Out of the Rock Teacher’s Guide Binder

This teachers’ guide binder contains 15 ready-to-use, hands-on, integrated learning activities on rocks, minerals, mining, geology, the environment and economics. Grades K-8.44 pp.; 3-ring binder;  8” x 10 1/2”; color contents.

Educational Standards: Next Generation Science Standards PS1, LS1, ESS3, and ETS1; and Common Core State Standards for language and math.

Education GeoSource

The Education GeoSource database has thousands of free resources, from lessons to outreach and teacher professional development, for use in classrooms, scout programs, or at home.

All About Coal

Introduce primary and elementary students to the formation of coal, the coal mining process, reclamation of lands, and the uses of coal. Hands-on, multi-disciplinary activities. Free download.  59 pages.  Find related curricula at www.need.org.

From Ore To More Video

This fun 6-minute video from Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah Copper tells the story of copper from start to finish, through the mining, processing and end uses of copper, complete with great mathematical analogies for the scale of giant sizes and weights.

Content aimed at grades 4-8, though all ages will enjoy the video. [5:59]

Potash Mining Video

Potash is a common name for salts that contain potassium. Potassium (K) is an important element in human and animal health, and a major nutrient for plant growth and crop yield. This 5-minute video from Nutrients for Life discusses the process of creating usable potash for fertilizer through two different mining techniques for extracting and processing potash ore. [5:16]

Nevada Mining Association Virtual Tour

Take a virtual self-guided tour behind-the-scenes of Newmont Mining’s Twin Creeks Gold Mine and Mill. View the mine from an overlook, visit the underground mine (1000 feet below the surface), the gold refinery, process lab, emergency refuge chamber and other facilities through narration, 360° images, and videos. The upper left area has symbols for options like a list of the stops on the tour, a map of the tour, and more information about some of the sites on the tour.

Note: The virtual tour works best with the latest version of modern browsers Firefox, Explorer and Chrome. The introductory narration can be silenced with a sound button in the lower right corner area. If this does not work, start again and go directly back to where you were. Content is aimed at grades 6-12, though all ages will enjoy the Virtual Tour.