The overall purpose of this lesson is to show students that the tools and technologies used in gold mining and mine work changed or evolved over time. The tools and methods of gold mining changed from simple and over time they became more and more complex and costly.
However, students will develop their understanding of the basic method of mining by exploring, asking questions and conducting an investigation on how to pan gold by using hands on activity.
Inquiry question:
How did prospectors use the “blow drying” as a method of mining?
How did miners survived with the lack of water?
Recognise some differences between mining in the past and today.
Understand that miners adapted working methods because of a lack of water.
Answer simple questions …show more content…
Then the teacher will show images of modern mines to provide a comparison. Let the students identify the comparison between the old and modern mines (from panning to explosive)
3. Then show the students a video clip from YouTube on how to pan gold using water.
4. Explain that during the gold rush, miners in the east of Australia, where water was more plentiful, found gold by swirling water and soil around in a dish and which would remove the lighter soil and leave behind the heavier gold. However, when the miners arrived at the gold fields in Western Australia water was a scarce resource so they had to use other methods to separate the sand from the gold (Skwirks, 2016).
6. Explain that the miners developed a method called ‘dry blowing’. The lack of water resulted in the development of alternative ways to mine gold that did not rely on water. The dry blowing method used wind as a means of separating the gold from the soil (Skwirks, 2016). …show more content…
1. Take the students outside and ask each one to stand inside their hoop or rope circle, explain that the area of land inside the hoop is their ‘claim’, or their land to mine. They are not allowed outside their claim or other miners will accuse them of stealing from them.
2. Immerse the painted gold pebbles in a bucket of sand.
3. Ask each student to come and collect a portion of the sand with a smaller container
4. Each student takes the small container back to their piece of land and sieve the soil using their hands, holding it up high above the container, so that the wind carries away the lightest sand, so as to leave behind the ‘gold’.
Note: Students need to be spread out far enough so that the windblown sand does not get in students eyes.
5. Once each student has found their gold, have them sit on their claim of land until everyone has finished.
6. Using the ‘Write a postcard’ activity sheet, ask students to write a postcard addressed to home as if they were a prospector telling their family about their efforts to discover gold.
For early finisher:
Ask them to collect the ‘gold’ that was discovered by the class and weighs it. What would its value be today if it were real
However, students will develop their understanding of the basic method of mining by exploring, asking questions and conducting an investigation on how to pan gold by using hands on activity.
Inquiry question:
How did prospectors use the “blow drying” as a method of mining?
How did miners survived with the lack of water?
Recognise some differences between mining in the past and today.
Understand that miners adapted working methods because of a lack of water.
Answer simple questions …show more content…
Then the teacher will show images of modern mines to provide a comparison. Let the students identify the comparison between the old and modern mines (from panning to explosive)
3. Then show the students a video clip from YouTube on how to pan gold using water.
4. Explain that during the gold rush, miners in the east of Australia, where water was more plentiful, found gold by swirling water and soil around in a dish and which would remove the lighter soil and leave behind the heavier gold. However, when the miners arrived at the gold fields in Western Australia water was a scarce resource so they had to use other methods to separate the sand from the gold (Skwirks, 2016).
6. Explain that the miners developed a method called ‘dry blowing’. The lack of water resulted in the development of alternative ways to mine gold that did not rely on water. The dry blowing method used wind as a means of separating the gold from the soil (Skwirks, 2016). …show more content…
1. Take the students outside and ask each one to stand inside their hoop or rope circle, explain that the area of land inside the hoop is their ‘claim’, or their land to mine. They are not allowed outside their claim or other miners will accuse them of stealing from them.
2. Immerse the painted gold pebbles in a bucket of sand.
3. Ask each student to come and collect a portion of the sand with a smaller container
4. Each student takes the small container back to their piece of land and sieve the soil using their hands, holding it up high above the container, so that the wind carries away the lightest sand, so as to leave behind the ‘gold’.
Note: Students need to be spread out far enough so that the windblown sand does not get in students eyes.
5. Once each student has found their gold, have them sit on their claim of land until everyone has finished.
6. Using the ‘Write a postcard’ activity sheet, ask students to write a postcard addressed to home as if they were a prospector telling their family about their efforts to discover gold.
For early finisher:
Ask them to collect the ‘gold’ that was discovered by the class and weighs it. What would its value be today if it were real