Click Here to see some Maritime minerals and the products they are found in
Online mineral matching activity
Click Here  for this activity in PDF format Activity:
Objectives:
- learn about rocks and minerals that are commonly found in the Maritimes
- generate discussion about how these resources are used today in society
Time Needed:
- 50 minutes plus, potentially, homework time assigned beforehand to prepare materials
Materials:
- use the mineral and product cards included with this lesson plan
- OR, before presenting this lesson, get each student to choose one mineral/rock or product. They should then research either the uses of the mineral/rock or, if they have chosen a product, the minerals/rocks that are used its manufacture. On one side of 8.5x11" cardstock, have them summarize this information. On the other side, they can attach any type of illustration that represents the mineral/rock or product (e.g., drawing, photo, chemical formula, etc.), or they could bring a sample of the object to class.
Procedure:
- divide the class into a rock/minerals group and a products group
- have the students form a semi-circle
- get one of the rock/mineral people to move to the centre of the semi-circle and hold their card so that the rest of the class can see the illustration
- have the class call out products made from that mineral and ask the people with the associated cards to stand with the rock/mineral person
- once a reasonable group of "product people" is assembled with the associated "mineral person," have the students answer questions such as:
- How important is this mineral in our society today relative to other natural resources?
- At what point in history, and why, did this mineral become significant?
- Where in the world is it found?
- What is the most important use of this mineral?
- Where can this mineral be found in the Maritimes?
- Is it a mineral or a rock? (watch out for tricky ones like petroleum!)
- Is it an ore?
- What would life be like without this mineral?
- When was the last time you used this mineral?
- How is this mineral formed?
- The person who has researched the specified mineral/rock can help lead the discussion.
- continue the activity with other minerals/rocks. Occasionally, have a "product person" come to the centre first and then match up the associated "mineral people." This will allow you to formulate additional questions such as:
- Where in the world do all the mineral/rocks needed to construct this product come from?
- Where in the world is this product manufactured?
- Could we manufacture this product in the Maritimes? Would it be economic to do so?
- Relative to other products, how important is this one to our daily lives?
- When was the last time you used this product?
- Does the cost of this item reflect the value of its ingredients? If not, why?
- Again, the person who has research this specified product can help lead the discussion.
Activities:
- have each student use the discussion generated during this activity to formulate an essay topic and further research the history, economics, benefits, costs, and social significance of her or his item.
- the cards can be used as flashcards for individual study.
- the students could poll their friends and family to find out what products and minerals/rocks are considered most important in our society.
- use handouts, such as the attached sheet from the Mineral Information Institute, to encourage the students to reflect on the value of the resources we consume.
- the students could track their own mineral/rock consumption over a specified period.
- generate question sets, like the one attached, to reinforce each student's learning.
Reference Material:
- Videos: "The Mineral Wealth of Atlantic Canada" and "Offshore Oil and Natural Gas" produced by the Atlantic Geoscience Society.
- The Mining Kit - contains specimens of economic rocks and minerals from Nova Scotia, videos, publications & support material. Available for loan through the Nova Scotia Museum.
- The World Wide Web - pertinent information can be found at the following sites (among many):
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