animals for food.

Cows provide us with meat.
They also provide us milk.

We eat vegetables and meat for food.

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Natural Resources

All living things depend on these resources for survival.

Green plants need sunlight to
make their own food. The Sun
gives us warmth and light.

Soil is the habitat for many living
things. Plants grow in soil.

Let’s Think

• What would happen if we
do not plant enough trees?

• Besides soil, what are the
other non-living things that
living things use as their
habitats?

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All living things need air
to breathe. We breathe
in fresh air when we
exercise in the park.

Other than the four non-living things
mentioned, we need shelter to
protect ourselves. We get building
materials and minerals from the
environment to build houses.

All living things need water to live.
Humans and animals need water to
stay alive. Plants need water to grow.

We must take care of
our environment. If our
environment is polluted,
we will be exposed to all
kinds of diseases. Thus,
our health will be affected.

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Natural Resources

Natural Resources

Natural resources are things that we can use and get
from the environment. Examples of natural resources
are fossil fuels, food, air, water, soil and forests.

Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels are formed in the Earth
from ancient plants and animals that
died and were buried in the soil. Coal,
gasoline and natural gas are examples
of fossil fuels. Coal is burned to produce
electricity in power stations.

Food

Our environment provides us
with food. Animals get food from

plants or other animals. For
example, cows eat grass for
food. Cows provide us with

meat and milk.

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Gasoline is used as a fuel for cars and Natural gas is delivered to our homes
other vehicles on the roads, in the air, to use for heating. It is used in
and on water as well as for industries stoves to cook food.
and power stations.
Let’s Think

The use of fossil fuels
benefits us. However, it also
brings disadvantages to the
environment. How does it harm
the environment? How do we
solve these problems?

Chickens eat green plants, seeds and
animal food such as earthworms and
insects. Chickens provide us with meat and
eggs. These are good sources of protein for
healthy growth.

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Natural Resources

Air Living things breathe all the time. Humans, animals and plants depend
on clean air to live. This is why air is important to all living things. Air is
the main natural resource that helps to sustain life on Earth. Humans
and animals need the oxygen in air to survive. Plants use air to make
food and produce oxygen.

When plants make food,
they give out oxygen. We
take in oxygen when we

breathe in.

We give out carbon
dioxide when we
breathe out. Plants

take in carbon dioxide
to make food.

This is the same for marine life. The difference is that the air is dissolved in water. For
example, when aquatic plants make food, they give out oxygen which is dissolved in
water. Animals take in the dissolved oxygen when they breathe in.

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Oxygen
tank

Scuba divers carry an oxygen
tank to breathe underwater. We
cannot survive even for a few

minutes without air.

Water

All living things need water to survive.
We use water for drinking, washing
and cooking at home. We use it for
transportation and recreation. Animals
and plants need water too.

Water is one of the habitats
for animals and plants. A
snorkeler goes underwater
to watch marine life and
breathes through a snorkel.

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Natural Resources

Soil Soil is an important natural resource on earth. Most life depends on
it as a source of food. Plants grow in soil. Olive trees are planted in
red soil. The soil provides nutrients and water to the plants.

Soil is a home for plants and animals. Soil We use soil as the foundation to build
animals such as earthworms source their buildings. Bricks made of soil are used to
nutrients from the soil. On the other hand, build walls. All soil contains sand and clay
they also help to loosen the soil. They mix particles. Sand is used together with cement
the soil below with the topsoil to make the as building materials. Sand is used to make
soil healthy. glass while clay is used to make pottery.

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Forests

Forests provide us with wood, food,
medicine, rubber, cotton and it is
a home for wildlife. Wood is used
to make furniture and as building
materials for wooden floors, benches
and other things.

Ginseng is a root we get from
plants. It is a popular herbal
remedy to boost energy in adults
who feel weak and tired.

Let’s Find Out! Indonesia is the world’s
largest producer of
Natural resources can be classified into natural rubber. The
renewable resources and non-renewable most important use of
resources. Renewable resources are rubber is in vehicle tires.
those which are constantly available or It is wrapped around
can be replaced. For example, water. the wheels of bicycles,
Non-renewable resources are those motorbikes, cars and
which cannot be easily replaced once trucks.
they are used up. For example, fossil fuels.
In groups, search for information about
the two groups of natural resources. List
out other resources and their uses from
what you have learned. Present your
findings using PowerPoint in class.

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Natural Resources

5.2 Resources and Technology

We need to process natural resources before we can use them effectively. Most
of these processes involve technology. Scientific knowledge is used in industries
to find the most practical and cost-effective method to process natural resources.

Modern Machines

We use soil for planting. We use modern
machines to plough, plant and harvest.
To have higher yield, we use fertilizers
and pesticides. We make superior seeds
through research.

Water Treatment Plants

Before water comes into our home,
it is raw water and must be treated
at water treatment plants. This is to
remove bacteria and other impurities
in the raw water. We use treated water
for drinking, cleaning and cooking.

After the water is used, it is called waste
water. This includes rainwater which carries
harmful substances. Water recycling is
reusing treated waste water for beneficial
purposes such as industrial processes and
agriculture.

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Pump Jacks

Crude oil is found deep in the ground.
A pump jack is used to extract crude oil
from an oil well to the surface. We drill in
to pipe the oil out. Later, the components
in the crude oil are separated to get
petrol, kerosene, bitumen, diesel and
petroleum gas.

Irrigation Systems

An irrigation system supplies water to where it is needed to help in the growth of
crops. Usually, such a system is installed in a very large farmland where fruits
and vegetables are grown on a large scale. Although these crops may get rain,
the amount of water may not be enough. Therefore, farmers use irrigation to
supply necessary water for the fruits and vegetables in their farms.

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Natural Resources

Wind Turbines Moving air is known as wind. Wind
Solar Panels makes things move. It turns the blades
of wind turbines to generate electricity.
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Wind energy is a clean fuel source. It
does not pollute the air. Unlike power
stations, wind energy does not rely
on coal or natural gas to generate
electricity through the process of
burning.

A large group of wind turbines is called
a wind farm. Sidrap wind farm located in
South Sulawesi, Indonesia is the biggest
wind farm in Southeast Asia. It can produce
electricity for up to 70,000 households.

The Sun gives us light and heat. Without
sunlight, our Earth will be dark and
cold. Green plants use sunlight to make
food. If there is no sunlight, humans,
animals and plants cannot survive.

Solar panels that are installed on the
roof can be used to generate electricity
from sunlight, and convert light energy
into electrical energy. It can be used
for lighting, water heaters and other
appliances.

Let’s Try! How do we make a windmill?

• A sheet of A4 colored paper • Ice cream stick

Things needed: • Ruler • Scissors

• Pencil • Thumbtack

1. Draw a square template and cut it out.
2. Make pencil markings (red dotted lines) as shown in the picture.

AD

E

B C
3. Cut along the dotted lines from each corner

A, B, C and D.
4. Pull the corners of A, B, C and D to point E.
5. Stick a thumbtack through the four folded corners

at the center of the paper to make the wheel
of the windmill.
6. Now, stick the wheel onto the ice cream
stick.
7. Blow the windmill or hold it up to the
wind.

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Natural Resources

5.3 Man’s Impact on the Environment

As the human population increases, the demand for food, clothes and houses
also increases. Therefore, humans carry out a lot of activities to fulfill these
demands. How do these activities affect the environment?

Deforestation

Forests are cut down at an alarming
rate. Deforestation not only means
fewer trees, but it means less clean
air, displacement of animals and more
floods. Loss of topsoil due to soil erosion
on bare land can turn the land barren.

Loss of Habitat for Animals and Plants

Deforestation damages the natural
habitats of many species of animals
and plants. Hence, the survival of
these living things is threatened.
Some animals and plants may
become extinct as they are unable to
adapt to the changing environment.

Soil Erosion

The trees in the forests help to absorb rainwater. The roots hold onto the
washed soil firmly. Without the trees, topsoil can be easily washed away and
too much rainwater will flow to the rivers, resulting in landslides and floods.

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Global Warming When plants make food, they reduce
the amount of carbon dioxide in the
Burning of Fossil Fuels air. Deforestation reduces plants. This
results in more carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. This gas traps heat from
the Sun and prevents the heat from
escaping into space. Eventually, our Earth
becomes warmer. This phenomenon
is known as global warming which
changes the world’s climate. Polar ice
caps will melt, causing the sea level to
rise. Some low-lying areas might be
flooded.

When fossil fuels such as coal, oil and
natural gases are burnt in vehicles and
factories, harmful gases are produced.
This causes air pollution.

Open Burning

Open burning results in air pollution
which can cause serious threats to
public health. Smoke from the burning
pollutes the air we breathe. People
exposed to these air pollutants can
experience eye and nose irritation.

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Air pollutants are harmful to all living things. Plants cannot carry out
photosynthesis effectively with the pollutants in the air. Humans and animals
may face breathing difficulties. Aquatic living things may die. Land organisms
that feed on them may be affected too.

Littering

Land pollution happens when garbage
is not disposed properly. This makes
the surroundings dirty and smelly, and
attracts pests such as rats and flies.
Organisms living in such places can get
sick easily.

Mining Operations

Mining operations such as drilling, blasting and transportation can result in the
release of dust and other tiny particles into the air. Water pollution happens
when the mining activities involve water. Overuse of fertilizers and pesticides
pollute the nearby water bodies.

Overfishing

Overfishing and overhunting can drive certain
animals into extinction. This happens when
more animals are caught than they are replaced
through natural reproduction. This may lead to an
imbalance in the ecosystem.

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Let’s Find Out!

Get information about our growing population in the last 20 years. Find out how
this increasing population affects our needs for natural resources. Carry out a
survey on the problems associated with this in your local area. Create posters
to show your findings.

5.4 Caring for the Environment

We should conserve and preserve the natural resources in our daily lives. What
should we do to make sure the supply lasts longer? We can reduce, reuse and
recycle! This helps to reduce the need for raw materials and reduce waste
materials.

You can reuse things. Things
like plastic jugs, jars, paper and
bags can be reused. Each time you
reuse something, you conserve the natural
resources that would have been used to
make new ones. We can donate unwanted
clothes, toys and books to let other

people reuse them.

Turn off the lights when you are not in a room.
This will reduce the use of fossil fuels used to
produce electricity. Ride your bicycle and walk
more, to reduce the amount of gasoline used to
transport you. Avoid using disposable items such
as paper cups, plates, razors and lighters.

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Natural Resources

Raise public awareness and knowledge
about the importance and the need to
conserve natural resources through the
media and education.
• Create conservation projects that

involve the participation of the public.
• Heavier fines should be imposed

to stop people from carrying on
extensive hunting of animals and
illegal felling of trees.
• Build more hatcheries and wildlife
sanctuaries for animals and plants
that are endangered.
• Have more reserved forests to protect
the natural habitats of animals and
plants.

You can recycle. Recycle means to
convert waste materials into new
materials. It also means to collect and
send these things for reuse. Items
that can be easily recycled are glass,
paper, cardboard, aluminium, steel
and some plastics. Some plastics and
metals are hard to recycle. They are
often made from mixtures of materials.
Mixtures can be hard to separate. Try
to buy and use things that you can
recycle.

Let’s Find Out!

Conduct a survey to find out if your community carries out any activities to
conserve and preserve the natural resources in your area. Create and paste
posters in your school to raise awareness of the importance of the 3R.

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Fill in the blanks.

technology   reducing   media   irrigation   fossil fuels
deforestation   food   reusing   environment   education
recycling   natural   fertilizers   pollutants   solar panels

1. The consists of the living things and non-living things around
us.

2. Things we can use which come from the environment are
resources.

3. Examples of natural resources are , , air,
water, soil and forests.

4. is needed to process the natural resources before we can
use them.

5. Machines, , pesticides and systems are used

to increase the yield of crops.

6. Wind turbines and are used to generate electricity without
burning coal.

7. will cause soil erosion, global warming and the loss of
habitats for animals and plants.

8. Harmful from open burning can cause serious threats to
public health.

9. We help to conserve our natural resources by practicing ,

and at home or in school.

10. Raising public awareness through the and
is an approach to conserve natural resources.

Let’s Scan

Chapter 5 Environment and 95
Natural Resources

Map It Out

Environment and natural resources

Resources from Resources and Man’s impact on Caring for the
the environment technology the environment environment

• Fossil fuels • Modern • Deforestation • Reduce
• Food machines • Burning of • Reuse
• Air • Recycle
• Water • Water fossil fuels • Raise public
• Soil treatment • Open burning
• Forests plants • Littering awareness
• Mining and
• Pump jacks knowledge
• Irrigation operations
• Overfishing
systems
• Wind

turbines
• Solar panels

Explain It Online

Deforestation QuickQuiz

The cutting down of trees in a large area

Ecosystem

All the living things in an area and the way they affect each
other and the environment

Global warming

A gradual increase in the Earth’s temperature caused by the
increased level of carbon dioxide in the air

Photosynthesis

The process of green plants using sunlight to make food from
carbon dioxide and water

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