Technology and Society-Related Lessons
With an understanding of minerals, rocks, and their properties, students can explore their applications. Technology can be defined as the application of science. How have humans capitalized on their knowledge of minerals and rocks acquired through the methods of science? The resources here represent just a small fraction of such applications.
This resource from the American Experience web site, which contains both an interactive activity and illustrated text, looks at the composition of different types of steel and their impact on technology.
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This page from Natural Resources Canada contains three tutorials designed to take the learner through the process of starting a mine. One tutorial is about gold, another about base metals, and the third about industrial minerals. In the latter, a color-coded topographical map of the area to be mined is shown. The tutorial describes how samples need to be taken and analyzed in terms of their mineral content; how the surrounding rock provides clues about what may lie beneath; the fact that many explorations will yield nothing; how detection of mineral material at concentrations as low 1 ppb might be warrant for more drilling; the necessary permits needed to drill; and the hypothetical gains in 25 years from the mine.
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Using an example from Iowa, this page describes working landscapes: land used in accordance with best practices which balance preservation of the ecosystem with society's needs and economic growth. Click on Issues, then Natural Resources to see three issues addressed, including mining. Additional links under habitat destruction and pollution are provided.
This four-page fact sheet begins by presenting data, both verbally and graphically, on the growth of cell phone use. Indications are that only one percent of used cell phones are recycled. That means valuable metals are being sent to landfills, where they may never be recovered. Information regarding the value of the metals involved is given. Presenting students the entire document is not recommended, due to the reading comprehension level required. However, you could paraphrase the introduction, present the graphic representations, and assist students in interpreting them. Then, distribute the section on the value of the metals with a guided reading and thinking activity and allow students to extract meaning and interpretations.
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Copyright
April 2008 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work
supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any
opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of
the National Science Foundation.
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This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
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