Fundamental Concepts

Big Ideas

1.       Change and Continuity

2.       Sustainability and Stewardship

3.       Structure and Function

1.       Rocks and minerals have unique characteristics and properties that are a result of how they were formed. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

2.       The properties of rocks and minerals determine society’s possible uses for them. (Overall expectations 1 and 2)

3.       Our use of rocks and minerals affects the environment. (Overall expectation 1)

1. ASSESS the social and environmental impacts of human uses of rocks and minerals

2. INVESTIGATE, test and compare the physical properties of rocks and minerals

3. DEMONSTRATE an understanding of the physical properties of rocks and minerals

1

Relating Science and Technology to Society and the Environment

Assess the social and environmental costs and benefits of using objects in the built environment that are made from rocks and minerals

Sample issues:

1.       Quarried stone, sand, and gravel are used to make concrete. We need the strength and long life that concrete gives to roads and buildings, but making concrete uses a lot of natural resources and energy.

2.       Aluminum is used to make soft drink containers and trash cans. It can be recycled many times, and recycling uses much less energy than making aluminum from ore.

3.       One person uses 5.4 kilograms of salt per year on food and another 180 kilograms a year for other things, such as de-icing roads and sidewalks in winter. We need salt in our diet, but when we use it on our roads and sidewalks, it causes damage to cars, water, and plants. (d) Clay is used to make plates and mugs, bricks for buildings, and kitty litter, but clay is strip-mined and the products made from it are persistent in the environment.

Analyse the impact on society and the environment of extracting and refining rocks and minerals for human use, taking different perspectives into account e.g.the perspectives of

• mine owners,

• the families of the miners,

• Aboriginal communities,

• the refinery workers,

• manufacturers of items who need the refined rocks and minerals to make their products,

• residents who live in communities located near refineries and manufacturing facilities and who are concerned about the environment)

Sample issues:

1.       Strip mining (or close surface extraction) is used to extract rocks and minerals for eventual human use. It is less dangerous for humans than underground mining, but it has a greater impact on the surface landscape, including the loss of significant amounts of rich topsoil. Efforts are being made by mining companies to reclaim land where mines and quarries have been closed. Abandoned quarries can be filled with water and used for recreational purposes. When a mine is closed, topsoil can be replaced and native species replanted.

2.       The smelting process is necessary to extract ores and minerals that can be made into products for human use. But the process produces waste materials, including gases that cause climate change, acid rain, and smog.

2

Developing Skills of Scientific Investigation and Technological Problem Solving

Follow established safety procedures for outdoor activities and for working with tools, materials, and equipment (e.g., use scratch and streak test materials for the purposes for which they are intended; when working outdoors, leave the site as it was found)

Use a variety of tests to identify the physical properties of minerals e.g.

• hardness [scratch test],

• colour [streak test]

• magnetism

Use a variety of criteria (e.g., colour, texture, lustre) to classify common rocks and minerals according to their characteristics

Use scientific inquiry/research skills (see page 15) to investigate how rocks and minerals are used and disposed of in everyday life e.g.

• nickel and copper are made into coins;

  • old coins can be melted down and the metal can be used for making other things;

• calcium [from limestone], silicon [from sand or clay], aluminum [from bauxite and iron ore], and iron [from bauxite and iron ore] are made into cement that is used for roads and buildings;

  • cement can be returned to cement and concrete production facilities and recycled;

• rocks from quarries are used for garden landscaping, and these rocks can be reused;

• marble is used for countertops and statues; old and worn pieces of marble can be repolished and recut to be made to look like new)

Sample guiding questions:

• Where might we find products made from rocks and minerals in our daily life?

• How might you find out other ways in which rocks and minerals are used in everyday items?

• Why might some people and groups have concerns about the use of some of these rocks and minerals?

• What might be some alternative materials that could be used instead of the rocks and minerals?

• How are some of the items made from rocks and/or minerals disposed of when they are no longer useful?

• Which minerals can be recycled or reused in other products?

Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including hardness, colour, lustre, and texture, in oral and written communication

Use a variety of forms (e.g., oral, written, graphic, multimedia) to communicate with different audiences and for a variety of purposes (e.g., use a graphic organizer to show how rocks and minerals are used in daily life)

3

Understanding Basic Concepts

Describe the difference between rocks (composed of two or more minerals) and minerals (composed of the same substance throughout), and explain how these differences make them suitable for human use

Describe the properties e.g.

• colour,

• lustre,

• streak,

• transparency,

• hardness

that are used to identify minerals

Describe how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are formed e.g.

• igneous rocks form when hot, liquid rock from deep below the earth’s surface rises towards the surface, cools, and solidifies;

• sedimentary rocks form when small pieces of the earth that have been worn away by wind and water accumulate at the bottom of rivers, lakes, and oceans and are eventually compressed into rock;

• metamorphic rocks form when igneous or sedimentary rocks are changed by heat and pressure

Describe the characteristics of the three classes of rocks e.g.

• sedimentary rocks often have flat or curved layers, are composed of pieces that are roughly the same size with pores between the pieces, and often contain fossils;

• igneous rocks have no layers, are usually made up of two or more minerals whose crystals are different sizes, and normally do not contain fossils;

• metamorphic rocks may have alternating bands of light and dark minerals, may be composed of only one mineral, such as marble or quartzite, and rarely contain fossils),

and explain how their characteristics are related to their origin