Topic: History of Mining

Understanding Coal

Hands-on, critical thinking activities introduce intermediate students to the formation of coal, the coal mining process, reclamation of lands, uses of coal, electricity generation, and advantages and disadvantages of utilizing coal. 112 pages.  Find related curricula at www.need.org.

Copper: More Than Metal

Delve into the mining, processing and use of the important metal copper in a 16-page unit created by Freeport-McMoRan.

Gold Panning Kit

Everything needed to pan for gold: 12″ Thermoplastic gold pan; gold-bearing sand (with guaranteed gold); instruction card; eyedropper; display vial for GOLD; and vial with fool’s gold for comparison.

Fire from the Rock

Early settlers used flint and steel to start fires. Relive the days of the early pioneers when they strike sparks from flint to make a fire.

Iron in Our Electrical World Video

“Iron in Our Electrical World” is the second video in the series, “Minerals In Our Electrical World”. Watch the entire video for an overview of Iron and its importance to our everyday lives, or pause after each section for further discussion or activities in your classroom or presentation. This video was produced through a partnership between the Minerals Education Coalition (MEC) and the Edison Tech Center. [18:41]

This video is a companion piece to the Iron Mining and Processing for Electrical Uses Poster. The video and poster are designed to enhance high school curricula in geology, chemistry, physics and engineering.

Copper Activity

Learn the importance of copper to human history, how the use of copper has changed over time, and different types of copper ores.

Home on the Range Story

Find out if “Home On The Range” was really written by Colorado gold miners and enjoy a miner’s version of the lyrics.