QER is acknowledged with providing assistance for this resource."Fossils in oil shale deposits"Fossils are the remains of animals from long ago. The QER shale oil mine near Gladstone is the source of fossils up to forty million years old! In this lesson, students will learn the skills of a palaeontologist by participating in a simulated fossil dig activity.This lesson has been designed to align with the science Australian Curriculum year 3.

QER is acknowledged with providing assistance for this resource."Properties and uses of common materials"Properties help us to understand many of the common objects around us. Understanding what they are made of helps us to appreciate where they come from.In this lesson, students will participate in a workstation activity to identify properties of common materials and consider where these materials come from, and particularly that plastic is made from oil.This lesson has been designed to align with the science Australian Curriculum year 4.

QER is acknowledged with providing assistance for this resource."Plant growth in processed shale"Properties help us to understand many of the common objects around us. Understanding what they are made of helps us to appreciate where they come from.In this lesson, students will participate in a workstation activity to identify properties of common materials and consider where these materials come from, and particularly that plastic is made from oil.This lesson has been designed to align with the science Australian Curriculum year 4.

QER is acknowledged with providing assistance for this resource."Decision making in use of resources"Australias fuel challenge heightens the urgency to develop new fuel sources, but in doing so there are priorities of health, safety and the environment to be considered. In this lesson, you will tackle some of the big questions relating to the decisions surrounding oil shale as a fuel source.In this lesson, students will:* Consider the importance of the development of new fuel supplies for Australias energy future. * Discuss advantages and disadvantages of oil shale as a fuel source. * Consider issues of health, safety and the environment surrounding the mining of oil shale.This lesson has been designed to align with the science Australian Curriculum year 6.

The Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.Nearly everything we own is either grown or mined! We often dont stop to think where items such as cars, houses, laptops even toothpaste comes from.This is an activity where students look at everyday objects and examine their origins. They learn about minerals, metals, their properties and uses and start to develop ideas around conservation of materials and recycling.The lesson includes a student worksheet and an information sheet about the mineral derivation of common objects.

The Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.Many things that people use are made from minerals and metals. In order to have these things the minerals or metals to make them can come from recycled materials or are mined. The recycling of metals provides a small percentage of the materials demanded by consumers. Therefore to provide for this demand particularly in developing countries minerals are mined and processed. Australia has large and accessible deposits of iron ore, gold, copper, silver, lead, zinc and nickel as well as the energy resources - coal and uranium. These provide over 30% of Australias commodity exports. The mining and processing of these minerals occupies 0.05% of Australias land mass.

The Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.This is a plan for a sequence of lessons in which students survey their school environment and develop a Sustainable School Environmental Management Plan (SSEMP). It contains links to a variety of activities and worksheets to facilitate the process.

The Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.This is a lesson plan in which students examine land use in Australia and in their own school. It includes worksheets for three student activities. Students explore existing land use and make predictions about future requirements.

The Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.This is a lesson plan with a focus on exploring the Australian mineral industrys framework for sustainable development, entitled Enduring Value. Students analyse the main ideas underlying the framework and evaluate the importance of some of its principles.

The Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.This is a lesson plan which focuses on the complexities of resource management and the associated decision-making. Students are asked to discuss how a number of apples should be used by the class. Various options are discussed, a consensus is attempted, and students reflect on the dynamics of the decision-making process.