Michael J Allen

Specialist Teacher Activity

Mining for MMM-Good Minerals

A Lesson Plan from The Education Center, Inc.
Enjoyed by Grade 5 Students in the Pattie Elementary Science Lab and soon to be enjoyed by Brooks School Grade 5 students.

Purpose: To learn about the process of mining and how it affects the earth, and how real mining companies face constraints on their mining processes.

Laws exist to protect the environment, and mining companies must conform to these laws or risk losing siginigicant profit. The students are instructed how to "mine" for the minerals (chocolate chips) so that the environment (the rest of the cookie)is impacted as little as possible.

Our science lab will be equiped with cookies, toothpicks and a digital camera to record the "mining efforts. Students learn about the problems associated with mining, and how the earth can be harmed. As the lesson shows, students will be "fined" for poor mining habits, and "rewarded" with profit when they are successful at good mining habits.

Here is the complete lesson activity, From the June/July 1998 Intermediate edition of The Mailbox® and reprinted by permission of The Education Center, Inc. It is to be given out to the student "mining teams" to use during their lab activity.

Mining for MMM-Goood Minerals

Some rocks contain large amounts of minerals. These rocks are called mineral deposits. A mineral deposit that can be mined for profit is called an ore. Silver, gold, and iron are examples of ores. However, there can be problems with the mining of ores. A mine may cover a very large area and may reach deep into the Earth's surface. This digging up of very large areas of land can cause environmental problems.

Complete the following activity to help you understand the difficulty in reaching ores. You will also discover how land is lost during mining.

Materials needed for each student: 1 chocolate-chip cookie, toothpick, plastic drinking cup, paper towel, scale, clock. [NOTE: At Pattie, we used a brand of hard, crunchy cookies.]

Mining Rules
1. Your mine will earn $1,000 for every _______________chocolate pieces. [NOTE: at Pattie, we put "weighed gram of" in this blank.]
2. The value of your chip mine goes down $100 just for mining it.
3. You will be charged $100 for every five minutes it takes to mine the chocolate.
4. You will be fined $100 for each cookie piece that breaks off. The more damage you cause, the more money you lose.

Part I: Mining & Processing
1. Examine the chocolate-chip cookie mine (your cookie). How many "minerals" (chocolate chips) can you see on the surface?_______
2. Record your starting time:
3. Use the toothpick to carefully dig out the minerals. You may look at the bottom of the cookie, but you may only mine it from the top.
4. To process your minerals, separate the crumbs from the chocolate you have mined.
5. Record your ending time:
6. Record your total mining and processing time: _minutes.
7. Total Mining & Processing Fee ($100 per every five minutes): $_______

Part II: Land Damage
1. Chip Mine fee: $100
2. Land Damage: Count the cookie pieces that broke off as you worked:_
# of cookie pieces X $100 = $
3. Total Land Damage + Chip Mine Fee: $____

Part III: Measure Minerals
1. Pick up the mined chocolate pieces, put in cup.
2. Weigh the amount of chocolate in the cup: # grams___ [Pattie students were told to round up.]
3. Record the value of your minerals ($1,000 for every gram in the cup): $

Part IV: Compute Profit
Total Mining & Processing Fee:___
+
Total Land Damage Fee $-
=
Total cost $_

Value of Minerals $__________________
-
Total Cost $________________
=
Total Profit $_________________

Part V: Conclusions
1. How is your chip mine like a real one?
2. How is it different?
3. What happened to the land while you were mining?
4. How could you repair the land?"

Michael J Allen

Class 0f 2011-2012

Specialist Teacher Activity

Mining for MMM-Good Minerals

A Lesson Plan from The Education Center, Inc. Enjoyed by Grade 5 Students in the Pattie Elementary Science Lab and soon to be enjoyed by Brooks School Grade 5 students.

Mining for MMM-Goood Minerals

Part II: Land Damage 1. Chip Mine fee: $100 2. Land Damage: Count the cookie pieces that broke off as you worked:___________ # of cookie pieces X $100 = $______________________ 3. Total Land Damage + Chip Mine Fee: $________________

Part III: Measure Minerals 1. Pick up the mined chocolate pieces, put in cup. 2. Weigh the amount of chocolate in the cup: # grams_______________ [Pattie students were told to round up.] 3. Record the value of your minerals ($1,000 for every gram in the cup): $____________

Part IV: Compute Profit Total Mining & Processing Fee:_________________ + Total Land Damage Fee $________________- = Total cost $_______________

Part V: Conclusions 1. How is your chip mine like a real one? 2. How is it different? 3. What happened to the land while you were mining? 4. How could you repair the land?"

A Lesson Plan from The Education Center, Inc.
Enjoyed by Grade 5 Students in the Pattie Elementary Science Lab and soon to be enjoyed by Brooks School Grade 5 students.

Part II: Land Damage
1. Chip Mine fee: $100
2. Land Damage: Count the cookie pieces that broke off as you worked:_
# of cookie pieces X $100 = $
3. Total Land Damage + Chip Mine Fee: $____

Part III: Measure Minerals
1. Pick up the mined chocolate pieces, put in cup.
2. Weigh the amount of chocolate in the cup: # grams___ [Pattie students were told to round up.]
3. Record the value of your minerals ($1,000 for every gram in the cup): $

Part IV: Compute Profit
Total Mining & Processing Fee:___
+
Total Land Damage Fee $-
=
Total cost $_

Part V: Conclusions
1. How is your chip mine like a real one?
2. How is it different?
3. What happened to the land while you were mining?
4. How could you repair the land?"