The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Copper: It’s Everywhere! Lesson 3-Cookie Mining

Copper: It’s Everywhere!

Lesson 3-Cookie Mining

A 5th grade STEM lesson

Diana Blancarte

May 2024

Notes for teachers

• Context: This lesson takes place in a classroom for 45 minutes to one hour.
• Each student will get a “Cookie Mining” Worksheet.
• An emphasis on spending money to purchase supplies is learned. Students will only have $20 to purchase their supplies.
• An emphasis on the mining process is learned.
• Analysis and reasoning should be encouraged.

List of Materials:

• Cookie Mining Worksheet (Teacher)
• Cookie Mining Worksheet (Student)
• chocolate chip cookies
• jumbo chip cookie
• toothpicks (flat & round)
• paper clips

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Arizona Science Standards

Science Standard:

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5.L4U3.11: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate evidence about how natural and human-caused changes to habitats or climate can impact populations.

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Science and Engineering Practices:

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• ask questions and define problems
• develop and use models
• plan and carry out investigations
• analyze and interpret data
• construct explanations and design solutions
• engage in argument from evidence
• obtain, evaluate, and communicate information

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Arizona ELA Standards

5.RI.9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

5.W.7: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic and to answer a specific question.

5.SL.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expression their own clearly.

Objectives:

Today we will communicate effectively to determine how to operate a mine.

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Today students will learn about removing ore from rocks that exist underground.

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Today students will learn about extracting the base or precious metals they contain for later use, in manufacturing.

Today students will gain a better understanding of the mining process.

Today students will analyze their findings.

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Agenda (45-60 minutes)

-Teacher will let students know that they will be purchasing land and tools to be able to mine their land.

-Students will use their worksheet to determine which type of land “chocolate chip cookies” or “jumbo chocolate chip cookie” they want to purchase.

-Students will analyze which type of tools to purchase/use for excavating their ore (flat toothpick, round toothpick or paperclip).

-Students will each have $20 to spend.

-Students will then trace their cookie onto the grid on the back of their worksheet.

-Students will only be given 5 minutes to mine as much ore (chocolate chips) from their cookies.

-When the 5 minutes is up, the students must place any crumbs back into the footprint of their cookie.

Intro/Opening

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-Teacher will ask students if they know how much it costs to mine?

-Teacher will let students know that they will be purchasing land and tools to see if they can make a profit from mining.

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Instructions

1. Teacher will let students know that they will be working individually.
2. Each student will receive the “Cookie Mining” Worksheet.
3. Each student will have $20 to spend in buying supplies to “mine” their cookie.
4. Students will have to decide which cookie to buy: the regular chocolate chip cookie which is less costly and has fewer chocolate chips or the jumbo chocolate chip cookie which is costlier and has more chips.

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5. Students will trace their cookie onto the grid paper using a pencil.

6. Using their mining equipment, the students will mine their cookie for no more than 5 minutes.

7. Students need to be able to remove as much ore (chocolate chips) during the allotted time. Students can only use their tools, they cannot use their fingers.

8. Students will earn $1 for every chocolate chip that they mine.

9. When the mining process is done, they will need to put back “reclaim” as much of their land back as possible.

10. Students will fill in their worksheets to see if they made a profit or had a loss.

Assessment

Explain your reasoning:

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• Give students 5-10 minutes to analyze their findings and determine if they made a profit or had a loss.
• Have students walk around and look at other students mine.
• If more time was given, could you have mined more ore?
• What other tools could you have used to help with mining?

Differentiation

One way to differentiate is to have groups of two instead of each individual student do the activity. This can allow students who are struggling to have someone to help them do the activity.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students who want to see if they can make a profit, can be given an additional five minutes to see if they can mine more ore (chocolate chips).

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Continuation

Teacher will have a discussion with students about mining.

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Teacher and students will watch a video on how copper is extracted from dirt and collected: https://youtu.be/UQGzYtCgves?si=uIF3GFuguYPRIvmZ

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