Mining Matters is offering virtual student workshops for Grade 4 classes in Nova Scotia. Your students will receive a hands-on equipment package ahead of time to be used during the workshop. Students will work to identify properties of Earth materials while engaging in lively discussions to better understand where and how these resources form. Workshops address curriculum expectations for the topic Rocks, Minerals and Erosion, and include local and regional perspectives by showcasing samples that are sourced in Canada. 

Teachers may select the topic of focus based on four 60-minute workshop options as follows: 

Minerals

Students will learn the difference between rocks and minerals, conducts tests geologist use to examine the physical characteristics of minerals, use their observations to identify mystery minerals and gain an understanding of how minerals are used in daily life. Each student will receive an individual kit containing mineral testing equipment and a mystery mineral sample. 

Rocks

Explore the rock cycle, gain an understanding of how each of the three rock groups are formed through a series of demonstrations, discover some of the clues to look for to help determine which of the rock group a rock is from, and then use those clues to identify a mystery rock. Each student will receive a mystery rock sample, magnifying glass and materials to create a model of one of the three rock groups. 

Mining

Explore the mining cycle, compare and contrast surface and underground mines, discuss the costs and benefits of mining, and learn about responsibilities to the environment and communities. Each student will receive a cookie mine, satellite image of a landscape, play money, mining tools, an environmental permit and a rock sample.

Resources

Examine maps to locate where rocks, minerals and metals are found in Canada. Learn that everything in our world that isn’t grown is made using non-renewable resources that are extracted from the Earth. Work in teams to develop and present a short story that connects rocks, minerals, metals to your everyday life. Discuss finite resources and the importance of conservation by reducing, reusing, recycling and being a responsible consumer. Each student will receive materials to make the card game “What’s Yours is Mined”, copper wire to create a metal sculpture, and four mini samples of minerals used in everyday life. 

Only 30 spots are available! Workshops are offered in English and French and will be booked on a first-come-first-serve basis. These workshops are free of charge and sponsored by the Nova Scotia Mineral Resources Development Fund.

Please complete the request form in full. Incomplete forms will not be accepted by the booking platform. To ensure successful transmission it is recommended that you complete this form on a computer or laptop. Your workshop request should be submitted for consideration at least five (5) weeks before the requested date. To ensure successful transmission it is recommended that you complete this form on a computer or laptop.