This lesson plan aims to expand students' understanding of minerals and their importance to plants and soil. Students will investigate different types of minerals, where they are found, and their purposes. They will link this to the process of erosion through exploring the rehabilitation of a mine. Activities include sorting minerals, learning how plants obtain minerals from soil, and creating a storyboard showing the steps of mine rehabilitation. The lesson aims to help students recognize human impacts on landscapes and explore ways to reduce environmental effects.

1. LESSON PLAN 3
Date: 14/3/18 Term: 1 Week: 6 Year Level: 4
Time/length: 1hr Learning area focus: Erosion
Context:
Thisis the thirdteachinglessoninourerosionunit.Inourinitial meetingof the childrenandlesson1,itbecame evident thatthe childrenidentifiedmineralsasimportant
to soil,howeveritlaterbecame knownthattheirconceptof mineralswasonly asvaluable rocks.Thislessonaimstoexpandstudentunderstandingof the importance of
mineralsspecificallymakingconnectionstoplantsandsoil whilstdiscoveringtheirrolesfoundwithinourenvironment.Studentswill starttoexplore the different
minerals,where theyare foundandtheirpurposesforwhicheachportrayswithinourenvironment.Thesediscoverieswilllink backtoerosionthroughthe rehabilitation
processof a mine.
Individual learning considerations:
· Use a variety of hands-on materials to engage
· Use of roles when conducting experiments
Content Descriptions:
Science Understanding:
Earth’s surface changesovertime asa resultof natural processesandhumanactivity(ACSSU075)
Science as an HumanEndeavour:
Science involvesmakingpredictionsanddescribingpatternsandrelationships(ACSHE061),
Science knowledge helpspeopletounderstandthe effectof theiractions(ACSHE062)
Science inquirySkills:
Withguidance,identifyquestionsinfamiliarcontexts thatcanbe investigatedscientificallyandpredictwhatmighthappenbasedonpriorknowledge (ACSIS064),
Suggestwaysto planand conductinvestigationstofindanswerstoquestions(ACSIS065)
General capabilities:
Literacy: Studentswill use theirliteracyabilitiestoparticipate inthe followingactivities:categorisingdifferenttypesof minerals,
Critical and Creativethinking:Studentswill investigate,explore,questionandhypothesisthroughoutthemine rehabilitation storyboardandthe saltactivity
Cross curriculum:
Aboriginaland TorresStrait IslanderHistories andCultures: Studentswill overthisunit,connecterosionwiththe IndigenousGardenbeingbuiltwithintheirschool.
Sustainability:Thisunitprovides studentswithopportunitiestodevelopunderstandingof howhumanimpactonthe environmentaffectssoilsandlandscapes.
Lesson outcomes/Learning intentions:
Studentswill:
- Investigate the differencebetweentypesof mineralsandwhere these materialsare found
- Recognise the impactof humansonlandscapes
- Explore processestoreduce humanimpactonthe environment
Classroom intention:
Learning about:
How doesthe rehabilitationof minesimpactthe environment.
Learning to:
As researchers,howcanwe investigatewaysthatwouldminimiseourimpacttothe environment
Indicators:
Studentswill:
- Classifyandsortmineralsintotheirlike category
- Create a storyboardof the processof a mine
rehabilitation
Assessment for/as/of learning:
-Story board
- Mineral category
- Kahoot quiz

2. TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIONS
Timing
2 minutes
5 minutes
10 minutes
5-10 minutes
10 minutes
Orientation
DiscussexpectationsandLessonoutcomes/intentionsof the lesson
Warm Up activity- Engage
Show a picture of a mine. Ask the students what and how we mine. Ask the students what are the different
types of minerals.
Body
Sortingoutminerals
Introduce studentstotwodefinitionsof minerals-one relevanttoplants,one relevanttovaluable
rocks and askthemwhythere are twodefinitions.Showstudentsvariousdifferentmineral cards
for bothchemical compoundsandrockformationstosort underthe two differentdefinitions.This
will occurin a whole groupsettingtoencourage discussionsamongstudentsandwhole group
learning.Askstudentswhatiscommoninthe twodefinitionsandcome upwithanoverall
definitionforminerals.
MineralsforPlants
Askstudentshowplantsgettheirminerals.Place somesaltina cup andadd water,mixingitto
helpitdissolve.Explainthatmineralsneededforplantsmustbe verysmall sotheycanbe dissolved
fromthe soil intowatersoplantscan obtainit.Explain thatwhenwe talkabout mineralsforplants,
we are interestedinthesesmall,dissolvableones.
Mine Rehabilitation
Reintroduce the picture of the mine.Askstudentswhenwe mineforrockvaluables,howdowe do
it.Steerconversationtothe different layersof soil fromwhichwe digthrough.Askstudentswhat
happenstothe mine whenwe have finishedfindingvaluablerocks.
Keyquestions:
“What problemsdoesitface?”
“How has the mine createdissuesforthe environment?”
“whydoestransportingaway the topsoil affectthe environment?”(linkstoerosion)
“How can we fix/rehabilitate thismine?”
“What else couldhelp?”
“How couldwe testit?”
Resources
Coal mine in Queensland
Name (possibly images) of minerals on card
salt
cup and water
Flooded mine

3. 10 minutes
5 minutes
Provide picturesandsmall descriptionof the stepsof amine rehabilitationtothe studentsandask
themto create a storyboardon thisprocess.(use picturesfromoresome resourceswebsite) .
 Lynn - we are unsure of howto approachthe storyboard concept.Do we provide the
studentsthe imagesandsimplyaskthe studentstocreate the descriptionsof the
processof a mine rehabilitation.Ordowe provide the imagesandthe descriptionof
each stepinthe rehabilitationprocess?
Closure
- Kahoot quiz5 questions on overall lesson
- depending on time the students could even create their own question which everyone can answer
Story board images below….

4. Spreading of topsoil
Controlling drainage

5. Grass growing
Rehabilitated

6. Open cut mine
Spreading of mulch

7. Laying of top soil