NEW 2015 RESOURCES
This "Theme Page" has links to two types of resources related to the study of rocks, minerals, and mining. Students and teachers will find curricular resources (information, content...) to help them learn about this topic. In addition, there are also links to instructional materials (lesson plans) which will help teachers provide instruction in this theme. Please read our disclaimer.
Ask
an Expert: Geology
- This CLN page has buttons to experts in many different subject areas. This
particular link will take you to the Science section of our page. Check out
the Diamonds and Geology sections.
- Athena
Mineralogy
- A database of mineral information accessible in a number of different ways.
- British
Columbia & Yukon Chamber of Mines
- Lots of great information on mining in BC, and on rocks and minerals in
general. We've made direct links below to some of the sections most useful
to K-12 students to ensure that you don't miss them.
-
[The] Prospecting School on the Web The prospecting school is a free
course offered with the purpose of providing an introduction to the study
of geology and mineral deposits, as well as practical training in the
identification of rocks and minerals. You can access the classnotes and
a list of resources on the web.
- Viewpoints
on Native Issues This page offers a number of papers related to aboriginal
land claims and mining.
-
[The] Prospecting School on the Web The prospecting school is a free
course offered with the purpose of providing an introduction to the study
of geology and mineral deposits, as well as practical training in the
identification of rocks and minerals. You can access the classnotes and
a list of resources on the web.
- Canadian
Mining Hall of Fame
- A database of information about key Canadian mine finders and builders
- organized alphabetically or searchable by key word.
- Canadian
Rockhound
- In this online magazine targetted to educators, beginners and hobbyists,
you can learn more about rocks, minerals, fossils, gemstones and Canada's
geology. You can also link to Junior Rockhound which includes different sections
for kids and teachers ranging from field trips and safety to geology of the
earth.
- Fundamentals
of Physical Geography
- Although this online textbook from Michael Pidwirny, Okanagan University
College, is intended for postsecondary students studying introductory physical
geography, much of it may be applicable for high school students as well.
Contents include over two hundred pages of information, more than three hundred
2-D and animated graphics, an interactive glossary of terms, a study guide,
links to other Internet resources, and a search engine. See the Table of Contents
to directly access such the Geology section for several chapters dealing with
rocks.
- Gem
Gallery
- Properties and data about gemstones.
- HistoryMine
- A metalist of links to Internet resources on Mining History. There are
links to Featured Books, Articles of Interest, and Interesting WWW sites.
- Introduction
to Crystallography and Mineral Crystal Systems
- A nine part introduction to crystallography from which senior high students
may derive some benefit.
- Lesson,
Unit, and Curriculum Plans
- We were successful in finding quite a collection of instructional materials
for teachers and so decided to put them altogether in one place on the page
for easy location.
- Activities
and Teaching Suggestions for Minerals, Magmas, and Volcanic Rocks
11 lesson plans from Volcano World.
- Geology
10 lesson plans from Nebraska.
- Grade
4 Science: Core Unit: Fossils and Rocks A curriculum guide from Saskatchewan
Education.
- Minerals,
Crystals and Gems: Stepping-Stones to Inquiry Three lesson plans for
grades 3-8 from the Smithsonian.
- Minerals:
Their Mining and Impact on Our Society A multidisciplinary unit plan
for middle school students.
- Rock
Classification A grade 4 lesson plan.
- Rock Hounds A two day lesson plan on classifying rocks.
- Activities
and Teaching Suggestions for Minerals, Magmas, and Volcanic Rocks
11 lesson plans from Volcano World.
- Mineralogy
Database
- Data on minerals classified in a number of ways, including by alphabet,
crystallography, X-Ray powder diffraction, chemical composition, and physical
and optical properties. The database contains more than 4,000 mineral species
descriptions along with links to additional information.
- [The]
Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
- An extesnive, interactive, educational guide providing information and
images on minerals and gemstones.
- [The]
Mineral Gallery
- This commercial site provides a collection of mineral descriptions (about
400) which can be accessed alphabetically, by class, by interesting groupings
(e.g., birthstones), or by a keyword search. Descriptions include a picture,
its chemical composition, its structure and physical descriptions (colour,
fracture, hardness, etc).
- Minerals
and Metals: A World to Discover
- This site from National Resources Canada provides: virtual travel to communities
closely associated with the production of minerals and metals; information
on minerals and metals produced in Canada; a game in which students can discover
how minerals and metals contribute to the quality of life; a description of
the mining cycle; information on mineral exploration and the mining industry;
details about careers in the mining industry; links to other educational resources,
and a glossary.
- Petrographic
Workshop
- "Petrographic Workshop is an interactive database designed to help students
and teachers better deal with the important and challenging discipline of
petrography. The program is designed as a source of mineralogical information
used in the identification process of rocks and minerals. The program consists
of detailed textual information and microscopic images of hundreds of rocks
and minerals. This program can be used as an interactive database or as a
teacher designed laboratory workshop."
- Rockhounds
with Rocky
- This is a web-based activity for K-12 students through which they will
gain an understanding of the rock cycle including how sedimentary, metamorphic,
and igneous rocks form. There's also a lesson plan for teachers to tie all
the activities together.
- Rock
Identification Science Project
- Students are shown magnifiable thumbnail pictures of 12 rocks. After looking
at the results of three different tests on the rock, they are challenged to
identify the rock.
- Rock
My World
- A three week teaching unit from the Core Knowledge web site for Grade 4
students that covers rocks as well as the composition of the earth, earthquakes,
volcanoes, mountain building, and Earth's surface changes. Plenty of suggested
student activities are provided within the unit.
- Rockology
101
- Rogers Group, a highway construction and rock quarry company, provides
a site with information about rocks and minerals, the mining process, how
these materials affect your life, and the highway construction industry. There
are also fun activities associated with the word "rock".
- Rocks
and Minerals Page
- Keith Kostek, a teacher from Edmonton Alberta, created this page for other
elementary teachers as a source of background information and lesson plans.
He also provides links to rocks and minerals web sites for kids.
- Rocks
and Minerals Solitaire
- Instructions for an educational card game for junior and senior high school
students in which they learn to classify a rock/mineral by matching the rock/mineral
to its corresponding category and classification.
- Smithsonian
Gem and Mineral Collection
- Brief descriptions and pictures of about 50 gems and minerals from the
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
- Thematic
Unit Rocks and Minerals
- A series of suggested activities for primary students so that they can
"expand their knowledge of rocks by exploring the characteristics of local
rocks."
- TrackStar
- TrackStar is an online interface which allows instructors to create lessons
for students by sequencing existing instructional content in various web sites
within a lesson. Students explore one topic at a particular location within
one web site then move on to the next topic at another web site. The list
of topics remains visible throughout the lesson so that students can remain
on track. Explorations of the web sites beyond the designated instructional
content are also possible.
This link is to their search page from where a keyword search on "rock or mineral or mining" (for example) will produce numerous hits. Caution #1: Many of the web sites that these lessons access will already be on this CLN page - it's the creation of lesson objectives and the sequencing of the tours through the sites that make the lesson potentially useful to your students. Caution #2: The quality of the lessons (e.g., definining objectives, finding web sites, sequencing the tours) will vary widely within the TrackStar collection.
Note: The sites listed above will serve as a source of curricular content
in Rocks, Minerals, and Mining. For other resources in Science (e.g., curricular
content in Earth Science, General Science, Life Science, or Physical Science),
or for lesson plans and theme pages, click the "previous screen" button below.
Or, click here if you wish to
return directly to the CLN menu which will give you access to educational resources
in all of our subjects.
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